We were up in Boston (well, Sandwich, but also spent time in Boston) for Stephen and Kimberly’s wedding. Wonderful people, wonderful time, amazing location. Christine has discussed in more detail – I’ll just add that it was nice to be someplace cold and really nice to finally meet the rest of Stephen’s family, all of their friends in Mass., and catch up with close friends from Kentucky. Interesting trivia – if you go back in the archives to the very very very first posts, Stephen was one of the original writers for coffee corner, and still shares a culinary geek mentality.
While we were there, we paid a visit to Polcari’s Coffee in the North End. It’s a fun Italian market that sells all manner of specialty goods and things you can’t get in your average grocery store. I picked up some green Colombian beans from them to roast, and a moka pot. It’s an aluminum stovetop coffee pot that works by using steam pressure (boiling water in an enclosed vessel) to brew coffee. The result is closer to an espresso than a drip coffee, and while I still have to work on my technique a bit, it’s a nice kick.
This brings the total number of coffee brewing devices in the house to five: an automatic drip maker, a Chemex coffee pot, two sizes of french press, and now the moka pot. The drip maker, a Cuisinart model that does NOT grind its own beans, wins hands down for convenience and ease of use for when I’m not yet awake in the morning. The Chemex makes the cleanest tasting cup, even more so if I use freshly roasted beans. The french press pots have declined in use, mainly good for when I couldn’t get to another maker but had hot water available, such as in the office. I haven’t decided where the moka pot will live – probably in the later morning cups, after I’m more awake and can take a bit more time to make a pot but still in regular use.
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Sounds like us with computers. Two people, 6 computers + 1 work laptop.
But is the Moka pot better than the Chemex? Or is the Chemex the cleanest of all?
You didn’t list the coffee pot out in the garage.
I really need to take that to donate it someday. Also, you didn’t mention the fact that you are the only coffee drinker in the house! So 5 pots, 1 coffee drinker.
And lets not even count the number of computers around here. That would just be sad… *grin*
The Moka looks like what my family has been using for years to brew our Cuban espresso… We have one (although a more stylized Italian version) and every Cuban family I know has one. It’s the only way to brew Cuban cafe. The grounds needs to be pretty finely ground though.
how does one purchase a moka pot? what are the prices for the different sizes?