Moka Pot

02022-07-06 | Lx, Photos | 8 comments

IMG 6741
One of the first items I aquired for the flat in Lx was a Moka pot. While I love the original Moka pot design, I don’t like heating water in aluminum and besides, an aluminum pot wouldn’t work with this induction stove. Instead I found this stainless steel version at El Corte Ingles.
The original Moka pot was invented by the Italian engineer Alfonso Bialetti in 1933. Some call it a stovetop espresso maker although the pressure never comes close to that of an espresso machine – it creates 1-2 bar of pressure as opposed to 9 bar of a machine. (Wikipedia Link)
I wondered why it’s called a Moka pot and discovered its connection to a city in Yemen.
Wikipedia has the knowledge:

Mocha was the major marketplace for coffee (Coffea arabica) from the 15th century until the early 18th century. Even after other sources of coffee were found, Mocha beans (also called Sanani or Mocha Sanani beans, meaning from Sana’a) continued to be prized for their distinctive flavor—and remain so even today. The coffee itself did not grow in Mocha, but was transported from places inland to the port in Mocha, where it was shipped abroad. Mocha’s coffee legacy is reflected in the name of the mocha latte and the Moka pot coffee maker. In Germany, traditional Turkish coffee is known as Mokka.

8 Comments

  1. Steve

    >While I love the original Moka pot design, I don’t like heating water in aluminum and besides, an aluminum pot wouldn’t work with this induction stove.

    I agree. I avoid aluminum for all things culinary.

    Reply
  2. MTCallahan

    It’s been fifteen years since I started using a Moka pot for my everyday brewing. Mine are all the original Bialetti versions. I have tried the stainless incarnations but somehow the taste is different. Maybe it’s the angles? Boiling the water first a kettle, adding it to the reservoir, and then brewing the coffee at a lower temperature provides the best results. The aluminum may get me or, it may not. There are bigger evils in the world that bother me more than that.

    Reply
    • ottmar

      When you are adding boiling water to the Moka pot you have to use gloves to screw the parts together, or are your hands that tough?

      Reply
      • MTCallahan

        A kitchen towel is always at hand. It’s plenty of protection for me.

        Reply
        • ottmar

          Imma try it in the morning!

          Reply
  3. Steve

    >The aluminum may get me or, it may not. There are bigger evils in the world that bother me more than that.

    I completely agree.

    My logic is this: aluminum is the most abundant metal in the earth’s crust, so being immersed in it is inevitable. I don’t need any additional aluminum by virtue of my culinary activities.

    Reply
    • MTCallahan

      Roger that!

      Reply
  4. Juan Ciminelli

    I own a pot just like the one you posted! In argentina we call it “cafetera espresso”.

    Reply

Leave a Reply to ottmar Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Archives

Images

Social

@Mastodon (the Un-Twitter)