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Is the SS Stovetop Espresso Maker what's called a Moka pot? They haven't named it explicitly a Moka pot, hence the question.

If not, can a Moka pot style coffee be prepared in that instrument?

l0b0
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Aquarius_Girl
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2 Answers2

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Yes, It's a Moka Pot. Despite the name, you can't prepare espresso coffee in that pot.

The coffee that you can prepare with the Moka pot is not even close to an Espresso. The pressure is key to extract the coffe aroma and to produce the cream. The Espresso requires 7 grams of coffee powder and high pressure 90°C water to produce 25ml coffe (cream included). There's no way to do such a thing with a Moka pot.

With a Moka pot, you will get a coffee, which is not Expresso but is also a coffe which is widely drink in Italy (at home, usually). It's different from Espresso but, in my opinion, good. It has it's own taste. The closest thing to an Espresso you can get, if you woUld like to go that way, is a small amount of coffee, but you won't get the same flavour, nor the density.

Aquarius_Girl
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loscuropresagio
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  • why can't i prepare expreso coffee in it if it is a moka pot? – Aquarius_Girl Mar 06 '14 at 01:13
  • Because the "official" definition for espresso states that you need at least 9 bar of pressure, which is higher than the moka pot can produce. – user5561 Mar 06 '14 at 04:35
  • @user5561 do you mean to say that we can prepare expresso in moka pot but it won't be of highest quality? – Aquarius_Girl Mar 06 '14 at 07:53
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    No. I mean that the coffee that you can prepare with the moka pot is not even close to an espresso. The pressure is key to extract the coffe aroma and to produce the cream. The espresso requires 7 grams of coffee powder and high pressure 90°C water to produce 25ml coffe (cream included). There's no way to do such a thing with a moka pot. – loscuropresagio Mar 06 '14 at 11:28
  • @loscuropresagio then what best can we do with a moka pot? – Aquarius_Girl Mar 06 '14 at 12:07
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    With a moka pot, you will get a coffee, which is not expresso but is also a coffe which is widely drink in Italy (at home, usually). It's different from espresso but, in my opinion, good. It has it's own taste. The closest thing to an espresso you can get, if you wold like to go that way, is a small amount of coffee, but you won't get the same flavour, nor the density. – loscuropresagio Mar 06 '14 at 13:13
  • thanks for the explanation. I can't taste it here because no one has a moka pot at home. Question: Can you feel the difference between a french press coffee and the moka pot coffee assuming they are from the same bean? also, I request you to put all the explanation you gave in comments in your answer to make it complete. – Aquarius_Girl Mar 06 '14 at 13:20
  • @TheRebelAquarius It would be best to open a new question asking about the difference in taste. – rumtscho Mar 06 '14 at 15:35
  • @rumtscho don't you think that that question will get closed on the grounds of being subjective? – Aquarius_Girl Mar 06 '14 at 16:28
  • @TheRebelAquarius If you asked which coffee is better, or if you personally can taste the difference, it would be closed, yes. If you ask if people in general can taste a difference, then it is not subjective. The proportion of people who can taste the difference is a fact, not a personal belief or a preference, so it is not subjective. Of course, there is the risk that people will offer the anecdotal "I personally can taste it", but this is OK. Case studies are valid in science too, they just don't allow for generalization, but the information is still useful. – rumtscho Mar 06 '14 at 16:51
  • @TheRebelAquarius or better yet, you could ask *how* the prepared coffee is different and what to expect in terms of taste. – Aaronut Mar 09 '14 at 21:15
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Yes, the term "Stovetop Espresso Maker" and "Moka Pot" are interchangeable. The "Stainless Steel Stovetop Espresso Maker" shown at the link you have provided functions exactly like Moka pots from any number of manufacturers.

As others have discussed, the coffee that you can prepare with the Moka pot is not, technically, espresso because this type of coffee pot cannot produce the required pressure for espresso style extraction. By definition, espresso requires 9 bar of pressure and 90˚C water. A Moka pot produces only about 1.5 bar of pressure with water just above 100˚C.

Moka pots are used in Italy and throughout Latin America to will to produce a concentrated coffee at home. This type of coffee has it's own flavor, aroma, and density. They make a full-bodied but bitter coffee, often mixed with milk. Depending on the bean type, roast, and grind they may also produce some crema. It is one of the closest coffees to an espresso you can get at home without spending a lot of money for an actual espresso machine.

Didgeridrew
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