Mokapots, Moka, or Stovetop Espresso, Period.

[Mister Moo]

Yes. The way to go for outrageously good coffee out of a failsafe $20 brewer



Bialetti Express - sure
Bialetti Brikka - I guess so
Bialetti Mukka - why not
Other brands that do the same thing - OK, I guess

1. Object:
the practically worlds best coffee, strong and sweet (NEVER bitter) in minutes; makes just about the best cafe-au-lait, cafe Cubano, Americano and faux-cappuccino.

2. Requirements:
a mokapot - smaller ones (1-3 cup) are the way to go. The big ones seem like a good idea but they are not. A one-cupper is very cool; two-cupper most useful; three-cupper for one hophead ex-crack addict or, perhaps, a normal married couple couple.



freshly roasted coffee (preground is fine but it's alwys better to have your own grinder. For this kind of coffee it has to be a burr grinder, not a whirley-blade chopper type. Grinder are discussed in another thread, maybe, if someone brings it up.)



fresh, clean water.

(please - you know what it looks like)

heat source - gas is good; electric range is fine.



a cool cup.

(cool is in the eye of the beholder)

maybe some sugar and milk.

a cigar or pipe (optional)

3. Methodology:
Sweat these details with a conventional mokapot. (Piss-all if you got a Brikka - you won't need to know a thing.)

Having filled the lower pot with water to just-below the safety valve and wiped water from the threads, etc., pack coffee gently and evenly into the filter and place it into the lower pot. I advise forming a mild dome when filling, such that, when the upper pot is screwed down snugly, you can ( right then - not after brewing!) open it back up and see a clear imprint* of the upper pots filter. No solid imprint means not enough coffee; inability to screw the upper portion ALL the way down means too much coffee.

*

Screw the upper pot on tight - I mean tight-tight, put the thing on medium heat and wait a few minute for the goo to start oozing out the post. Don't keep the pot hot enough for the coffee to squirt. It should ooze - about 45-seconds worth to brew a pot - to insure the coffee doesn't taste burnt. You may reduce heat or remove the pot from the heat source to control the brewing rate. Too much heat is a bad thing.



Fresh coffee, good pack, tight screw-down and slow brewing may reward you with caramel brown (false) crema as the brewing occurs. If you have a stainless steel pot, don't expect to see much of the crema, though.



This is a stellar drink straight or sweet or 50/50 with hot milk and a bit of sugar. There are few places on earth where we keep such high expectations for our moka as right here. This is THE place to learn the tricks and get the tips from moka-monsters. There are so-called world-class lifetime coffee demons who haven't even DREAMED of making moka like we do, right here in the Asylum. While the gurus are talking about "moka", we're right here getting 100% of the glory out of the beans. Amen. Your questions are welcomed.

Rock on. Party down. Excellent.