Let’s face the facts — Italians know coffee better than anyone else. Sure they may not embrace fancy lattes with pumpkin spice or large to-go cups, but ask any man, woman or child how to use a Moka machine, and you’d be impressed. After you learn how to walk in Italy, you learn how to work the ‘moka.’  The Moka pot is also referred to as a macchinetta and is fairly simple to use.

In Italy, every household owns one and when it was invented in 1933 by Luigi di Ponti, it shifted the habit of having coffee only outside to making it at home. The machine we see so often today is the brainchild of the loveable machine manufacturing Alfonso Bialetti who recently passed away. It was said that the technology was inspired by washing machines nowadays you can even get fancier versions with add-ons to make cappuccino or other various drinks at home. The standard version makes espresso, or a very strong, small shot of coffee, that you can drink on its own or add milk/steam etc.

So how does one use this magical machine? We can let you in on the secret but shhh, don’t let anyone know we told you.

First step:

Unscrew the base from the top bit. The moka comes in three parts, a base (where the water goes), a metal filter (where the coffee grounds go) and the top (where the coffee comes out).

Once you’ve done that, pour water into the bottom base, filling it up to the rim (don’t overdo it).

Second Step:

Take the metal filter (looks a bit like a funnel) and spoon coffee grounds in here. You don’t want to pack it too tightly as the water might not be able to pass easily and the coffee could burn.

Third Step:

Screw everything back together and place it on the stove top above low-medium heat.

Fourth Step:

The water should create steam which will push the coffee through the filter and voila, the magic is done. When you start to hear it gurgling, keep an eye out because you definitely don’t want it to stay on the stove too long. You can lift the lid to make sure everything is working and that it fills to the top.

Additional tips

*Don’t ever use harsh detergents to wash your Moka, just rinse it out after each use and let it dry. Also be careful to choose quality coffee grounds which you can then use as much as you want for stronger versions, or less, for less strong. It’s quite obvious but worth noting. If for some reason it isn’t working, it could be that you packed in too much coffee OR the rubber ring around the filter is somehow obstructing the process.

Fifth Step:

Enjoy your Brew!