After weeks of temptation from the wide selection of coffee here, we finally decided to get a Bialetti Moka Pot (stainless steel). With all these variety, we just can't settle with Nescafe Gold - Instant coffee anymore.
Reasons why we got a Moka pot over other choices:
1) Many people told us that this is the traditional way to make Italian coffee, and we love Italian coffee!
2) We do not want the taste of our coffee to be manipulated by capsules.
3) This is very value for money. E30 for an equipment for good coffee vs E100++ for a capsule machine.
4) This is so portable and versatile, there is no need to worry about power supply/adaptors, just as long as there is heat/fire!
Right after we purchased the pot, we made our selection for our 1st pack of ground coffee. How to decide which to pick? For a typical Singaporean, any food stall with the longest queue = BEST. Any brand on the shelf with the least stock = BEST too. As we were making this "logical" Singaporean decision to reach for Malongo, an Italian spoke..."This is the best (illy's), and I am an Italian...and oh, Bialetti makes the best moka pot!" You can imagine how the student beamed from ear to ear...a decision well recognized by an Italian!
Anyhow, we still went ahead with our decision to get Malongo, and will get illy's on our next round for a blind test.
Some tips on using the moka pot after a month of daily cuppa with it.
- Water from the tap (in France) has a relatively high amount of calcium deposits, this may stain the pot for prolonged use, hence, it is better to use bottled water for taste and maintenance for the pot.
- Do not use soap and cleaning scrubs to clean the pot, instead, just wash with water and rub with your hands. After all, the accumulated coffee oil in the pot actually makes the coffee taste better through time. Just like those braised duck pots in Chinese cooking, years of accumulated flavour!
- Slow fire works best. We are using an electric stove (0 - 6), have been experimenting with several variations in the heat, feels that this works best, time and taste compromised: 4 at the beginning until the water starts to boil, then tune down to 2 until the coffee comes out. Total time taken: 5 - 10mins.
Choosing the Right Coffee. With or without the moka pot sign.
After a few months of trial and errors, it is now official that packets without the moka pot sign CAN be used for the moka pot!!! This have widen our choices for ground coffee indeed...yippees! But I do realise that these packets tend to have smaller grain sizes, resulting in some residue in the base. I just hope that the grains don't get stuck in the valve when the pressure forces the water into the flask.
Our experiences with the various brands:
As Singaporeans, we are very used to the over roasted Yat Kun coffee with milk. No surprises that we have not been unable to find a cup of café au lait to our liking in Paris. After experimenting with the various coffee brands, and what the local French think is good coffee, we now think that the coffee is not that bad in France. It is just that the coffee here is a little sour to start with, hence, it is not too good with milk. On the contrary, the coffee we have in Singapore tends to be over roasted and on the bitter side, so adding milk gives it a good balance. Such coffee will be catastrophic without milk, or we would have to add tons of sugar in it to be drinkable. Having said that, I am still clueless to why the Italiens can make both coffee black and café au lait so well...
Malongo:
Our 1st experience. Relatively acidic. Better black than with milk.
Gourmet beans from Versaille:
The aroma of the beans is more fragrant than Malongo, less acidic than Malongo. Also better black than with milk.
Régal:
The most economical among those we tried, most intense and most similar to the over roasted coffee in Singapore. Best with milk, infact, it has a little chocolaty taste after adding milk. A little bitter if it is black.
Lavazza:
Not as good as Régal with milk, and less acidic than Malongo. Pretty moderate choice for both black and with milk.
- Will update this post with our trials with the various brands.
Some tips on using the moka pot after a month of daily cuppa with it.
- Water from the tap (in France) has a relatively high amount of calcium deposits, this may stain the pot for prolonged use, hence, it is better to use bottled water for taste and maintenance for the pot.
- Do not use soap and cleaning scrubs to clean the pot, instead, just wash with water and rub with your hands. After all, the accumulated coffee oil in the pot actually makes the coffee taste better through time. Just like those braised duck pots in Chinese cooking, years of accumulated flavour!
- Slow fire works best. We are using an electric stove (0 - 6), have been experimenting with several variations in the heat, feels that this works best, time and taste compromised: 4 at the beginning until the water starts to boil, then tune down to 2 until the coffee comes out. Total time taken: 5 - 10mins.
Choosing the Right Coffee. With or without the moka pot sign.
After a few months of trial and errors, it is now official that packets without the moka pot sign CAN be used for the moka pot!!! This have widen our choices for ground coffee indeed...yippees! But I do realise that these packets tend to have smaller grain sizes, resulting in some residue in the base. I just hope that the grains don't get stuck in the valve when the pressure forces the water into the flask.
Our experiences with the various brands:
As Singaporeans, we are very used to the over roasted Yat Kun coffee with milk. No surprises that we have not been unable to find a cup of café au lait to our liking in Paris. After experimenting with the various coffee brands, and what the local French think is good coffee, we now think that the coffee is not that bad in France. It is just that the coffee here is a little sour to start with, hence, it is not too good with milk. On the contrary, the coffee we have in Singapore tends to be over roasted and on the bitter side, so adding milk gives it a good balance. Such coffee will be catastrophic without milk, or we would have to add tons of sugar in it to be drinkable. Having said that, I am still clueless to why the Italiens can make both coffee black and café au lait so well...
Malongo:
Our 1st experience. Relatively acidic. Better black than with milk.
Gourmet beans from Versaille:
The aroma of the beans is more fragrant than Malongo, less acidic than Malongo. Also better black than with milk.
Régal:
The most economical among those we tried, most intense and most similar to the over roasted coffee in Singapore. Best with milk, infact, it has a little chocolaty taste after adding milk. A little bitter if it is black.
Lavazza:
Not as good as Régal with milk, and less acidic than Malongo. Pretty moderate choice for both black and with milk.
- Will update this post with our trials with the various brands.
Thank you Yvette for sharing this. I find this informative to me as I was searching for budget way to make espresso. Although this blog was written more than 5 years back!
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