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Are you a moka pot coffee user? Until this moment still not satisfied with the results of brewing? Maybe this article can be of use to you!

I  just got my  Bialetti Gran Gala 1 Cup mocha pot  . The reason I have this tool at home is so that if I want to drink milk coffee, I can get a slightly thick and strong brewed coffee. Unfortunately,  moka pot  is a  coffee maker  of the most  tricky  I have ever tried. It’s not as easy as brewing manually with  pour over, Aeropress, Vietnam Drip  and the like, this tool is quite a test of patience.

If you don’t use the right amount and method, the brew can be too bitter and burnt. So because I was quite annoyed, I found out and often experimented until the results of my steeping reached the ‘decent’ level. There are lots of posts and videos  discussing mocha pots  and the most suitable for me is the YouTube video on the  ChefSteps channel  where the guest star is the noble James Hoffman. I practiced the method and it worked. Here are important tips for you moka pot  users  and I edited these tips from several sources, James Hoffman and of course my experience and some friends.

Grind Level is Slightly Coarse than Espresso

Although similar to an  espresso maker, a  moka pot  is a  coffee maker,  not an  espresso  maker. And of course the way it works is different from the  espresso makers,  both manual and automatic. Therefore, use coffee that is ground slightly coarser than the level of an espresso grind. If it’s too fine the coffee will have a hard time coming out and this often leads to over-extraction which makes your coffee too bitter.

Coffee on the  gasket should  not be compressed too hard

We may often forget, because we often compress coffee in a  portafilter  with a  coffee tamper. In  moka pot  we don’t have to do that. Just trimmed it up a little and pressed lightly. It doesn’t need to be compressed like that. If it is too dense then the coffee will be difficult to extract and inhibit the release of coffee.

Use Hot Water instead of Room Temperature Water

Some people believe that brewing with a  mocha pot  means having to use room temperature water. The answer is no. According to James Hoffman, room temperature water will heat up when heated and when the water heats up, the coffee will heat up prematurely in the  mocha pot. This results in an unpleasant bitter taste in the brew. Using hot water will reduce the heating time and speed up the extraction process. Then the results of your coffee will be much more delicious.

Turn off the fire when you hear a hissing sound

We often wait until all the coffee in the  mocha pot  comes out even though the hissing sound is very loud. Better not because it’s a sign that the coffee is almost burnt. When the first coffee comes out, you have to pay close attention until the hissing sound of bubbles comes out. That is a good time to turn off the fire and stop the brewing process.

Wet the Bottom of the Moka Pot 

When you turn off the heat, immediately wet the bottom of the  mocha pot  with water. This is very important because as long as the  mocha pot is  still hot, the extraction process will continue and we don’t want that because it will make the coffee bitter. Wetting the bottom of the  mocha pot  means stopping the process. And our coffee is ready to be enjoyed! You should know Best Moka coffee