Ingredients:
Moka pot Handheld milk frother (optional) Espresso coffee grounds Sugar Milk
How to Prepare:
Break your moka pot down until it is in three separate parts. You need to fill up the bottom portion with extremely cold water—fill it all the way up until it hits the safety valve. Take your grounds and fill up the filter all the way to the rim, but do not pack it in. You will need to float the filter with the grinds on top of the water. Simply place the filter with the grinds in it, inside of the portion with water. Screw the top portion of the pot on tightly and place it on the stove over medium to low heat. NOTE—if the heat is too high, the espresso will be done too early and will likely have a burned taste. While you are waiting on the espresso to percolate, take your coffee cup and fill it with 3 to 4 teaspoons of sugar. When your espresso begins to percolate, pour 2 to 3 teaspoons of the espresso into your coffee cup and vigorously stir it with a spoon in order to break it down. Stir it until it is a light caramel color. This is known as creama. NOTE: this mixture will make enough sugar sweetener for about 3 cups of espresso. Place the moka pot back on the stove top until it has finished, then you should remove it from the heat. You will hear a gurgling noise and will need to open the lid of the pot to prevent condensation from going back into the coffee—it will change the flavor. Add 1 teaspoon of creama to a separate espresso cup. Pour the espresso in this cup and stir. You will see a caramel color rise to the top—this is the indication that your perfect cup of Italian expresso is ready to drink!
How to Use as a Base Recipe:
This beverage can be consumed all on its own and many people not only enjoy it that way, they prefer it. There are some other ways to incorporate this base into a variety of popular beverages:
For a cappuccino, add a layer of hot milk as well as a layer of foamed milk. You should add just 1/3 of each. To make a Caffe Latte, add about ½ cup of hot milk to your Italian coffee base. To make a Caffe Macchiato, add just a spot of hot milk to the base.
Practice Makes Perfect
It has been said that you won’t achieve the perfect result for the first 10 to 20 times. This may seem like a lot, but you have to remember that an Italian person may average 3 coffees per day, so that would simply be one week.
Maintain Your Moka Pot
It is vital that you wash every single part of the pot after each use. There are a few things to remember when washing the pot:
Only use warm water—never use soap or other detergents. The inner portion of the pot may blacken, this is normal from the oily coffee residue. Every part needs to be completely dry before reassembling the pot. Either leave it to dry upside down, or thoroughly hand dry it. Change the gasket when it is worn out.
There you have it! Now you can make yourself a genuine cup of homemade Italian espresso!
