Hints for preparation

Some advice for the preparation of a real coffee, made with a "moka" or italian coffee pot:

The choice of coffee: buy a good brand of coffee, know for its quality, suited to your taste. Never use blends with ersatz coffee in them, as this makes a big difference to the success of the drink.

Cureful with the water: this is the second most important component. Use fresh, light water: brakish water or water with a lime content or hard water like that to be found in some areas weakens the all round flavour. Do not use bolled water.

The doses: use suitable doses of coffee and water. The most common coffee pots, Express and Neapolitan, have the doses already measured out in proportion to the number of cups desired. In other cases one heaped dessertspoon per person is the recommended dose.

Preparation times: these must not be sccelerated by using hot water in the coffee pot; use cold water, which must gradually heat up over a high flame.

Adding the powder: do not press the powder down inside the coffee pot, put it in delicately, getting rid of any lumps.

Follow the infusion process: do not leave the coffee pot on the gas ring; it could compromise both coffee and pot. The lid should be left open so as to stop the condensation from falling back into the top part, thus burning or altering the taste of the coffee.

The coffee is ready: take the pot of the flame. The drink must never be left to boll, because it would then taste unpleasant, so remove the pot from the flame a moment before all the coffee has come up.

How to enjoy it to the full: to savour the aroma and taste to the full, drink the coffee very hot, as soon as it is ready. If any is left over, keep it in a glass or pottery container, not a metal one, then reheat it over water or on a low eletric heat, never directly over the gas flame.

How to clean the moka correctly: clean it carefully after each coffee, do not use soap or detergent but rnise it with hot water. the filter must be cleaned scrupulously, because this is where residues and deposits can hide, a natural bristle brush can be used, followed by rinsing under clean water. Before using a new pot or one you haven't useed for a while, we recommend you boil a little coffee in it.