How to Make Coffee Using an Italian Coffee Maker

by Matthew Robertson September 06, 2021

Always craving for a strong and invigorating cup of coffee, but can’t go out anytime you want to? Why still go out if you can serve yourself the best coffee right in the comfort of your own home? All you need is an Italian coffee maker. The next thing you know, you’re in cloud-9.

What is an Italian Coffee Maker?

The Italian Coffee Maker is an espresso maker that allows you to make coffee on a stovetop or induction cooker. Surely, black coffee or espresso any time of the day is within reach.

One of the most popular Italian coffee makers is the one that was invented in 1933 by Alfonso Bialetti of Italy, which is popularly known as the Bialetti Moka Pot Coffee Maker.

Steps on how to use a Moka Pot

Are you ready to make your first ever revitalizing coffee using a Moka Pot? Here are the simple steps, which only takes less than 10 minutes.

What you’ll be needing for the Moka Pot Coffee

Moka Pot Italian coffee maker
Stove or induction cooker
Fresh ground coffee

STEP 1: Grind fresh coffee beans

Get your fresh coffee beans and grind them finely – to the size of an espresso coffee or a bit bigger.

STEP 2: Add water

Pour cold water into the Moka Pot’s bottom half up to the valve. Do not use hot water.

STEP 3: Add in the coffee and pull together

Place the funnel filled with ground coffee on top of the water. Don’t press the ground coffee down. Now, attach the top onto the Moka Pot’s base until completely fastened.

STEP 3: Ready for brewing

Place pot on the stove or induction cooker over medium heat.

STEP 4: Be patient while the coffee is brewing

Wait for the water to boil, while it passes through the ground coffee, and fill the top part of the pot. The entire process will take about 5 to 7 minutes. After about 3 minutes or so, the coffee will start making bubbles.

Then in the next 2 minutes, it will boil much faster, and the boiling sound will get louder. When the boiling sound fills the place and there’s already a sloshing sound, then it’s way of telling you that the coffee is ready. Turn off the stove or induction cooker.

STEP 5: Time to inspect the coffee

After turning off the stove or induction cooker, open the pot and have a peek. The pot should be filled with coffee. If not yet full, put back the pot and brew again until it’s completely filled up.

Once you’ve finished making your Moka Pot coffee, thoroughly clean the pot using warm water and let it dry before putting back together.

Learn how to make espresso at home

Espresso, the all-time favourite of most coffee lovers. If you want to create one on your own, you’re lucky as you just stumbled upon the easiest ways to do it.

What you’ll be needing for your espresso shot:

Dark, fresh roasted coffee beans – When making espresso, dark roasted coffee is an elite choice.
Filtered water – gives you a more flavourful coffee as compared to using purified water
Coffee bean grinder – espresso requires a fine ground coffee or a little bigger granules.
Weighing scale – this is needed to have an accurate measurement of the water and coffee. Having the exact ratio will give you a better-tasting espresso.
Moka Pot – the standard size of a Moka Pot can make 2 cups of 5 ounces of coffee.

Different ways to make espresso coffee using a Moka Pot coffee

There are various ways on how you could come up with different espresso mixes using the Moka Pot Italian coffee maker. Why settle for the same coffee or espresso over and over again if you could easily make assorted blends all by yourself?

Straight up espresso

As the name suggests, you can simply pour the newly brewed coffee into your cup straight up. Pure espresso is described as bitter, short and strong coffee. But if you are a mild-coffee drinker, just make an adjustment on the ground coffee measurement.

NOTE: The measurement in making a shot of espresso is typically 50ml to 100ml, which depends mainly on the coffee palate of the drinker.

Americano – measure a shot of espresso into your coffee mug and add in hot water until almost full. After which, add some milk and sugar. Sugar maybe omitted if you prefer your coffee to maintain balance in smoothness and bitterness.
Latte – get a ¾ cup of milk and bring to heat. The way you heat the milk will have different effects on the taste and texture of your espresso. Choosing to heat the milk in a pan will give you a rich latte with light milk froth on top. If in a microwave oven, expect your latte to be frothless. And if you use a milk streamer or a frother, your milk will turn out to be really foamy. Once you’re done heating the milk, pour it into your mug followed by the shot of espresso.
Flavored espresso – if you want assorted blends of espresso other than the classics, you may get hold of different kinds of flavored syrups. Simply pour a small amount of your preferred syrup into your latte or americano.
Mocha – this is a different version of the latte espresso. After heating the milk, mix 1 teaspoon of cocoa powder and stir. A combination of coffee, chocolate and milk offers a fortifying taste. Marshmallows on top and a chocolate stick on the side can make it more fancy and lavish.

These espresso blends are making me drool! It’s time to make an espresso for myself. You better try it, too.

Frequently asked questions:

Can you make an espresso using the Moka Pot Italian coffee maker?

The Moka Pot can make strong coffee that’s comparable to an espresso but not quite. You will not get a totally foamy cream on top of your coffee just like a real espresso. With the Moka Pot, a bigger amount of coffee is needed as compared to an espresso. It’s more like an Americano coffee than espresso.

Why can’t the Moka Pot make espresso just like an espresso machine?

The Moka Pot can only get a pressure of 1 up to 3 bars when the water forces its way up while passing through the ground coffee. While an espresso machine can generate a pressure of up to 9 bars.

Although their pressure seems to have a big gap, the Moka Pot coffee still has a flavour that is a bit close to espresso. It can be used as a substitute for making espresso drinks such as latte, macchiato, mocha, ristretto, red-eye, or cappuccino.