This is a timeless design that makes something close to a strong americano with minimal effort. We recommend using a medium or dark roast, to bring out some rich and heavy body.
There are various sizes available: usually the 3 cup and 6 cup are the most popular. The 3 cup is perfect for a personal brew and 6 cup will make enough for a few people. If you find the brew too strong and heavy, you can top it up with some hot water to dilute.
Here is a solid method to get a quality and consistent brew. Keep an eye on our brew guides section as we add in some more variations, from beginner to expert level!
Standard Stovetop / Moka Pot Brew Guide
A simple way to brew coffee with a Bialetti
You will need:
• A Stovetop / Moka Pot / Bialetti (we are using a 6 cup size for this guide)
• Digital Scales
• Kettle & around 300g water
• 25-29g ground coffee at a fine setting - a touch coarser than espresso grind (freshly ground is best!)
Method
Boil your kettle and fill the base chamber, until just below the bottom of the valve on the side.
Filling over the safety valve will over-pressurise the water - so fill with care! Using hot water both speeds up the brewing process, and as it is exposed to a high temperature for a shorter time the coffee will taste better.
Fill the filter basket level with ground coffee, and place in the base chamber.
You want the coffee nice and level with the top edge of the basket, and you don’t need to tamp the grounds down. Filling with a slight mound in the middle and then levelling with a flat finger is a good way to do it. A 6-cup Moka Pot filter basket should hold around 25-29g and a 3-cup should hold around 15-17g comfortably.
Using a towel to hold the base, screw the top on reasonably firm (but not too tight).
The bottom chamber will be very hot, so hold it carefully with a towel as you tighten!
Put the Moka Pot on a low-medium heat.
You can leave the lid open - this will let you see how the brew is going. After a minute or so, you should start to see some golden, syrupy coffee trickle through the central chimney. As the flow of coffee speeds up, you can turn the heat down to very low. Close the lid when its nearly full as the chimney may splutter a little!
Pour your coffee, and enjoy!
You should end up with a nice strong brew. Some people like it straight as is, but if you find it too strong feel free to dilute the coffee in your mug with a little hot water.
Tips
• We recommend using a digital scales with an accuracy of 0.1g for weighing your coffee and water. Some coffee scales come with a timer built in - or you can use the timer on your phone.
• If your brew is tasting too thin or unbalanced, you can grind a little finer with a longer brew time. Likewise, if your brew leaves a lingering bitter aftertaste, try grinding a little coarser.
• You want a smooth trickle of syrupy coffee coming through the chimney at the start, that will start to flow more quickly as the brew goes on. If the flow is too slow or fast, this is the best indicator you need to change your grind size.
