Hey everyone, I’m looking to expand my coffee gear and am planning on acquiring a moka pot and an aeropress. Which should I get first? I’m planning on getting both, but one not for a few months.
The Moka Pot is for espresso. The way you use it properly is to pre-boil the water in the bottom portion and then apply the heat from the stove to minimize the overall scorching from overheating the frame. My grandparents always started from cold and I start from warm and it makes a world of difference in taste and power.
If you’re consistently brewing coffee and not espresso the AeroPress is a no-brainer. It makes an incredible cup that really brings out the flavors in great coffee. When I want to show somebody a good single origin to demonstrate the funky flavors I will always brew with an AeroPress because it’s very clean. The Moka pot can do this for good espresso, provided you start from warm water.
Aeropress is the superior coffee method for 1 cup at a time. Quick, easy, effcient, and clean up is a breeze.
That being said, if I’m making any more than 1 cup at a time, I go for my my Moka Pot. Moka gets closer to that espresso experience, IMO, and is great for making lattes/cappucinos/americanos at home if you dont want to shell out hundreds for an ok espresso machine, or $1000+ for a really good one.
I love my moka pot. I have an induction cook top in the kitchen so I have a stainless steel moka pot. I like a big mug of coffee so I went with the 6 cup size. Easy clean up. No paper filters to buy. Never used an aeropress but I wanted to avoid another plastic coffee tool so moka pot was the choice.
Like most other replies, it really depends on your usage and taste. I personally prefer a Moka pot over an aeropress. But I also like my Hario V60 for filter coffee, so the aeropress iszcloser to that. Hence the choice for a Moka pot is clear, it’s a bit more of a difference.
So weigh your options as what you already have and like.
As with any equipment purchase in any hobby/interest, what’re you looking to get out of with this purchase? Don’t buy things for the sake of it.
I haven’t used Moka Pot so I can’t comment on the direct comparison of the two. AeroPress was a little too clean for my taste. Turns out I like a hint of grit in my coffee and and miss it when it’s not there. I got a 12 oz french press, probably knockoff of this model https://www.amazon.com/Bodum-Chambord-French-Coffee-Stainless/dp/B00005LM0R and never looked back.
Did you try a metal filter in the Aeropress?
It let’s just a bit of the fines through and would likely provide what you are looking for.But, that french press looks great also.
I did try the metal filter! I was optimistic when I ordered it; it sounded perfect. It didn’t do it for me. I guess I am just a french press boy at heart.
As someone who grew up with moka pot and discovered the AeroPress later in life, I would easily recommend the AeroPress if you have a decent grinder and a kettle at home :)
The moka pot, in my experience, is quite a lot more “fiddly” and makes it harder to get a balanced cup of coffee to sip and enjoy. Not impossible, mind you, but harder than an AeroPress.
The AeroPress is extremely forgiving, incredibly easy to use and clean and makes great coffee, which IMO makes it a great first choice.
I have both, and I think the aeropress makes much nicer coffee. I find mocha pots make overly-strong and bitter shots, but maybe that’s just my preference.
Aeropress is more of a faff though.
The AeroPress is a lot more “fun.” It’s interactive, versatile, portable… and it makes some fantastic coffee.
What do you wanna drink every day? A moka is an espresso maker.
Moka pots are more like percolators. They don’t create 9 bars of pressure to force the water through the coffee; it’s under 2 bars. The high pressure is what makes espresso espresso.
yes, like a one-pass bottom-to-top steam pressure driven percolator ;-)
My daily coffee is an Aeropress and I don’t think I’d even consider a Moka pot just because of how flexible the Aeropress is.
To make the Aeropress work you need hot water, ground coffee, filters.
Just started my coffee journey 2 weeks ago with a Timemore C2 grinder and an aeropress. I’ve been having the best time with how easy and versatile the aeropress is.
Same here! Both great purchases.
aero press is drip coffee.
moka is not. it’s more like espresso, it’s Italian style coffee where you take it in shots.
question is what do you want, espresso style, or standard American style drip?
if you want ot make espresso style drinks, you want moka pot.
It’s not really drip? I mean, I’m new around these parts so I may not understand the nuances of terminology here. But it only drips to the extent that it can’t not drip, for however long your brew time is. The bulk of the work is done by the press, not gravity.
Yeah, aero press is generally considered to be an immersion brewer, rather than a drip/percolation brewer. It’s functionally like a french press, but paper filtered.
I own both. I daily use my AeroPress. I use my Moka about twice a month. They’re both great brewers, but the Moka isn’t for making a good daily cup or espresso. The coffee you get from it is unique. If you make a lot of milk beverages, I think the Moka is a decent way to make coffee for that use, but you’ll also need a good way to froth and steam your milk.
I’d go with an AeroPress and check out the various brew methods available to achieve your desired results.
I’d say Aeropress for sure based solely on versatility, as it can make something similar (not identical, but definitely similar) to both a moka pot and a French press, especially if you pick up metal filters for it. Moka pots are great, but touchy, and will likely never be brought out again if you ever get an espresso machine.
