The moka pot, a timeless Italian icon

I believe virtually anyone has seen a moka pot, the iconic stove top coffee maker with its characteristic octagonal shape in shiny aluminum. After all, it is around for more than 80 years, practically unchanged. It was invented in 1933 by Luigi de Ponti and made popular by Alfonso Bialetti and the company carrying his name. Once WWII ended its popularity reached new heights and more than 300 million units have been sold worldwide since 1950 under the product name Moka Express. It comes as no surprise that in Italy, you will find a Moka pot in 9 out of 10 households, it is really the Italian coffee maker per se.

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Born in difficult times

Before the arrival of the moka pot, another Italian invention had already revolutionized the world of coffee, the espresso machine. The first ones producing single shots were installed in coffee houses in the early 1900s in Italy. They soon became a social phenomenon similar to Starbucks in our days and people began congregating and socializing in coffee houses. In those days, this was a very male-dominated thing, though. 

In the 1930s, the economic situation deteriorated all over Europe and fascism was on the rise in Germany and Italy. In 1935 Italy invaded Ethiopia for the second time and merged it with other parts of the continent it controlled already into Italian East Africa. The invention of the moka pot by Luigi de Ponti fell into these tumultuous times. Nevertheless, Alfonso Bialetti saw the potential of this invention and started manufacturing the moka pot, which is also called a caffetiera in Italy. It allowed families to make a great coffee in their home and to save on their coffee bar bill. Now, an espresso-like coffee could be enjoyed at home. It was not quite the same thing, but close enough and very affordable. This was certainly a very important reason for its success. 

The success story made by Renato Bialetti 

The big breakthrough came only after the war, when in 1946 Renato Bialetti, the son of founder Alfonso Bialetti took charge of the family company. His focus was on marketing, the moka pot got its official name “Moka Express” and he himself became an advertising star for his own product. He is the man with the flamboyant mustache and appears as a mascot on all Bialetti Moka Express pots.

And in recognition of its outstanding design, it is displayed in several design museums, among them even the prestigious MoMA in New York.

The Bialetti era comes to an end – but the Moka Express is still alive

Read the full article in the Telegraph.

Photo: AP/Danilo Donadio

Is this espresso – without crema?

Sometimes, a moka pot or the Moka Express are also referred to as stovetop espresso maker. This, of course, is misleading.

Most obvious is the lack of crema, you would expect in a great real espresso. When the coffee comes out of the nozzle and fills the upper chamber, there is a little foam which will disappear as soon as you pour the coffee into a cup.

The reason is very simple. Crema is produced by the high pressure of about 9 bar that an espresso machine generates. The moka pot, on the other hand, will generate a pressure of only 1.5 to 2 bar which obviously is not enough to produce the desired crema.

So, forget about the idea of an espresso and think of a coffee specialty in its own right.  It has a unique flavor profile and will add to your coffee experience and enjoyment.

How to use the Moka Express

Don’t plan your funeral yet. No need to decide whether to have your ashes put in a moka pot as well.

Let’s first use it for the purpose it was invented for and that is to make a great coffee.  

The Moka Express consists of three parts, at the base is the bottom chamber which will be filled with water, a funnel shaped metal filter, and the top where the brewed coffee will accumulate. On the bottom of the top part, there is a second metal filter and a gasket.

• Fill the bottom chamber with water.
• Set the funnel filter on top of the bottom chamber and fill it with coffee grounds.
• Screw the top on.
• Place the Moka pot on a heat source.
• When the coffee fills the upper part, take it off the heat source. Your coffee is ready to enjoy.

This not only sounds very simple and straightforward, it absolutely is.

Best practices for superior results

To achieve the best results you should take note of a few points. Following these will lift your coffee experience to a new level.

Coffee grounds

Grind your coffee fine like for a regular drip coffee but not as fine as you would for an espresso machine. Too fine grounds will make it difficult for the water to go through and produce a bitter taste or even clog the filter. Do not tamp the coffee grounds as this will also make the passage difficult like with too fine grounds. And for the same reason do not heap too much coffee into the filter, level the grounds and stay just below the rim.

Do not fill the bottom chamber above the safety valve.

Use hot water. This will reduce the time the Moka pot will have to stay on the heat source. The Moka pot is made from aluminum which is a great heat conductor. The coffee grounds sitting in the filter could be exposed to too much heat which can affect the taste negatively.

That’s why you have to be very careful handling the Moka pot after filling it with hot water. It will be very hot right away.

Caution!

The lower chamber will be very hot.

Brewing

The handle of the Moka pot is made from plastic. If you use it on a gas stove be careful not to expose it to the flames. Keep the flames within the radius of the bottom chamber.

Finish brewing

After a while, the coffee will exit the funnel with a gurgling sound. As soon it starts to make a sputtering sound, take it off the heat source. And your coffee is ready to enjoy.

It comes also in sizes of 1, 3, 6, 9, and 12 cups, not all of which may be available at all times from your store.

If you want to follow Renato Bialetti’s example to put your ashes in you would have to order a custom size, though.