How to Properly Pack a Stove Top Espresso Maker With Coffee

A stove top espresso maker is more commonly known as a moka pot. A good moka pot will be made of stainless steel and consist of three separate chambers. The bottom chamber holds the water, the middle chamber hold the finely ground coffee and the top chamber holds the prepared espresso. Unlike when using an espresso machine, packing coffee for stove top espresso does not need to be tamped. Tamping is when five pounds of pressure is applied, then 30 pounds of pressure and then 20 pounds of pressure with a 720 degree twist. Making espresso on the stove top is much different than using an espresso machine and needs to follow different steps.

Preparing

• 1

  Grind the coffee beans for 23 to 28 seconds, so that they are slighly coarser than those used in an espresso machine, but more fine than used in a coffee machine.

• 2

  Fill the filter basket with ground coffee beans.

• 3

  Gently pack the grounds or tap the basket to ensure it is full. Do not tamp as you would with an espresso machine.

• 4

  Level the basket using the knife.

Brewing

• 1

  Fill the pot with water or filtered water, depending on the quality of your tap water. Filtered water will provide the best tasting espresso.

• 2

  Set the brew basket filled with coffee grounds into the bottom of the moka pot and screw the top half of the pot tightly onto the bottom half.

• 3

  Turn the stove on medium high, and brew the espresso for five minutes.