Making coffee without a coffee maker? You can do that with a mug pot, also known as an espresso pot. Through a simple technique, you can make delicious coffee in no time, directly on the stove. What is a mug pot and how exactly does it work? Can you only use it to make espresso? Read more about the characteristic metal coffee pot here.

What is a mug pot?

A mug pot can be recognized by its typical octagonal shape and is always made of metal. Usually the mug pot is made of aluminum, but there are also variants made of steel. The pot was invented in 1933 by Italian Alfonso Bialetti. Therefore, the mug pots you can buy today are almost always of the Bialetti Moka Express brand.

The mug pot is also called an espresso pot, but actually this is not quite correct. With a moka pot you can in fact "just" make coffee. Of course, you can use an espresso grind, but it lacks the crema you get from an espresso machine. Still, an espresso from an espresso pot can come pretty close to that delicious cup you are used to. Thus, the mug pot is an inexpensive alternative to an espresso machine.

How does a mug pot work?

The mug pot consists of a water reservoir (bottom) and collection tray (top). In between is a filter for the ground coffee. The technology of a mug pot is based on that of a washing machine. It is actually very simple: hot water is pressed under pressure through ground coffee and pushed up. The coffee naturally ends up in the top tray.

BREWING COFFEE WITH A MUG POT IN 7 STEPS

Step 1. Make sure you have a coffee grind that is not too fine. Choose a good brand, otherwise chances are your coffee will be too bitter.

Step 2. Fill the water to just below the pressure relief valve. Use soft, fresh water for this.

Step 3. Fill the filter with ground coffee. Caution! Do not press it down!

Step 4. Smooth the ground coffee with your finder. The coffee should be exactly level with the top of the filter.

Step 5. Turn the mug pot firmly closed - there will be high pressure in a moment.

Step 6. Put the mug pot on the stove on a not too high setting.

Step 7. The coffee rises and the top of the mug pot fills up by itself. Remove the mug pot from the heat immediately when your coffee is ready, otherwise it will become too bitter.

Difference between a mug pot and a Percolator

Popularly, a mug pot is often called a "percolator. Actually, this is not correct. In fact, a percolator is merely a pot with a strainer. In a percolator, the coffee seeps down by gravity. A mug pot works the other way around: because of the pressure, the water - through the filter with ground coffee - flows upward. So why do Bialetti Moka Express mug jugs sometimes appear on a website under the name "percolator" anyway? Well, it's probably put that way because that's how people search for the device. Yet it is really called a mug pot or espresso pot.