How to use a Moka Pot to make coffee

Moka pot is an amazing tool. Invented by the Italian company Bialetti in 30s, it will give you a drink similar to espresso which you can drink straight or use instead of espresso in various drinks such as macchiatos, cappucinos or lattes. You don't need any measure for it - the pots are pre-measured to a certain size, in a number of cups (meaning espresso cups, not huge mugs). Pics in the instructions below are made using a 6-cup pot.

Step 1: Heat water in a kettle (optional)

Step 2: Fill water up to the release valve

Step 3: Add coffee

Step 4: Level coffee with your finger and place it in pot

Step 5: Screw in top part (careful, base is HOT if you pre-heated the water!) and place on low to medium heat

Step 6: Coffee starts pouring in after a while.

At this level, keep it on stove for some 10-15 more seconds, and then remove

Step 7: Done! Enjoy your coffee :)

Pre-heating up water in a pot is optional, personally I found that it gives better results than using cold water - since coffee is on stove for a shorter time, there's less chance coffee will end up burned due to pot heating up. Also, I removed it from the stove before the all water percolated up, since that tends to overextract the coffee (and comes close to boiling it).

Best coffee is freshly ground to espresso size, or slightly coarser than that.

Some of the most notable moka pots:

• Bialetti Moka Express - the original, comes in various sizes - be sure to select the right one for you
• IKEA RÅDIG - stainless steel option, with different styling - but only one size
• Bialetti Brikka - built slightly differently from Moka, with a special valve that builds pressure to the higher levels than Moka - coffee is released quickly, with richer crema

These pots are typically very durable. However, you might need to replace the rubber or silicone gasket after some time. These are not expensive - but be sure you're getting them in the correct size.

Clean mostly with water. If residual oils build up too much and go rancid, boil a mixture of water and alcoholic vinegar to clean the moka pot.