Fill hot water up to the mark, fill the funnel with medium-fine ground coffee (do not tamp), screw together, place on medium heat. As soon as the coffee bubbles up and turns lighter, turn off the heat and cool the pot with a cold towel.

How do I brew coffee in a Moka pot?

Fill hot water up to the mark, fill the funnel with medium-fine ground coffee (do not tamp), screw together, place on medium heat. As soon as the coffee bubbles up and turns lighter, turn off the heat and cool the pot with a cold towel.

Why that is

The Moka pot (also called an espresso maker or Bialetti) uses steam pressure: Water in the lower chamber is heated, and the resulting steam pushes the water up through the coffee in the funnel and into the upper collecting chamber. The principle is simple, but the details make the difference between a bitter brew and an aromatic, strong cup of coffee.

Step by step:

1. Add hot water. Fill the lower chamber up to the safety valve with water that is already hot (not boiling). Hot water is the most important trick — it reduces the time the pot spends on the stove and prevents the coffee grounds from being heated too long and scorching.

2. Add coffee. Fill the filter funnel loosely with medium-fine ground coffee — like fine sand. Do not press or tamp the coffee. The Moka pot only generates 1–2 bars of pressure, far less than an espresso machine. Tamped coffee blocks the water flow and yields a bitter, over-extracted coffee.

3. Screw together. Screw the upper and lower chambers tightly together. Make sure the rubber gasket is clean and no coffee grounds are resting on the rim.

4. Place on medium heat. Do not use full blast — medium heat is enough. Too much heat accelerates the brewing process too much, producing burnt, bitter coffee. The flame should not extend beyond the base of the pot.

5. Leave the lid open. This lets you see when the coffee comes up.

6. Watch. After 2–4 minutes, the coffee will begin to flow into the upper chamber in a dark, even stream. As soon as it turns lighter and starts to sputter or hiss, the brewing process is over.

7. Remove from heat immediately. Place the pot on a cold, damp towel or run the base under cold tap water. This stops the extraction immediately and prevents those last, bitter drops from ruining the coffee.

8. Serve immediately. Moka pot coffee tastes best fresh. Letting it sit in the pot will make it metallic and bitter.

In practice at Green Wall Coffee

At Sophienstraße 27, many of our regulars have a Bialetti at home — it’s practically standard equipment in Berlin. The most common mistake: cold water and high heat. If you switch to hot water and medium heat, your coffee will instantly improve. And using freshly ground beans instead of pre-ground coffee is the second biggest game-changer.

Related questions

• Does the Moka pot really make espresso?
• What grind size is ideal for the Moka pot?
• Why does my Moka pot coffee taste bitter?

Come visit us at Sophienstraße 27 — Mon–Fri 8am–5pm, Sat 10am–5pm.