I remember the coffee aroma from a drip when I awoke as a kid. That was my very first cup. I remember my first coffee from a Moka pot. My friend was a Cuban coffee salesman. His wife carried out a tray with a Moka and these tiny cups. I frowned. She laughed. My friend told me to toss one back. WOW! Why are the two so different?

What Is A Moka Pot?

The origin of the Moka pot, also known as a Bialetti, is disputed. We know the Moka pot arrived in 1933. It took its name from the city that began coffee trading, Mocha, Yemen (The Bialetti comes from the surname of Alfonso Bialetti, who patented the pot.) The pot is a small aluminum stove-top or electric vessel designed to steam boiling water through finely-ground coffee into a collection chamber.

How Does It Work?

A Moka has three parts. The boiler holds the water. A metal filter basket with a long center spout sets on the boiler with the spout in the water. Finely ground coffee goes into the basket. The collection chamber has a filter in the bottom from which a long spout goes up into the chamber. The collection chamber assembly usually screws onto the boiler assembly.

The water in the boiler heats to the boiling point. Steam rises and creates pressure, forcing the boiling water up through the spout into the filter basket. The water passes through the coffee grounds and continues up the spout into the collection chamber. As it spurts from the spout, it hits the lid and falls into the collection chamber.

What Does The Coffee Taste Like?

The Moka produces a coffee similar to espresso and provides an alternative to the large, expensive espresso machine. The coffee is dark, thick, robust, bold, and strong. If you want a definite afternoon pick-me-up, get a Moka.

The only differences between the Moka’s faux-spesso and authentic espresso are the steam pressures used and the crema (or lack of) on top of the coffee. Espresso reaches 9 bars, and a Moka can only achieve about 6. The higher pressure of espresso creates a crema or dark froth, so beloved by espresso drinkers, on top of the coffee. A Moka pot is unable to generate a crema.

What Is A Drip Coffee Maker?

Drip coffee makers, known as automatic-drip coffee makers, find a beginning in the cafeolette, two containers and a metal plate with holes between them, devised by François Antoine Descroisilles in 1802. Melitta Benz refined that idea by using a woolen cloth as a filter, replacing the metal strainer. In 1908, she used a piece of blotting paper over the metal strainer. The coffee world has never been the same.

How Does It Work?

A paper filter is placed into a filter basket, and coffee is measured and placed inside the filter. Cold water is poured into a reservoir, heated to boiling, and pumped through a tube onto the medium-ground coffee in the filter.

Water begins to fill the filter basket, and the coffee soaks in it. The filter basket allows its contents to filter through slowly and drip into a carafe, or glass container, beneath it. The carafe sits on a warming plate, which keeps the coffee at a sustained temperature.

How Does It Taste?

The coffee produced by a drip coffee maker is a simple, average cup of coffee. There isn’t anything spectacular about it, but it is far from being undrinkable (like grandpa’s cowboy coffee – he poured coffee into a sock and dunked it into a boiling pot of water). Modern machines allow you to set the coffee maker’s brew strength and to adjust for smaller pots.

And The Decision Is?

Coffee made by a Moka is consistent, rich, flavorful, and strong. The strength is a pro or a con depending on your taste. I love it, but others think it goes overboard. A definite disadvantage is the size of the pot. Any Moka I’ve seen is suitable for only a few small cups and would never be able to brew coffee for an entire family or large gathering.

Coffee from a drip coffee maker is average, delighting many coffee drinkers. It is consistent. Put in the same amount of water with the same amount of coffee, and you’ll get the same cup of coffee over and over. While most drip coffee makers are between 4-12 cups, larger commercial pots can quickly and easily make coffee for a family, large group, or a big party.

{“type”:”block”,”srcClientIds”:[“5f413cb9-06c3-45df-9864-5352a327216b”],”srcRootClientId”:””}Moka pots over here, drip coffee makers over there. The only advantage I see is Moka pots are cheaper than drip coffee makers. So, can’t we all get along? Nobody does any coffee drinking when we are fighting.