Best Coffee for Moka Pot

The best coffee for a moka pot is a freshly roasted Arabica, medium to dark, ground medium-fine. That gives you a strong, full-flavoured cup without the burnt edge you can get from very dark coffee. West Berkshire Roastery has five coffees you can order with a Moka Pot Grind: Black Gold for a stronger cup, Signature Gold and Chocolate Brownie Blend for an easy everyday one, White Gold for a brighter one, and Simmer Down Decaf.

A moka pot sits somewhere between filter coffee and espresso. Steam pressure pushes hot water up through the grounds, and you get a small, concentrated cup that's stronger than drip coffee. It isn't espresso, and you won't get the crema an espresso machine gives you, but plenty of people brew one every morning and never miss the machine. It's the pot behind traditional Cuban coffee too, and a staple of Italian coffee at home. Moka coffee has its own character: smaller, punchier and a bit more intense than anything a filter makes.

The pot does most of the work. Good coffee from a moka pot comes down to the coffee, the grind and the heat. Get those three right and moka brewing is very forgiving, so that's what this guide covers.

Best coffee for moka pot brewing: our picks by cup style

All five of these are 100% Arabica coffee beans, roasted to order, and sold with a Moka Pot Grind option. Prices are for a 500g bag. The strength ratings and tasting notes come from the product pages.

Black Gold: for a stronger cup

Black Gold is our Italian espresso roast, medium to dark, with a strength of 4 out of 5 and soft acidity. It tastes of caramel, cookie and nut, and it's a Great Taste 2-star winner. If you want a moka pot to give you the small, strong cups you'd get at an Italian bar, start here. It's the closest thing we sell to a dark roast coffee.

Signature Gold: the all-rounder

Signature Gold is grown at 1,500 metres in Cajamarca, Peru, and washed. It has a strength of 3.5 out of 5 and a rounded body, with chocolate, caramel and brown sugar in the cup. It suits black and milky coffee equally well, which helps when one pot has to please everyone in the house. If I had to pick one bag for most people, this would be it.

Chocolate Brownie Blend: low acidity

Chocolate Brownie Blend comes from a single farm, Bom Jesus in Alta Mogiana, Brazil, grown at 1,250 metres. It's a natural-process Catuai with an SCA score of 85 and low acidity. The notes are chocolate brownie and peanut butter. That low acidity makes it an easy coffee to like, and it's roasted to work in flat whites and stronger black coffee alike.

White Gold: a brighter cup

White Gold is our lightest roast, medium to light, with a strength of 2.5 out of 5. It's built around a natural-process Yellow Bourbon grown at 1,200 metres in Sul de Minas, Brazil, and tastes of brown sugar, nougat and soft apple. A lighter roast can taste sharp when a pot is under-extracted, so if yours turns out sour, grind a little finer. To be honest, I'd try it after the others if you like your coffee dark and punchy.

Simmer Down Decaf

Simmer Down Decaf is a medium roast from Cajamarca, Peru, decaffeinated with the Swiss Water Process. It has a strength of 3 out of 5 and tastes of vanilla fudge and caramelised biscuit. It brews like any other coffee in a moka pot, and the 500g bag comes in a Moka Pot Grind. Coffee lovers who want a late-evening pot will like it. Our guide to how to brew decaf coffee at home has more, and the decaf coffee beans collection has the rest of the range.

Which roast level is best for a moka pot?

Advice online runs from light to very dark, and most of it suits somebody. Moka pots brew hot and make a concentrated cup, so the roast level shows up clearly in your moka pot coffee. Medium roasts keep it sweet and balanced. Darker ones add body and a stronger, more familiar Italian taste. Go much darker and the cup can turn bitter, especially if the pot stays on the heat for too long.

A light roast works too, and plenty of people enjoy it. It tends to taste brighter and sharper, and it's more likely to come out sour if the grind is too coarse. That's why we'd call it a choice for people who already know they like it.

You'll also see plenty of Italian coffee sold as a robusta blend. Robusta beans are a different species from Arabica, and they're common in traditional Italian-style packs. All five of the coffees above are 100% Arabica beans, so their character comes from where they grew and how they were roasted.

How origin and process change a moka pot cup

Roast isn't the only thing that shapes the flavour profile. Where the coffee beans grew and how they were processed matter as well. Signature Gold is a washed coffee from the mountains of Cajamarca, and it tastes of chocolate and caramel. Chocolate Brownie Blend and White Gold are both natural-process Brazilian coffees, and their notes lean towards brownie, nougat and soft fruit. Black Gold has soft acidity and Chocolate Brownie Blend has low acidity, while White Gold sits a little higher.

Use the strength and acidity ratings as a starting point. If a cup tastes too sharp for you, move to the lower-acidity coffee. If it tastes too mild, move up a strength. Our guide to coffee processing methods explains washed and natural coffees in more detail.

What grind is best for a moka pot?

Medium-fine. That means a little coarser than espresso and finer than you'd use for filter coffee. If you're ordering ready-ground coffee, pick the Moka Pot Grind option on the product page rather than the espresso or filter options. If you grind at home, start slightly coarser than your espresso setting and adjust from there.

A moka grind sits a touch coarser than an espresso grind, which is why coffee ground for espresso can taste bitter or harsh in a moka pot. Taste tells you which way to go. If the cup is sour or thin, grind a little finer. If it's bitter or harsh, grind a little coarser. Our grind size chart for every brewing method is in the guide to whole bean versus ground coffee.

How to make moka pot coffee

This is the same method as our coffee brew guide, with a few extra tips.

1. Fill the base with fresh cold water, up to the valve and not over it.
2. Pop the filter basket in and add around 20 to 24g of ground coffee, depending on the size of your pot.
3. Keeping the base level, screw the top chamber on.
4. Put the pot on a gentle heat. Strong heat can burn the coffee.
5. As soon as it starts to bubble and hiss, it's ready. Lift the lid to check the coffee is coming through.
6. Give it a quick stir and pour.

At £16.95 for 500g, 20 to 24g works out at roughly 68p to 81p a pot, and you don't need an espresso machine to make it.

Moka pots come in 1, 3, 6, 9 and 12 cup sizes. A cup here means a small espresso cup, not a mug or a measuring cup, so even a 6 cup pot makes less than it sounds. The coffee a moka pot makes is concentrated, so you can top it up with hot water for a longer cup, which is also how you make an Americano-style drink with one. We've written about the best coffee for an Americano if you'd like to go that way.

Whole beans or ground coffee?

Whole bean coffee keeps its aroma longer, because grinding exposes far more of the coffee to air. If you own a burr grinder, buy coffee beans and grind just before you brew. If you don't, ordering the Moka Pot Grind is a sensible way round it. Most pre ground coffee in shops is made for one brewing method, so check that the pack says it suits a moka pot. Our guide to whole bean versus ground coffee covers the trade-off in full.

How fresh should the coffee be?

Coffee tastes best fresh, and each coffee bean we sell is roasted to order. Read what coffee roasted to order actually means, and see how long to rest coffee after roasting if you want the detail.

What to check on a pack in the shop

The best coffee isn't always the one with the biggest name on it. Check that the pack is made for a moka pot or stovetop espresso maker, that it shows a roast date or at least a clear best-before date, and that the size is one you'll finish soon after opening. A smaller pack of fresher coffee usually makes better moka pot coffee than a big one left open on the shelf.

Does water matter in a moka pot?

Start with fresh water and fill to the valve, not above it. In hard-water areas, some people use bottled water instead of tap. Our guide to the best water for brewing coffee has more.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the best coffee for a moka pot?

A freshly roasted Arabica, medium to dark and ground medium-fine, suits most people. For a stronger cup, try Black Gold, our Italian espresso roast. For an everyday cup, Signature Gold has notes of chocolate and caramel. Order either with the Moka Pot Grind option so the grind is right from your first brew.

What grind of coffee is best for a moka pot?

Medium-fine: a little coarser than espresso and finer than a filter grind. If you buy ground coffee, choose the Moka Pot Grind option at checkout. If you grind at home, start slightly coarser than your espresso setting. Grind a little finer if the cup tastes sour or thin, and a little coarser if it tastes bitter or harsh.

Can I use espresso ground coffee in a moka pot?

You can, but it isn't ideal. A moka pot works best with a grind slightly coarser than espresso, so coffee ground for espresso can taste bitter or harsh. If that happens, go a little coarser next time. Our Moka Pot Grind option is the better fit, and you can order it with all five coffees in this guide.

Which supermarket coffee is best for a moka pot in the UK?

Choose by the label rather than the brand. Look for a pack made for moka pots or stovetop espresso makers, a roast date or a clear best-before date, and a size you will use up soon after opening. A smaller pack of fresher coffee usually tastes better than a large one left open for weeks.

Can you use decaf in a moka pot?

Yes. Decaf brews in a moka pot like any other coffee. Our Simmer Down Decaf is a Peruvian coffee, decaffeinated with the Swiss Water Process, with notes of vanilla fudge and caramelised biscuit. The 500g bag comes in a Moka Pot Grind, so it's ready to brew as soon as it arrives.

Is a 4-cup moka pot too much for one person?

Moka pot sizes count small espresso-style cups, not mugs, so a 4-cup pot makes less than it sounds. One person can finish it over a slow morning, or top it up with hot water for a longer cup. If you rarely want that much, a smaller pot is the better fit.