Moka Pot: The Italian Stovetop Coffee Classic
A Bialetti one-cup stovetop espresso maker in aluminium, inscribed "Mini express", "1 tazza" and "design L. Bialetti". Photo: Coyau / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0.
Summary
The moka pot is a stovetop coffee maker that uses steam pressure to push hot water up through ground coffee. Its best-known form, the Moka Express, was made by Alfonso Bialetti in his workshop at Crusinallo, in northern Italy, in 1933. After the Second World War his son Renato turned it into a mass-market product through advertising, with the cartoon "little man with the moustache" drawn by Paul Campani. In Puerto Rico, the stovetop moka pot is commonly called a greca.
The Invention
Alfonso Bialetti (1888–1970) launched his stovetop coffee maker in 1933, working with the inventor Luigi De Ponti. He named it Moka in homage to Mokha, the Yemeni port famous for its coffee. Between 1936 and 1940 the company made about ten thousand pots a year, which were sold at fairs and markets.
Accounts differ on who should be called the inventor. Some publications credit Luigi De Ponti with the invention. The design magazine Domus, the Museum of Modern Art and the New York Times credit Alfonso Bialetti.
Renato Bialetti and the Little Man with the Moustache
Renato Bialetti, Alfonso's son, returned to Italy after the Second World War from a prison camp in Germany. From the 1950s he invested heavily in advertising, in Italy and abroad, and began exporting the pot. In 1953 the cartoonist Paul Campani created the company's emblem, "l'omino coi baffi", the little man with the moustache. Domus and Artribune describe it as inspired by Renato; other accounts say it was based on Alfonso.
According to Domus, hundreds of millions of moka pots have been sold since 1933. The Moka Express is in the collection of the Museum of Modern Art in New York. In 2013 Il Post reported that Bialetti held 74 percent of the Italian market for stovetop coffee makers.
How It Works
A moka pot has three main parts: a lower chamber that holds water, a funnel-shaped filter that holds the ground coffee, and an upper chamber that collects the brewed coffee. When the pot is heated, steam pressure builds in the lower chamber and forces the water up through the coffee and into the upper chamber. Physicists at the University of Trieste who studied the process found that the water does not need to reach its normal boiling point to be pushed out, correcting a common belief. A 2007 paper in the American Journal of Physics explained the flow through the coffee using the physics of water vapour and Darcy's law of filtration.
Components of a Bialetti Moka Express (Made in Italy). Photo: Jcmontero / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0.
Using a Moka Pot Safely
Bialetti's own instructions for the Moka Express include these points:
- Fill the base with water only up to the level of the safety valve, not above it.
- Fill the funnel loosely with ground coffee made for moka pots, and do not press the coffee down.
- Never heat the pot without water in it.
- Turn off the heat when the coffee has risen into the upper chamber; Bialetti recommends a low heat.
- Rinse the pot with water after use; do not use detergent or a dishwasher.
- If steam or pressure is regularly released from the safety valve, the pot may be blocked or the valve faulty; stop using it and have it checked.
Watch: Bialetti Moka Express Review and Demonstration — MoveableChef
The Moka Pot in Puerto Rico
In Puerto Rico the stovetop moka pot is commonly called a greca. For the greca and Puerto Rican café colao, see Café Criollo. For coffee in Puerto Rican daily life, see Puerto Rican Coffee Culture.
Key Facts
- Made by: Alfonso Bialetti (1888–1970), with the inventor Luigi De Ponti, in 1933
- Name: in homage to Mokha, the Yemeni coffee port
- Emblem: "l'omino coi baffi", by Paul Campani, 1953
- How it works: steam pressure pushes water up through the coffee
- Safety: fill only to the safety valve; never press the coffee; never heat it empty
- In Puerto Rico: called a greca
Frequently Asked Questions
Who invented the moka pot? Alfonso Bialetti launched the Moka Express in 1933, working with the inventor Luigi De Ponti. Some publications credit De Ponti with the invention itself.
Why is it called a moka? Bialetti named it in homage to Mokha, the Yemeni port famous for its coffee.
How full should I fill it? Bialetti says to fill the base with water only up to the level of the safety valve, and to fill the funnel loosely without pressing the coffee.
What does the safety valve do? It releases pressure. Bialetti advises that if it regularly releases steam, the pot may be blocked or the valve faulty, and the pot should be checked before further use.
What do Puerto Ricans call it? A greca.
Sources
- Domus, "Moka Express, a masterpiece of design and communication", 12 February 2023. Supports: Alfonso Bialetti and the 1933 Moka Express at Crusinallo; Renato's advertising; Paul Campani's 1953 emblem inspired by Renato; hundreds of millions sold.
- Artribune, "La storia dell'imprenditore Alfonso Bialetti che ha inventato la Moka". Supports: Alfonso Bialetti's dates; the 1933 launch with Luigi De Ponti; the name in homage to Mokha; about ten thousand pots a year in 1936–1940; Renato's return from a German prison camp; the 1953 campaign; the Museum of Modern Art collection.
- Il Post, "Gli 80 anni della moka", 21 August 2013. Supports: Renato's advertising from the 1950s and exports; Bialetti's 74 percent share of the Italian market in 2013.
- Core77, on the death of Renato Bialetti (2016). Supports: that some publications credit Luigi De Ponti, while the Museum of Modern Art and the New York Times credit Alfonso Bialetti; the emblem described as based on either Alfonso or Renato.
- Navarini, L., Nobile, E., and others, "Experimental investigation of steam pressure coffee extraction in a stove-top coffee maker", University of Trieste (2009). Supports: steam pressure driving the water through the coffee; the correction of the boiling-point belief.
- Gianino, Concetto, "Experimental analysis of the Italian coffee pot 'moka'", American Journal of Physics 75 (1): 43–47 (2007). Supports: the vapour-pressure and Darcy's-law explanation.
- Bialetti, Moka Express instructions (as published by Bialetti New Zealand and by retailers). Supports: every point in "Using a Moka Pot Safely". Manufacturer's material.
Claims this encyclopedia could not source
The following statements appear in published material about the moka pot. This encyclopedia could not trace them to a reliable source:
- That a moka pot brews at about 1 to 2 bar of pressure, compared with about 9 bar for espresso. (Published measurements vary.)
- That a moka pot lasts 20 to 40 years, and that its gasket should be replaced every one to three years.
- That a moka pot is found in every Italian kitchen.
- Typical prices for moka pots and replacement gaskets.
- Precise dosing figures such as one to three tablespoons, 12 to 15 grams, or 600 millilitres.
- That coffee chains have adopted or popularised the moka pot.
BUY AUTHENTIC PUERTO RICO COFFEE →
Part of The Coffee Encyclopedia — Sponsored by PuertoRicoCoffeeShop.com.