Can you make good coffee at home? This is the question I am asked most often by customers and friends, and my answer is always the same: YES, you can. We simply need to rediscover the traditions of our beautiful Italy and put a little love into what we do. Unfortunately, nowadays, because of the limited time available, the easiest way to make coffee at home seems to be using capsules or other types of single-serve coffee. I would like to clarify that I have nothing against them, but as a professional, it is my duty to point out that this will not produce excellence, but simply a very flat beverage with caffeine content. To clarify the idea, I always use the example of frozen products: is a plate of frozen spinach better, or a plate of spinach bought from the greengrocer? I don't think there is any doubt; the same applies to coffee.
The aroma produced by your moka pot will never be comparable to the result obtained from extracting a capsule or something similar. Therefore, I urge every reader and coffee lover to dust off their moka pot and return to enjoying a ritual that must not be lost. And believe me, in addition to improving your taste experience, you will also help the planet by producing less waste.
The Moka is part of our heritage, and somehow we must protect it from this shock wave generated by “fast” living and the arrival of capsules. The moka pot is an object created in 1933 through the ingenuity of Alfonzo Bialetti (yes, the man with the mustache). The name moka comes from the city of Mokha in Yemen, one of the earliest and most renowned coffee-producing regions, particularly known for its prized Arabica variety. The moka pot became a widely used household object only after the end of the Second World War, during the so-called economic boom and the rise in average income and consumption. An important role was played by a campaign based on newspaper advertisements, radio commercials, and television spots, which made the MOKA an object found in every Italian home.
What are the main things to know when preparing coffee with a moka pot? Always use natural mineral water; fill the lower chamber with water until it reaches the valve (do not fill beyond halfway up the valve); do not create a mound in the filter basket, but fill it while keeping the surface of the ground coffee level with the base of the filter; leave the lid open and use a medium-low flame; turn off the heat as soon as the coffee begins to gurgle.
Now there are no more excuses: get some good coffee, pick up your moka pot, and let yourself be swept away by its unmistakable aroma and intense flavor. You will never go back.
*The article had previously appeared in the newspaper La Nazione
