Two years ago, when Scott and I got back from our first cruise, we ended our trip with a tour around Miami and had our first taste of Cuban coffee. I liked it so much, that I bought some ground coffee while I was there and then immediately came home and bought a little Moka pot to brew it in, just as was recommended by our Cuban tour guide.
I was craving some the other day, and I tried to look up how to make it again on the recipe blog, only to discover that I NEVER documented the process in the first place! WHAT!? So, today I am correcting that mistake for anyone else that wants to make coffee with a Moka pot. You can use any coffee grounds you like, or you can order some Cuban coffee from the Internet. I will have more thoughts about why bother with Cuban coffee or a Moka pot at the end of the this post.
Cuban Coffee (Moka Pot)
Ingredients:
- ground coffee
- water
Directions: (see step-by-step photos below)
- Fill the bottom half of the Moka pot with hot water up to the relief valve. (You may need to hold the pot with a hot pad at this point because the hot/boiling water will immediately heat up the metal of the pot.)
- Fill the straining basket with coffee grounds and level it off (do not pack down). Place the basket into the bottom half of the Moka pot.
- Screw on the top of the Moka pot and place it on a stove burner turned to high to bring to a boil.
- Allow the coffee to brew until you hear a rumbling sound as the last of the steam and moisture comes to the surface.
- Carefully remove pot from the burner (use a hot pad) and pour your coffee into serving cups.
Marsha's Notes:
Coffee made with a Moka pot is kind of halfway between an espresso and drip coffee, making it very strong and flavorful with a bit of that "espresso foam" on the top during the first bit of brewing. Using a Moka pot does not automatically make the coffee Cuban (you can use any kind of coffee grounds you like in a Moka pot). This recipe is called "Cuban coffee" because I learned to make coffee in a Moka pot originally using Cuban coffee grounds that I purchased in Little Havana, Miami, Florida (I got the exact brand that the Cuban tour guide said was authentic Cuban coffee.) You can order this kind of coffee grounds from Amazon, if you would like to have a more authentic Cuban experience, but any regular ground coffee will do.
Order the Cuban Pilon coffee here: https://a.co/d/guGWzaf
Here is a video I took of the brewing process, so you can hear what the pot sounds like when it is done brewing and needs to be removed from the heat:
Tips for using a Moka pot to get a good cup of coffee:
- Use fresh grounds when possible.
- Use hot/boiling water in the bottom of the pot to start with. Hot water decreases brew time making for less bitter coffee.
- Store your pot with the top and bottom loosely screwed together to minimize pressure and compaction of the rubber gasket seal in the pot.
- Moka pots are not designed for finely ground espresso-type coffees, so use a regular ground coffee.
- Do not compact the grounds. Moka pots are designed to have the coffee basket filled completely to the top and leveled off with loosely packed coffee for the best filtration during brewing.
- Never under or over fill your basket or it messes with the end result of the coffee because of the design of the brew process.
- How much coffee you make is completely dependent on the size of Moka pot you use. Moka pots are sold by "cup size" and think of each cup size as being equivalent to one shot of espresso. So the one-cup Moka pot makes one equivalent shot of espresso. The one cup Moka use about 6-7 grams of ground coffee.
- If you are making coffee just for yourself and only want a little, a one-cup pot is great. If you want to have have two shots of coffee, or make a larger drink with add-ins like a latte or iced coffee, you might want to consider the two-cup pot.
- Our tour guide was really funny when he was describing how to make and use Cuban coffee. He said something like, "Most people have one cup (shot) of Cuban coffee to start their day. If you had a bad night of sleep or need some extra energy, two cups is fine. Three cups... you die..." Ha, ha! That's how strong it can be. (Don't worry, you won't die.)
Here are two helpful videos I found on Youtube to learn more about using a Moka pot:
Here are some step-by-step photos of the process.
 |
| Gather your pot and coffee grounds. |
 |
| Take your pot apart. You should have three pieces; top, bottom and basket. |
 |
| Fill the bottom of the pot with hot water. I am using water from our special hot water tap that has extra hot water in it. |
 |
| It's hard to see, but the water comes to just below the relief valve. |
 |
| Fill the basket with loosely packed, leveled off coffee grounds. |
 |
| Place the basket into the bottom half of your pot. |
 |
| Screw the top onto the bottom and place your pot on the stove. |
 |
| If you leave the lid open, not only can you tell when brewing begins and be prepared to remove the pot from the burner once brewing is completed (because for these smaller pots, it happens really fast), but you also get to see the first bits of coffee coming to the surface with that yummy foam (see above). |
Once your pot starts to sputter and rumble, signaling that all the water is gone from the bottom of the pot, use a hot pad and remove the pot from the burner and pour your coffee into serving cups.
 |
| This coffee is really strong, so I need sweetener and creamer in mine. |
No comments:
Post a Comment