There are certain iconic things that simply scream “Rome!” The Colosseum, a Vespa, a plate of pasta carbonara… and the humble moka pot. Only the latter is available for you to carry home as a memento of your trip.
Having just scrubbed mine clean, I was inspired to write about how this ever-so-simple little device is one of the few things that Italians get so very “right,” as it is a wonderful combination of form and functionality.
Apparently named after a city in Yemen known for its trade in coffee, the moka pot was invented by a Luigi Di Ponti in 1933. Mr. Di Ponti promptly sold the patent to Alfonso Bialetti, who ran an aluminum company. And, as they say, the rest is history.
Ours — we have two of different sizes — are from Bialetti, which today makes all kinds of coffee makers, including ones that use little pods (yes, we have one of those, too). They also sell an American-style drip coffee maker. But the moka pot is just so easy to use, and so good.
It’s made of just three pieces. The top (with a handy attached lid); the middle, where there is a filter basket in which you place the coffee; and the bottom. The three sections screw together with an easy twist. Yes, there is also a gasket securing the filter screen in the middle section, which I just replaced because it was too far gone to be cleaned (the grocery stores in our neighborhood sell the gaskets both alone and with the filter screen). But, it really can’t get much simpler or easier than this.
First, fill the bottom with boiling water; stop pouring when the water is just below the safety valve. Let cool for a minute.
Second, fill the filter basket section to the top with coffee grounds. Then, rather than tamping it down, scrape off the mound so the coffee is flat.
Third, screw the sections together.
Fourth, place the pot on the stove on medium/low heat, away from the center of the burner so the handle isn’t over it. Heat and wait a few minutes. The heating water is forced from the bottom section, through the coffee, to the top section. When you hear a soft gurgling sound, your delicious coffee is ready.
A moka pot makes a great little souvenir — one that is not just made in Italy, but useful too! Indeed, they come in different colors, shapes, and sizes that are quite lovely.
You can find moka pots at our local Bialetti store, near Piazza di San Silvestro, at Largo Chigi, 5. It’s a pretty little shop, with friendly and helpful staff. We pop by periodically to pick up pods for the Bialetti pod machine, and they periodically do a deep clean of that coffee maker for us, which is great (this is periodically needed due to the heavy minerality of the water of Rome).
They also have fancy versions called coffee fountains. which fill two cups at the same time.
And, they offer all kinds of pretty little cups and mugs, too!
