Bialetti Moka Pot Express - 3 cup - How to use

I wanted to simplify Moka Pot coffee brewing so that there is less parameters to play with. And it turned out to be a great recipe. In which you only adjust the grind size, but get a balanced cup of coffee.

What we will get is a "regular moka pot style" coffee, not a concentrated "espresso version". And if you have 1 cup size moka pot - check this recipe.

The recipe designed for espresso roast (medium).

Moka Pot 3 cup recipe

Amount of water

You need to fill it with 130 g of water. In my case - it's perfectly near the line inside. But it's better to use scales or measuring cup to be sure.

As for the water temperature - you can use the electric kettle to expedite the process of heating and pour in boiling water. It will save you some time. Using cold water is fine, but you'll need to play with the power output.

Amount of coffee

We need 16 g of coffee for this brewer (3 cup size). Be precise here and use scales. Because ground coffee doesn't allow you to see how much you've used. 

Power output (flame / electric / induction stove)

Grind size

The grind size should be adjusted for every coffee. Our starting point the grind size which is smaller than sugar to the touch. Around twice as small. If your coffee grinder have an espresso setting - use slightly bigger than for espresso.

Examples of the grind size:

Kinu m47 - 1.8 (espresso settings are usually 1.0 - 1.3, pour over - 2.7-3.0)

Comandante c40 - 12 clicks (espresso - 6 clicks, pour over - 16-21 clicks)

Optional: paper filters 

You can use 53 mm paper filters here. Both at the bottom and at the top. But if you do so, you'll need to make the grind size bigger and decrease the dose of coffee to 15 g. 

For the reference, I've used 2.4 on Kinu m47 (instead of 2.0) and it still was a little bit too intense. Though, with the added water, you can just dilute it. 

Quick recap

We use 130 g of water and 16 g of coffee. And adjust the heat so that the flow is narrow and it takes more than 40 seconds to brew our coffee. From the moment you see the coffee goes out of the spout till the appearance of a white bubbly foam at the end.

Instructions

Distribute coffee in the basket by tapping from the sides. Or use some spoon, but don't press on coffee.

In case you've used boiling water - assemble the brewer using some towel. Place on low heat right away. How low - will depend on your stove.

In case you've used room temperature water - place it on high heat for 1 minute and then switch to low heat. 

From the moment that you see the coffee flow - start the stopwatch. Just to be sure it takes around 40+ seconds to flow. Adjust the heat source if the flow starts to go faster. Meaning, reduce the heat if needed.

We brewing till the end. We need to wait for the foam to go out as well. It will cover the black coffee with temporary layer of foam, that's when you can serve the coffee.

Adjusting the grind size

Grind size must be adjusted for every coffee, because there are a lot of parameters which affects the flavor. Roasting level, processing method of a coffee etc. 

In this recipe, your coffee will be balanced in terms of flavor. And the only thing you will change is the grind size. It will regulate the intensity of your coffee.

If the coffee is "watery" or "weak"

Make the grind size smaller next time. Overall it's better to target the flavor which will have a pretty noticeable aftertaste and relatively "heavy" flavor. Not super heavy, but definitely not "thin".

That way you will be able to perceive the flavors that are mentioned on a coffee bag. And long pleasant aftertaste is the sign that you did everything perfectly.

How to get a better result? Use a paper filter at the top. That way it'll be easier to clean the moka pot.

As for a moka pot - here's a red one, like I have.