Moka Pot Pump

Our pump remedies the fundamental flaw inherent in stovetop espresso makers like the Bialetti Moka pot. Using the brew water at boiling temperature scalds the subtle flavor elements in the coffee, and more readily extracts the bitter tannins from the cellulose in the remains ("spent grounds." This is where the "truck-stop coffee" flavor come from, it's not even coffee.) By replacing steam pressure with air, our pump preserves  the subtle flavors we want from the beans. In fact, it adds a whole new dimension to moka pot coffee, because you can find the brew temperature that matches your personal taste. Try it! The brew temperature dramatically affects the flavor.

Made in the USA. Price includes shipping.

How to Use the Moka Pot Pump (first time):

 1. Remove and save the pressure relief valve on the side of the tank. You will need a pliers to do this.

2. Notice the white plastic quick-connect on the red interface fixture. It snaps on and off by twisting.  Twist it to remove the red fixture from the air line.

3. Insert the red fixture in the threaded hole where the pressure valve was. Though it has ribs instead of threads, it will grip adequately. Turn it like a threaded bolt.

On newer Bialetti products, the valve is larger; make sure you don't insert so far that it abuts the funnel and closes off the air path.

On other products, the valve is smaller and about 1mm showing inside the tank is enough to seal.

4. Add hot water to the tank to pre-heat it. Return the water to your kettle and re-boil, then add again to the tank. (Water temperature is an important subject; see our website.)

5. Add your coffee grinds to the funnel and place inside the tank. (Start with the way you already do it. Another big subject discussed on our website.)

6. Use a towel or jar grip to grab the bottom tank. Twist on the top tank to seal the espresso machine. We sell silicone replacement gaskets too. Ours are softer than others and easier to seal.

7.  Re-connect the air line to the fixture with the twist-on white connector. Make sure it clicks.

8. Turn the power switch to  "on".  IF you are in the habit of cramming the maximum amount of grounds into the funnel, you may have to reduce the amount. (This is likely if you use moka-pot fine grounds, and not necessary if you use medium-fine "pour over" grounds.)  It should take a few minutes for the first flow to appear in the carafe. If it the coffee isn't extremely dark, you're not using enough and the result will be over-extraction. The moka pot is a SLOW, low-pressure espresso brewing method.

9. Sample the first blush coffee when it barely covers the bottom of the carafe. Even though it may seem much too strong for you, note the complexity of flavor (assuming you're using decent beans), and especially the lack of bitter AFTERTASTE. Pour all of the beverage into your cup.

10. Repeat this sampling process. Note the gradual decrease in strength and complexity. You'll learn a lot about your beans this way.

11. Repeating Step 10, the brew eventually will not only lack rich flavor, at a specific point it will have a bitter AFTERTASTE. This means it is no longer coffee, it's water run through spent grounds. At this point, you have made the maximum amount of COFFEE from the grounds you loaded into the funnel. Discard the rest, and if the COFFEE is too strong, dilute it to your desired strength with hot water. 

12. If you aren't using stovetop espresso-fine grounds, you might be surprised at how little rich coffee you made. This shows the rationale for espresso: pressure percolation will allow the use of finer grounds than gravity-fed pour over methods, extracting more of the good stuff from the same amount of grounds.

13. Disconnect the air line from the fixture using the white plastic twist-off connector. While you can pop the red fixture off, doing this repeatedly risks tearing the nose of the fixture off after some time.

14. You do not need to remove the red fixture daily to rinse the tank. When traveling, remove the fixture by un-threading (not pulling it off) and store it in the tank in order not to lose it.

Check out our instructional video on YouTube. 

If you have any questions, please contact us at purist@thecoffeepurist.com