The Affordable Way To Enjoy Gourmet Coffee Without Buying An Expensive Machine

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The roughly $400 to $500 pricetag of a decent espresso machine places it out of reach of most consumers looking for a shot of strong coffee to start their morning. Luckily, there is a way to make delicious java in the morning without spending hundreds of dollars if you buy a piece of equipment common in many Italian homes, the moka pot.

Costing around $50, the classic moka pot will brew up a good, strong shot. It's not espresso, but it gets you there. A good moka pot will brew the coffee using 1 bar of pressure, while espresso machines tend to brew at 9 bars of pressure. When picking one out make sure you choose one with some weight to it, which keeps the heat evenly dispersed, creating constant pressure. You want to make sure it has a decent sized basket for the coffee so it makes a strong cup. If you're having trouble deciding, it never fails to go with the original Bialetti, created by Alfonso Bialetti in 1933. To understand how it works, read our deep dive into everything moka pot here!

To get the best flavor and texture out of your coffee, there are some tips to use when brewing. The first is to use pre-boiled water in the base. Fill it up to just below the safety vent with water just off the boil. Doing this will speed up your brew time and get the water to the right temperature after being poured into the cooler base.

Another tip is to grind your coffee to medium-fine, or around the size of table salt (slightly finer if you're using a lighter roast, but still coarser than espresso). Place this in the basket to the top and don't tamp it down. Tamping it down will cause the brewer to choke up and overextract your beans.

Place your brewer on the stove top at a relatively low heat so the pressure doesn't get too intense. You can lower the heat once the flow starts if you have the time to watch over the pot. If you can, you will get more liquid through the grinds. Once you hear sputtering from the top, take it off the heat and run the base under cool water to stop the process. The sputtering is pushing steam through the grind, once again overextracting! Now all you have to do is explore the world of coffee beans to find the right taste you're looking for!