Not espresso. Not filter. Its own thing. Moka is Italy's working coffee, and it takes a coarser grind and a gentler heat than most people give it.

Method

01 · Fill the water

Fill the bottom chamber with just-off-boil water, up to the safety valve. Not above.

02 · Fill the basket

Ground coffee, level with the top. Do not tamp. Do not overfill.

03 · Assemble

Screw the top on carefully — the bottom is hot. Use a cloth.

04 · Low flame

Onto the stove, low flame, lid open. This matters — high heat scorches the extraction.

05 · Listen

You will hear a gurgle. Take it off the heat before it becomes a hiss.

06 · Stir and pour

Stir the top chamber (moka is stratified), pour, drink.

The coffee

Any of our coffees will brew well on this method — the recipe above is calibrated for Bugisu, our flagship. For lighter African coffees (the Ethiopian and Kenyan lots when they land), consider dropping water temperature by 2 – 3 °C and grinding one step finer.