Sometimes (somewhat misleadingly) called stovetop espresso makers, Moka pots are similar to espresso makers in that they rely on pressure and deliver rich, strong coffee minus the ultra-fine foam or crema. However, they do it without the expense, mess, and lost counter space wrought by a four-figure espresso machine.
Since their inception in 1933, Moka pots haven't changed a whole lot. That said, you can find them in different materials and designed for different heating methods. We spoke with 2020 UK Brewers Cup champion and Moka pot enthusiast Matteo D'Ottavio to find out what makes a good Moka pot, and what it takes to get a good brew out of one.
The biggest differentiator is aluminum and stainless steel. Aluminum conducts heat faster and brews faster, but it's not corrosion-resistant, nor is it dishwasher safe. Still, it's D'Ottavio's preferred material for gas and electric stoves thanks to its speed and relative ease of use due to its high conductivity and low heat retention. On the other hand, stainless steel takes a while to heat up and retains heat for a much longer time.
Other considerations you'll want to take into account are the handle (plastic or heat-resistant metal or silicone) and the gasket (rubber or silicone). If you're the type of person who tends to forget things on the stove, a plastic handle might not last too long in your kitchen. And if you use your Moka pot regularly, consider models with a silicone gasket as opposed to a rubber gasket, which is going to give way far quicker.
Beyond that, there's not too much to concern yourself with a Moka pot. It works every bit as well in your kitchen atop a stove as it does, say, on a backpacking trip, which is precisely why we love them. One thing you'll need to make the Moka pot shine, as with any brewing method, is a good burr grinder or a nearby barista willing to freshly grind your beans for you.
Here are the best Moka pots of 2021
- Best Moka pot overall: Grosche Milano
- Best Moka pot on a budget: Imusa Stovetop Espresso Maker
- Best Moka pot for induction stovetops: LuxHaus Stovetop Espresso Maker
The best Moka pot overall
Made with thick, durable aluminum, a heat-resistant handle, and a silicone gasket, Grosche's Milano is built to last and priced to compete.
Pros: Sturdy; high-quality parts; great for gas, electric, and camp stoves
Cons: Not great for induction stoves, corrosive, not dishwasher safe
Moka pots need to be designed for contact with an open flame, and unless you're working over an electric stovetop, you need something that's built to stand up to the heat. Grosche's Milano is the most durable and functional aluminum Moka pot we've tried yet.
Apart from being built with thick, food-grade aluminum, Grosche's Milano comes with a silicone gasket, which won't wear out nearly as quickly as the rubber ones found in many alternatives. Further, while we're not making true espresso, we are still dealing with pressure when we brew in a Moka pot. The low memory of silicone (meaning you won't start to find creases in it like you would with natural rubber) means it will seal better and last longer.
Another potential flaw we found in other models is this use of cheap plastic handles. While with proper care and attention these parts should fare fine, all it takes is one slip-up and you'll have a mess of melted plastic to deal with or, at the very least, a handle to replace — ask us how we know.
Grosche's Milano comes with a silicone-coated handle so that, first and foremost, you won't burn yourself when you reach for it (as you can with plastic), and it won't melt if you happen to be a little careless.
The only place we're left wanting with Grosche's Milano, as we are with every aluminum model, is the handle. The earliest iterations of the Moka pot employed only metal parts and were designed to last. You could drop them into a fire pit, which is sometimes what happens around a campfire. That said, Grosche's Milano is the best, widely available solution we've found, and it will stand up to almost anything.
The best budget Moka pot
Built with the same materials and roughly the same design found in models four times its price, Imusa's Aluminum Stovetop Coffee Maker is all you really need for top-notch Moka pot coffee.
Pros: Designed as well as most on the market at a fraction of the price, makes coffee every bit as well
Cons: Slightly more delicate than many other options, corrosive, not dishwasher safe
Moka-pot design hasn't evolved much since the first one was introduced almost a century ago. For that reason, they're fairly easy to replicate and produce, and Imusa has done a fantastic job of putting the original design into an incredibly affordable package. There are few, if any, coffee-brewing methods as affordable.
Made of a thin aluminum, Imusa's Moka pot (billed as a "Stovetop Espresso Maker") heats up quickly and does everything any other aluminum Moka pot does every bit as well.It comes with a low-memory, tighter-sealing silicone gasket, which is preferred to the rubber one included in some pricier options.
The only drawbacks with this Moka pot are that it is (mildly) more delicate. You'll want to take extra care around using the lid and the handle, which are relatively brittle, though still not dainty; it just might not survive a camping trip, is all.
If you want espresso-like coffee as cheaply as possible from something that's not going to fall apart in short order, this is the ticket.
The best Moka pot for induction stovetops
LuxHaus' Stovetop Espresso Maker is made with stainless steel and a narrow chimney for carefully maintaining heat and brewing Moka-pot coffee on an induction stove.
Pros: Good parts where it counts, dishwasher safe (top rack), non-corrosive
Cons: Plastic handle and lid tab, not great for gas or electric stoves
Because induction stovetops require magnetic cookware to function, purely aluminum Moka pots won't work on them. A stainless steel Moka pot might take a little longer to heat up in general, which is why we don't necessarily recommend them for gas and electric stovetops, but it will work on an induction stovetop.
LuxHaus' Stovetop Espresso Maker (we'll call it a Moka pot because none of these devices make true espresso) is attractive, with its unique shape and stainless-steel sheen, but it also offers a more controlled experience. By that we mean it is less likely to spurt coffee all over your stovetop and make a mess, which we attribute to the steady pressure buildup within its long and gradually narrowing center column or chimney. While this is a user-error-related issue, LuxHaus has done a great job of addressing it.
It's the minor things that make the LuxHaus so great. First, stainless steel is a lot more durable, corrosion-resistant, and dishwasher safe. We also like the tall, narrow chimney it comes with, which in our experience reduces splatter and leads to a slower, more even trickle of coffee. And while it's a little tricky to remove the filter basket on most Moka pots, this one is equipped with a spring that props it up for easy removal and cleaning.
LuxHaus' Stovetop Espresso Maker is an elegantly designed, stainless steel Moka pot built to last and best suited for induction stovetops.
Our methodology
Despite having some serious Moka pot enthusiasts on the Insider Reviews staff, we spoke with 2020 UK Brewers Cup champion Matteo D'Ottavio to learn more about what makes a good Moka pot and how to brew the perfect cup using one. It turns out that for all but induction stovetops, aluminum is the most convenient, with the concession that it's not dishwasher safe, and it is corrosive (so you'd better clean it).
How we tested
We asked D'Ottavio to instruct us on exactly how to use a Moka pot as flawlessly as possible and what to look for to confirm we'd achieved the right results: an even, steady delivery of coffee somewhere around 158 to 167 degrees Fahrenheit (70 to 75 degrees celsius).
In our testing, we tried out six different devices and brewed coffee with each three times. Each time, we noted the following:
Ease of use: Using every Moka pot was fairly easy, though we noticed that the threading on stainless-steel models made them a little tougher to put together than that on the aluminum ones.
Consistency: As well as stainless steel might work on induction stovetops, it was much more difficult to get a quick and predictable cup brewed. Aluminum was fast as can be, and after getting used to dialing the stovetop setting, which can vary based on the thickness of the aluminum and the size of the Moka pot, we were able to achieve what we wanted with reasonable consistency with every model we tested. We considered how difficult it was to have the coffee brew at the right temperature and pace so that it wasn't completely burned or spewing all over the kitchen.
Quality of materials: All in all, the Moka pots we tested performed fairly similarly, but the quality of the materials will impact longevity. While thinner, cheaper aluminum models work very well, it's easy to bend the funnel and filter that holds the ground coffee. We also took note of the handles of each model we tested and were not impressed with how many models included cheap, easy-to-melt plastic. We leaned toward higher-quality materials in recommending our overall pick but made a concession with our budget pick because, as we stated above, we came across many popular options that were essentially of the same quality.
We also took note of the gasket, which creates a seal between the coffee collector (the upper chamber), the filter basket or funnel, and the boiler (or heating vessel at the bottom) and creates pressure. There are two common materials used for these, but we learned from D'Ottavio that a silicone seal is preferred to a rubber one because it creates a better seal and lasts a lot longer.
What else we tested
What else we recommend and why:
Cuisinox Roma: If you have an induction stovetop or just want to upgrade to something that might last decades, look to Cuisinox. Fully stainless steel, there's no cheap plastic attached to this, and the gasket is made of silicone. The only reason this isn't a top pick of ours is that it's an investment and costs far more than most people are willing to spend on a Moka pot.
Kamira Moka Express: This is a heavy-duty stovetop coffee maker that works precisely like a Moka pot through a different design. It's a little difficult to get the hang of and borders more on espresso in process and product, but it's also fairly pricey. We recommend this if you want to be a fanatic about your stovetop coffee exploits, but for someone that wants a quick and easy solution, it might be a bit too involved.
What we don't recommend and why:
Bialetti (all Express models): We've tried almost every Express model Bialetti makes, and while they work great, we find that you're paying for the name. Between the rubber gasket and the cheap plastic handle, you'll do just as well purchasing our recommended budget pick. Bialetti does offer a silicone gasket, but it's a shame that you should have to buy it separately. That said, if Bialetti starts to offer an aluminum model with a silicone gasket and a solid metal or silicone-coated handle, we'll give them another go. Our favorite Bialetti model, and the one that we find offers the closest result to espresso, is the Mini Express. Read our full review of it here.
Goodcook Koffee: Goodcook offers something between Bialetti's Express models and Grosche's Milano, but the non-coated plastic handle was a dealbreaker for us.
What we look forward to testing
Bialetti Moka Elettrika: This electric Moka pot from Bialetti is out of stock everywhere, but we're going to try to get our hands on one as soon as possible, as the plastic parts don't matter so much when the pot is on a fixed base.
De'Longhi EMK6: De'Longhi's electric Moka pot is an option we've recommended in the past but haven't tested recently enough to recommend at this moment. We'll be putting it to our tests soon.
E&B Lab Classic Moka: 2020 UK Brewers Cup champion Matteo D'Ottavio says this is his favorite model, and while it's a little on the pricey side compared with what we currently recommend, we're going to give it a whirl.
FAQs
What's the difference between Moka pot coffee and espresso?
While both coffee-brewing methods rely on pressure, espresso occurs somewhere between five and 10 bars of pressure (depending on whom you ask) and the pressure a Moka pot achieves is, optimally, somewhere between one and one-and-a-half bars of pressure.
Because of this, the grind size for Moka pots is typically a little coarser, and, according to Matteo D'Ottavio, the 2020 UK Brewers Cup Champion, should be between espresso (very fine) and drip coffee (medium-fine) grounds. He wouldn't give us a particular size, measured in micrometers or microns, but we find somewhere around 500 microns will do the trick with a medium-roast coffee. Along with D'Ottavio, we also recommend you go up in size for dark roast and down in size for light roast.
How do you make Moka pot coffee?
Note: These are general guidelines, and different coffees may require adjustment depending on your palate.
- Fill the basin or boiler up to the purge valve with warm water. Warm water helps speed up the brewing process and prevents the coffee from being steamed.
- Fill the filter or grounds basket with the ground coffee of your choice.
- Don't tamp or level the grounds, but tap them from the side to gently level the grounds within the basket. They don't have to be perfectly flat, but you want to avoid large peaks and valleys.
- Connect the top pot.
- Place on the stove at low temperature, with the lid open. The lid should always be open while brewing.
- If you want to be particular, insert a temperature probe into the top of the chimney.
- When the probe hits 165 to 170 degrees Fahrenheit, remove the Moka pot, turn off the stove, and let it finish brewing, which should take no longer than a few seconds.
How do you clean a Moka pot?
The imperative thing is to get it dry and keep it dry after use. According to UK Brewers Cup champion Matteo D'Ottavio, the best way to clean a Moka pot is to take apart the entire thing, including the screen and gasket, and soak it or wash it with water and a little white vinegar. If it gets really bad (as in, if you find you've left grounds or water in it for days or longer on end), fill a large bowl with some mild dish detergent, disassemble the whole thing, and soak it until things loosen up.
Once it's clean, keep everything apart and store the parts loosely piled atop each other to prevent mold and allow for airflow.
Glossary
Boiler: The basin, or the bottom half of the device into which you pour water
Column or chimney: The spout in the top part through which the coffee brews
Filter cup or Funnel: The funnel and basket into which the coffee grounds go
Filter plate: The metal filter that goes between the gasket and the coffee collector, or the top part
Gasket: The silicone or rubber piece that goes between the filter cup and the metal filter to create a seal for pressurizing
Safety valve or purge valve: The opening in the boiler that allows excess pressure to escape
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