To use a moka pot, fill the bottom with cold or room-temperature water up to the safety valve, fill the funnel with ground coffee for a moka pot without pressing it, screw the top shut, heat it on low to medium, and take it off when the top is full and the moka pot starts to gurgle. Coffee & Cream stocks the moka pots and the ground coffee for this method, and the steps below follow Bialetti's instructions.
How to use a moka pot, step by step
- Fill the bottom chamber with cold or room-temperature water, up to the lower edge of the safety valve. Stop at that line. Water past the valve can make the coffee watery.
- Set the funnel into the bottom chamber.
- Fill the funnel generously with ground coffee for a moka pot, without pressing the coffee. Clear any grounds off the rim.
- Screw the top on tight. Do not force it, and do not use the handle as a lever.
- Set the moka pot on the hob with the lid closed. On gas, keep the flame inside the rim of the pot. On an electric or ceramic hob, keep it low to medium and never use the highest setting. Take your time. On a Fiammetta Induction, never use the highest setting or the boost function.
- When the top chamber is full and you hear the gurgle, the coffee is ready. Take the moka pot off the hob and switch the heat off.
- Stir the coffee in the top chamber, pour it, and drink it soon after pouring.
Never heat a moka pot with no water in the bottom. Use water only in that chamber. Keep the safety valve pointed away from you, and stay by the hob until you take the pot off. The metal gets hot, so hold the handle and the knob, and let the pot cool before you open it. Keep a moka pot out of the oven and the microwave.
The first time you use a moka pot
Wash every part with water only. Fill the bottom to the safety valve, leave the funnel empty of coffee, and run the moka pot once on low heat. Pour that water away. Then make at least 3 pots of coffee with the method above and pour them away. Bialetti says not to drink those first 3 pots, because they are there to bring out the coffee's aroma.
Coffee and grind for a moka pot
Use a medium-fine grind, finer than filter and coarser than espresso, from a bag labelled for a moka pot. Bialetti says the coffee must be ground for a moka pot and not too fine, and never finely ground coffee. Turkish coffee is extra-fine, so keep it for a kanaka. The method is in the Turkish coffee guide.
The bean finder's best coffee for a moka pot is a medium to medium-dark blend, sweet, chocolate-led and balanced. In ground coffee for a moka pot, Lavazza Qualità Rossa (arabica and robusta) and Lavazza Qualità Oro (100% arabica) are medium roasts listed for a moka pot. Illy Tostato Forte for moka is a dark 100% arabica and Illy's strongest ground coffee, and Illy Tostato Intenso moka is a 100% arabica ground for the stovetop. Kimbo Espresso Napoli is a medium-dark arabica and robusta, listed for a moka pot. The ground coffee guide sets this grind beside espresso, filter and Turkish.
A bag labelled for a moka pot is the safer start. Very fine espresso coffee can slow the flow in some funnels and taste harsh, and Bialetti's instructions call for coffee ground for a moka pot, not for an espresso machine.
Whole beans from whole coffee beans need a medium-fine grind in one of the coffee grinders. The decaf in ground coffee for a moka pot is Lavazza Caffè Decaffeinato, and the decaf coffee page sorts decaf by machine. Flavored bags for a moka pot include Bialetti Perfetto Moka Vaniglia, Perfetto Moka Cioccolato, Perfetto Moka Mandorla and Granell, and the flavored coffee page goes through each flavor.
Bialetti Perfetto Moka Classico is a dark roast made for moka pots, 50% arabica and 50% robusta. Bristot Moka ORO is a medium-roast arabica and robusta blend, intensity 9 of 10. Classico, Cioccolato and Mandorla are in the Bialetti collection, and all four, Bristot Moka ORO included, are in espresso ground coffee.
Cleaning, descaling and the gasket
After each brew, rinse every part with warm water only, with no detergent and no rough sponge. Keep the moka pot out of the dishwasher, which Bialetti says can damage it and change the taste of the coffee. Dry every part, and store the moka pot open, not screwed shut.
Tip the grounds out without banging the funnel. A bent funnel stops the seal. While you wash, move the small piston on the safety valve along its axis so limescale does not seize it. If the filter plate holes are blocked, open them with a soft brush or a needle.
Descale regularly. Fill the bottom to the usual line, add two teaspoons of citric acid or vinegar, assemble the moka pot with no coffee, and run it once. Pour that liquid away, rinse under running water, then brew coffee as usual.
If the base of a Fiammetta Induction changes colour, it sat on the heat too long. Bialetti says this does not affect use.
Replace the gasket when it is worn, and at least once a year even if it still looks fine. A worn gasket lets steam escape at the join instead of pushing the coffee up. Fit the new gasket around the rim of the filter plate, press the plate and gasket back into place under the upper chamber, and screw the pot together.
- Water leaking at the join: screw the pot tight, check the gasket, and clear grounds off the rim.
- Steam from the safety valve: use ground coffee for a moka pot, do not press it, and do not fill water past the valve.
- Coffee too cold or too hot: the water is not at the lower edge of the valve.
- No coffee rising: seat every part, tighten the pot, and check for a leak.
Which moka pot to buy
A Bialetti cup is an espresso-sized shot, and the finished volume still depends on the water and the grind. The Moka Express and La Mokina measures are:
- La Mokina: 0.5 cup, 40 ml.
- 1 cup: 60 ml.
- 2 cup: 90 ml.
- 3 cup: 130 ml.
- 4 cup: 185 ml.
- 6 cup: 250 ml.
The Moka Express in 1, 2, 3 and 4 cup, La Mokina, iKape in 2 shots or 4 shots (cast aluminium), the 300 ml MHW pot (about 2 to 3 small cups, with a heat-insulated wooden handle) and the 3 cup Rainbow Fruit Vibes (150 ml) are all aluminium and work on gas and electric hobs. There is also a 6 cup Moka Express. The aluminium Mini Express brews into the two 90 ml ceramic cups that come with it and also works on ceramic hobs. Mini Express and Rainbow Fruit Vibes are in the Bialetti collection. Every pot here goes on the hob, and Coffee & Cream does not sell an electric moka pot.
An induction hob does not heat any of the aluminium pots above. Bialetti says a Moka Express works on induction only with the Bialetti induction plate. Coffee & Cream does not sell that plate. For induction, the ground-coffee moka pot is the Fiammetta Induction, a 2 cup pot. The upper part is food-grade aluminium alloy. The boiler is steel on the outside, which is the part the hob heats, and aluminium alloy on the inside. Check that your hob detects that base, because some induction zones only see a larger pot. Never use the highest setting or the boost function. The Fiammetta Induction is in moka pots and in the Bialetti collection.
For ESE pods on the stove, Caffè Borbone MokaCiao is a 3 cup pod pot with a base that works on induction. It takes ESE pods only. The pot is in Caffè Borbone, and the pods are in ESE pods.
Gasket and filter sets follow the cup size. Check your moka pot before you order.
- 0.5 cup: for La Mokina, one silicone gasket and one aluminium filter plate.
- 1 cup: three gaskets and one filter, for a 1 cup Moka Express.
- 2 cup: one filter plate and three rubber gaskets, for a 2 cup Moka Express.
- 3 and 4 cup: one filter plate and three rubber gaskets, for both the 3 cup and the 4 cup Moka Express.
- 9 cup: three gaskets and one filter, for 9 cup aluminium pots.
There is no gasket set for the 6 cup Moka Express, the Fiammetta Induction, iKape or the MHW pot. The sets are in Bialetti, and the 2 cup set and the 3 and 4 cup set are also in moka pots.
How to make espresso with a moka pot
To make espresso with a moka pot, follow the steps above. The cup comes out short, strong and espresso-style, but it brews at about 1 to 2 bar against the roughly 9 bar of an espresso machine, so it is not true espresso. Other ways to brew without a full machine are in the espresso without a machine guide.
For the mocha drink, coffee with chocolate and milk, follow the mocha at home recipe.
A strong cup from a moka pot can go into a latte, a cappuccino or a Spanish latte, and the method is in the latte, cappuccino and Spanish latte guide, with a milk frother for the foam.
FAQ
How do you use a moka pot step by step?
Fill the bottom with cold or room-temperature water up to the lower edge of the safety valve. Fill the funnel with ground coffee for a moka pot without pressing it, screw the top on, and heat on low to medium with the lid closed. Take the moka pot off when the top chamber is full and you hear the gurgle, stir, and pour.
Do you fill a moka pot with hot or cold water?
Use cold or room-temperature water. Bialetti's manuals say cold water, and Bialetti's product page says room-temperature water. Stop at the lower edge of the safety valve. Water above that line can make the coffee watery.
Do you put regular coffee in a moka pot?
Yes, if it is ground medium-fine for a moka pot. A bag labelled for a moka pot is the safe pick. Filter grind is coarser than this pot wants, and Turkish coffee and other very fine grinds are too fine.
What is the best coffee for a moka pot?
A medium to medium-dark blend, sweet, chocolate-led and balanced, ground for a moka pot. Start with the best coffee for a moka pot on the bean finder, then pick a bag from ground coffee for a moka pot, such as Lavazza Qualità Rossa, Lavazza Qualità Oro or Illy Tostato Forte for moka.
What are the negatives of a moka pot?
It brews at about 1 to 2 bar, so it does not make true espresso. It is hand wash only. An aluminium pot does not work on induction. The gasket wears and needs replacing, and you have to stay with the moka pot while it is on the heat.
What is a moka pot?
A moka pot is a stovetop coffee maker in three parts. Water goes in the bottom, ground coffee for a moka pot goes in the funnel, and steam pushes the water up through the coffee into the top chamber at about 1 to 2 bar, so the cup comes out short and strong.
Which is the best moka pot to buy?
Match the pot to the hob and to how many short shots you want. For gas and electric hobs, the aluminium Moka Express comes in 1, 2, 3 and 4 cup sizes. For an induction hob, buy the Fiammetta Induction and check that the hob detects the base. La Mokina is the 40 ml pot for one short shot. The pots are in moka pots.
Is it worth buying a moka pot?
Yes, if you want a short, strong cup on a gas or electric hob and can stay with it while it brews. Skip it if you want true espresso at about 9 bar or a pot that goes in the dishwasher. On an induction hob, the Fiammetta Induction is the ground-coffee moka pot that works.
Is there an electric moka pot?
Coffee & Cream does not sell an electric moka pot. The aluminium pots sit on a gas or electric hob and do not plug in. Portable electric espresso makers are pump machines, covered on the portable espresso makers page.
Moka pots and coffee for this method
Choose a moka pot from moka pots and coffee from ground coffee for a moka pot. Gasket sets and more Bialetti pots are in Bialetti. Orders reach Cairo and Giza in 1 to 2 business days and other governorates in 2 to 4 business days. You can pay cash on delivery or by card. Delivery fees are on the shipping policy.