How to Make a Delicious Cup of Faux Espresso with a stove-top Moka Pot in Just 5 Minutes

Moka pots, also known as stovetop espresso makers, are stovetop coffee makers that make a cup of near-espresso coffee.

The flavor of coffee made with moka pots is intense and most closely resembles coffee made using an espresso machine. You will find moka pots in most Italian households and they are regarded as a standard part of Italian culture.

Moka pots are usually made of aluminum or stainless steel. They have a bottom chamber for water, a mid-chamber for coffee grounds and a top chamber to hold the brewed coffee.

You can make cappuccinos, lattes and all kinds of espresso drinks with moka pots. They are very easy to use. So, without further ado, let’s get started!

What you will need:

1. A stove top (gas or electric) that can produce medium to high heat.
2. A moka pot.
3. Water (boiling)
4. Coffee beans - your choice of roast
5. A grinder to grind your coffee. Never use pre-ground coffee, ever.
6. Optional: a scale to weigh your beans (recommended)

Making Moka Pot Coffee (or Stovetop Espresso, or Fauxpresso):

Boil your water first. While you are waiting for it to boil, grind your coffee beans - about `18 grams for 2 cups - and place them in the filter funnel. The grounds should be fine, but not very fine, slightly coarser than you would grind for espresso; so about the same coarseness as table salt approximately.

As an aside, the world was first introduced to using boiling or hot water in the moka pot via World Barista champion James Hoffman in a 2015 youtube video on the ChefSteps channel. The traditional method is to use room-temperature water and let it heat in the moka pot. Pre heating water, according to Hoffman, is a great way to avoid bitter tasting coffee by heating or burning your coffee grounds as the water heats up.

Fill the bottom chamber of the Moka Pot with the now boiling water, about half-way, just below the pressure release valve. Place the filter funnel over it and screw seal with the top chamber (the one with the handle).

Place the moka pot on a medium to high heat and listen closely, after a while you will hear gurgling . The gurgling sound means your water is boiling and the pressure has built up in the system; your coffee has started to brew.Make sure you listen to the pot so you can hear when gurgling stops. This means your coffee is done.

Remove it from the heat, pour into a cup and enjoy!

To turn it into a cappuccino or latte or other milk based drink, simply add steamed or frothed milk to the cup after pouring the coffee. Frothing milk at home without a machine is incredibly simple.

Frothing milk with a French Press:

The easiest way is to add warm milk to a french press and rapidly raise the filter and then plunge it back into the milk. Do this for 10-15 seconds. Doing so will introduce air into the milk and you will notice similar micro-foam to the steamed milk you get at a cafe, it might take some practice, but the learning curve is much smaller than learning how to steam milk correctly with a machine.