Here’s How To Grind Coffee For a Moka Pot: Avoid This Common Mistake

Do you know how to grind coffee for a Moka pot?

The other day I was thinking ‘what’s the best way of doing the grinding part?’. Soon after I started doing research and I found some interesting things that I want to share with you. Stick, around I go over which is the best grind size and mistakes you should avoid brewing aromatic espresso coffee and even make espresso-based coffees including cappuccino or americano.

Let’s kick off.

Why grinding is important?

Grinding is one of the most important things when it comes to brewing coffee.

For each gadget or espresso machine you use for brewing, there’s typically a recommended grind size that works best. For example, you need coarse coffee grounds for a French press that allow you to brew coffee rich in coffee oils and lipids that make coffee richer but at the same time higher in caffeine.

Similarly, you need to do the grinding right when brewing with a Moka pot so you’ll brew coffee the right way.

What’s the right grind size for a Moka pot? 

Let’s find out further down this article. 

How to do the grinding right 

The right grind size for a Moka pot is fine to medium-fine.

So if you use a grinder it should have the option to choose between different grind options, in this case, the right one is fine to medium-fine. It’s key to use a grinder that grinds your coffee beans evenly and brings in consistent results so you don’t end up with coffee grinds that are inconsistent. This won’t allow the hot water you’re going to use for brewing to extract all the flavours and aromas from the coffee grinds. 

You’ll need around 13 grams of coffee for brewing.

Tips on how to grind better

Let’s go over a bunch of tips and tricks that will help you brew great coffee:

• Make sure you grind just the amount of coffee you need each time: Many grind more than it’s needed for 1 time and they keep it in a container. Coffee kept in a container is going to lose some of its flavours and your coffee won’t taste that great. It’s a bit more labour-intensive to grind before each brewing but it’s worth it, especially if you’re a real coffee lover
• DON’T put more coffee in the coffee funnel than it’s recommended: some do this as they aim for brewing stronger coffee. This might block the funnel and won’t allow the Moka pot to brew coffee.
• DON’T tamp your coffee grounds: this is something you need to do when using an espresso machine, it’s not recommended with a Moka pot.
• Avoid grinding your coffee grounds too finely: if you do so, the odds are that some of them will slip through the funnel and end up in your cup

What are the best coffee beans for brewing with a Moka pot?

Many coffee lovers prefer medium roasts coffee beans when brewing with their Moka pot. 

Let’s find out which is the right option for you.

Light Roast

If you like your coffee to taste fruity and slightly tangy go for a light roast. In general, light roast coffee beans are roasted for less time than the other types, meaning that those kinds of beans are relatively closer to raw coffee beans collected from the trees. That’s why their taste is more fruity.

Medium Roast

As I said this is probably the most popular option out of the 3. If you like a balanced cup of coffee that is slightly fruity but at the same time strong enough to kick-start the day opt for medium roasts.

Dark Roast

Did you know those dark roast coffee beans contain the least amount of caffeine out of the 3? Why is that? The longer you roast beans the more caffeine content they lose throughout the process. But the coffee you make with dark roasts is robust and has a very distinct taste.

So, the choice is yours. 

You can always experiment and try different types of coffee beans until you

 find something that you really fancy.

Water quality

If you really want to drink great coffee you should use the right water considering that almost 97% of a cup of coffee is water.

I suggest you avoid tap water. The reason being it contains hard minerals including calcium and magnesium that might spoil the taste of your coffee. But this depends on the area you live in and the quality of the water in your area. You can find out online if the water in your area is high in water minerals. Plus, using tap water will give an extra job, cause you’ll need to descale your Moka pot more often and remove the minerals.

To make things easier, use filtered or bottled water that typically contains low amounts of magnesium and calcium.

Let’s wrap it up

So, do you know now how to grind coffee for a Moka pot? Grinding is one of the most essential parts and believes it or not it can make or break the taste of your coffee, but since you now know how to do this right all you need to do is go ahead and brew some great espresso.

FAQ

Let’s go over a few burning questions. 

What is the proper grind for Bialetti?

The grind you should use for Bialetti is pretty much the same as a normal Moka pot, so just stick to a medium grind and you’ll be just fine.

Do you use espresso grind for Moka pot?

Yes, you do need to use espresso grind, but you can also use Café Bustelo which is a Latin American kind of coffee and is regarded as one of the strongest coffees you can have.