To tamp or not to tamp that’s the question. Well, not for much longer. Should you tamp the coffee grounds in a Moka pot filter? Here’s what you should do and why.
The coffee grounds in a moka pot should not be tamped down. Just scoop the grounds into the filter basket and distribute them evenly to create a flat bed that sits flush with the basket rim. Tamping down the grounds can result in bad coffee or even a moka pot failure in the worst case.
Why you shouldn’t tamp down the grounds and what can happen if you do? Keep reading to find out.
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Should You Tamp Down Coffee Grounds In a Moka Pot?
While a moka pot is often called a stovetop espresso maker, you shouldn’t treat it like an espresso machine. To make espresso in a ‘real’ espresso machine, the grounds do have to be tamped down. In a Moka pot they shouldn’t be.
If you’re not yet 100% sure how to brew good coffee with a Moka pot. click here to find a step-by-step guide.
An espresso machine works under very high pressure. Pressures around 9 bar or even higher are common in espresso machines. That is a much higher pressure than you will create in a moka pot which will be around 2 bar at the very most. (actually less than one in most percolators).
Espresso machines are built to handle that high pressure and there are many safety mechanisms to keep everything safe. If you tamp down the coffee grounds, you need a higher pressure to make sure the water actually goes through the coffee grounds and brew coffee. In an espresso machine that is possible because it’s designed to create those high pressures. On the flip side, an espresso machine needs the grounds to be tamped down so you create enough resistance so this pressure can be created in the first place.
A percolator is in no way designed or built to produce or withstand 8 bar of pressure. However, if you tamp down the coffee grounds, you create a lot of resistance for the water. A Moka pot works at about 1.5 bar which means you can’t build enough pressure to get the water through the coffee grounds and actually brew coffee when tamped.
Let’s take a deeper look into what effects this can have.
What happens if you tamp down coffee in a percolator filter?
There are a few things that could happen when you compact the grounds in a Moka pot filter. Not all of them are disastrous but in none of the cases you end up with good coffee.
Of course, it also depends on how strongly you compact the coffee grounds. If you just tap it slightly, it’s very unlikely to cause any problems. However, if you tamp it down like you would in an espresso machine, you’re likely to run into one of the problems outlined above.
Brand | Model | Size | Material | Buy |
---|---|---|---|---|
Bialetti | New Venus | 4 Cup | Stainless Steel | Buy on Amazon |
CoffeeGator | Moka Pot | 6 cup | Hybrid: Stainless steel bottom | Buy on Amazon |
Bialetti | Moka Express | 3 Cup | Aluminum | Buy on Amazon |
Grosche | Milano | 10 cup | Stainless steel | Buy on Amazon |
Will Tamping Make Stronger Percolator Coffee?
You might be tempted to tamp down your coffee grounds in your moka pot because the coffee you made last time wasn’t strong enough (for your tastes) and you want to get a stronger coffee out of it.
Then tamping down might seem attractive because;
- You can fit more grounds in the filter basket.
- You think the higher pressure will make for better extraction of the grounds.
I’ve already explained above why this approach isn’t a good idea. So what can you do to get stronger coffee from your moka pot?
In no particular order;
Favorite Moka Pot Products
You don’t need many things to brew good coffee with a Moka pot. Here are the few things you need to make the best possible coffee.
- Moka Pot: Just buy a high-quality Moka pot from the get-go. The cheaper ones can be messy when brewing. Bialetti is the original and still one of the best with its classic looks. They cost a bit more than the cheap ones but these can last for decades and the parts that wear out are easily available for the Bialetti Moka pots. The 3-cup size is good for a single person (Amazon)
- Beans: Good coffee starts with good beans. You can’t make bad beans taste good. Espresso roast beans are good for a Moka pot and will get you closer to that typical espresso taste. Peet’s Coffee does a great 100$ Arabica espresso roast. Give it a try, you can get it here on Amazon
- Grinder: Using whole beans means you need to grind them at home. This improves the taste because the grounds are much fresher. A Hario Slim (Amazon) is a great starting point for the starting home barista. If you want a good hand grinder for a good price, check out the TimeMore C2 (Amazon)
- Scales: To get consistent results, a set of accurate scales is essential. Check out this Apexstone scale (Amazon). I’ve been using it for more than a year and while it doesn’t look the sleekest, it’s cheap and just as accurate as more expensive coffee scales. It just reacts a little slower.