Moka pot technique... how to get a crema

[Terje]

I'm still learning. Brewing the coffee on low heat seems to be the trick. Any more tips?

[Jo2]

Start with water that is already hot... I will take shorter to reach the "boiling point" so your grounds stay fresher...

[zix]

And use freshly roasted coffee. If you want more crema, grind the beans as soon as they have cooled down from the roaster. With moka pot coffee, drinking ultra fresh coffee is okay. (as you may know, most espresso drinkers want to wait for 1-7 days from the time of roasting)

[Terje]

This is how I do: I take some raw beans and throw them in a frying pan and roast away. I start out with a hot stove and take it down to medium shortly after first crack. I like my beans really dark so I keep roasting until after second crack. Then I grind them right away and put it all in the moka pot, switch off the stove and brew it on the "after heat". Seems to be the best yet.

[Jo2]

Maybe you do need to wait 12-24 hours... I have been told that beans that fresh don't give much crema in an espressomachine either...

[Terje]

That would be very easy to try.

[stevenzaat]

Maybe you do need to wait 12-24 hours... I have been told that beans that fresh don't give much crema in an espressomachine either...

Jo,

I have another experience. If I directly use the beans after is has been cooling down it gives a lot of crema (probablly because the CO2 is still in the grind).

By the way my experiences with Moka pots, is that they never give that much crema as a fresh brewed espresso or even a french press. So don't bother about it Terje I would say, the taste is much more important.

Best regards,

Steven

[Jo2]

my experiences with Moka pots, is that they never give that much crema as a fresh brewed espresso

That is so true...

I have another experience

It's just what i've heard... I have never tried it myself, so i believe you...

That's also the fun of TMC... all this experience...

[zix]

What crema there is in a moka disappears quickly, that´s true. It usually lives only in the moka pot, unless you pour it in the cup very quickly. But it is a proof of a good moka extraction, nonetheless.
* To get better crema you can watch the heat, just as Terje said. What happens with too much heat is that the moka pot "burps". The pot will then spray the last half (or so) of coffee over the crema with a gurgling sound. None of the crema survives this, and the coffee usually tastes a little burnt and bitter. "Burping" is a term often used to describe this on web and usenet forums.
* To get better crema you can use very fresh coffee. In my experience it does not get better next day, but it is good enough for 3-4 days in a glass jar. No more though, unless you use those special bags with one-way valves or other airtight seals, letting out the oxygen.
* To get denser crema and sweeter taste you can stop the extraction at around half-time by moving the moka pot off the heat and pouring the coffee.

[Jo2]

How about using one of these...
Will it preserve the crema better?

[stevenzaat]

Jo,

That looks really special. At least all the crema will get into your cup .

Best regards,

Steven

[Gouezeri]

Funky design Jo2. But having played with these things (and quite a few different designs/models at that) in the past, in my experience the further the coffee has to travel (ie. the more convoluted the design) the weaker the crema.
I totally agree with Zix that good heat control is key and you want to avoid "burping" at all costs (at the very least, it's messy and wasteful )

However, I disagree with Zix when he says:

as you may know, most espresso drinkers want to wait for 1-7 days from the time of roasting

I really don't want to wait, I hate being patient... I just know that if I can force myself not to drink it straight away (after all those lovely smells) then it will taste better after a couple of days... Honestly "wanting to wait" indeed!
D

[zix]

I knew someone would have to bite at that one! You're absolutely right, of course, Dom.

[Terje]

* To get denser crema and sweeter taste you can stop the extraction at around half-time by moving the moka pot off the heat and pouring the coffee.

Do you mean that I don't brew the last half of it, or? Just take it off the heat completely when it's about half-way done?

[zix]

Yep! That ´s it. If you are careful with the heat, and the coffee is oozing up slowly, as it should, with the moka crema developing nicely, you should have enough time to pour it over into a cup around half-way. You can then put the moka pot back on the heat (if it needs more heat), and let it extract the rest. After tasting the first half, pour the last half in another cup and compare. It is quite interesting.
P.S. This is harder to do with a Brikka, since the extraction is so fast, but not impossible. D.S.