Coffee for your moka pot or percolator

Why coffee for a moka pot is not coarsely ground

Coffee for a moka pot is ground fine to medium-fine, not coarse, even though percolator coffee is often sold as coarse ground. That advice belongs to the American electric percolator, which cycles water over the grounds again and again and does need coarse coffee. A moka pot works differently: it builds a little steam pressure and sends the water through the basket once. Coarse grounds let the water rush past, and the result is thin and sour. Go too far the other way, with coffee as fine as for an espresso machine, and the water struggles through, so the cup turns bitter and the plate above the basket can block.

Making moka pot coffee, in short

To make moka pot coffee, fill the base with water to just below the safety valve, then fill the basket to the rim with ground coffee, level it off and do not press it down. Put the pot on a medium heat and take it off as soon as it starts to sputter. The dose is therefore set by the size of your pot: one full basket. For the full method, using the most familiar model as the example, read Bialetti percolator: what is it and how do you use it?

Choosing coffee for your moka pot

• Italian classics. Pellini Top, Segafredo Espresso Casa and Segafredo Intermezzo come pre-ground in a size that suits the moka pot.
• Decaf. For a decaf pot there is Lavazza DEK Classico Decaffeinated, or our own Decaf Espresso or Decaf Special in the percolator grind.
• Strength. A moka pot makes a strong, concentrated cup by nature. For something softer, go by the strength number from 1 to 13 on each coffee and pick a milder one. Putting less coffee in the basket does not work: a half-empty basket brews unevenly.
• Our own fresh coffee. With the option "Freshly ground - Moka pot" we grind our weekly-roasted coffee once your order is in.

Other grinds for brewing at home

If you also have an espresso machine with a portafilter, it needs the finer espresso ground coffee. A French press, or cafetière, works the other way round with coarse grounds: see French press coffee. An AeroPress takes roughly the same grind as a moka pot, and that coffee is under AeroPress coffee. Grinding your own? Set the grinder just coarser than for espresso and choose whole coffee beans.