# Mokka potty!



## Gilbert_McHarg (Oct 19, 2014)

Areet! Started brewing my own coffee using a mokka pot. Love all kinds of coffee, sometimes espresso or Americano and sometimes full of milk and sugar. Been buying supermarket ground coffee but just got a little cheap grinder and looking to start with wholebeans. Anyway, just got a few questions and brewing as keep reading contradictory things.

When using a mokka do you start with cold water or is it OK to boil the water first?

Is there a standard ratio or a calculation to use depending on what your after? So x grams of coffee to x ml of water?

Do you heat the pot low and slow or does it not matter? When I use a bigger flame the coffee kind shoots out all frothy and doesn't taste that good. When I go low and slow I sometimes think the heat is burning the coffee!?!?

Thats it for now. Want to try and get my method sorted first then move on to fresher beans etc and maybe a bit of home roasting. Don't have a lot of money to splash out on a proper espresso machine but I've read the humble mokka can be just as good as some sub £200 machines anyway. As long as it's used right... Ha ha

Cheers in advance for any advice


----------



## urbanbumpkin (Jan 30, 2013)

Hi welcome to the forum. I have to say I do like the character of Moka pot coffee.

For me.....start with cold water. Low heat, leave lid open.

As soon a coffee starts coming through turn off the heat and close the lid and wait for it to finish.

I fill water up to the just below the nipple safety valve thing.

moka pot is completely different to any other coffee that I make (espresso and brewed) but I do like it for a change.


----------



## Gilbert_McHarg (Oct 19, 2014)

Cheers for the reply. I've tried that but when I turn the heat off the coffee flow just stops?


----------



## Neill (Jun 26, 2013)

Gilbert_McHarg said:


> Cheers for the reply. I've tried that but when I turn the heat off the coffee flow just stops?


Keep the heat going then but as soon as you start seeing bubbles stick the base in to cold water to stop it.


----------



## Neill (Jun 26, 2013)

This is quite a good wee vid.


----------



## Gilbert_McHarg (Oct 19, 2014)

Neill said:


> Keep the heat going then but as soon as you start seeing bubbles stick the base in to cold water to stop it.


Nice one, will give that a blast


----------



## Gilbert_McHarg (Oct 19, 2014)

Neill said:


> This is quite a good wee vid.


Ha ha, I actually watched back to the future last night! So that video says to start with warmer water?


----------



## Neill (Jun 26, 2013)

Seems to suggest that for a classic moka. I found that on James Hoffmanns blog. He did one of his own but I can't get the vid to play on my phone so not sure if I can link it.


----------



## Gilbert_McHarg (Oct 19, 2014)

I'll try pre heated water and the dunk it in cold when the bubbles start. Cheers for the input, will report back. Got some lavazza wholebeans to grind for the first time so hopefully will work nicely


----------



## Finley (Oct 19, 2014)

I use boiled water to start with and on the lowest flame I have. It seems everyone uses a moka pot differently but I have found this way to be better for me over cold water. As said, as soon as the coffee gets to where I want in the pot I plunge the base into cold water to stop it.


----------



## Finley (Oct 19, 2014)

As a side note does anyone use filter paper with their moka pot for a cleaner cup? How would it change the taste?


----------



## Gilbert_McHarg (Oct 19, 2014)

Worked a treat! Only issue is I didn't grind enough coffee but I'll suss that out soon enough. Thanks again everyone


----------



## urbanbumpkin (Jan 30, 2013)

Finley said:


> I use boiled water to start with and on the lowest flame I have. It seems everyone uses a moka pot differently but I have found this way to be better for me over cold water. As said, as soon as the coffee gets to where I want in the pot I plunge the base into cold water to stop it.


I've tried it with the hot water previously and didn't get that good results. Next time I do one I'll try the hot water method with the cold water plunge.


----------



## Finley (Oct 19, 2014)

Let us know how you get on, it's been a while since I tried the cold water method so will also give it another go and see how it goes. Do you keep it on the lowest flame the entire time or start a bit higher and drop/turn off when coffee appears?


----------



## urbanbumpkin (Jan 30, 2013)

Finley said:


> Let us know how you get on, it's been a while since I tried the cold water method so will also give it another go and see how it goes. Do you keep it on the lowest flame the entire time or start a bit higher and drop/turn off when coffee appears?


I keep it 1 up from the lowest setting.


----------



## flibble (Feb 27, 2013)

Well I was expecting a very different thread, e.g. "In my house when someone else is on the loo I often reach for the 'Mokka potty'"


----------

