What Are The Best Coffees For Moka Pot Brewing?

Best Coffees for Moka Pot

If you want to make the best Moka Pot coffee, you’ve got to have the right beans! But what are the best coffees for Moka Pot brewing?

In general, the best Moka Pot coffee is brewed with pre-ground Latin or Italian-style beans such as Pilon, Cafe Bustelo, or Illy. These beans are typically dark roast and ground slightly coarser than espresso grind, which is ideal for Moka Pots.

While these three brands make phenomenal Moka Pot coffee, there are other great coffees out there as well! And they all share certain characteristics.

If you want to know more about these characteristics and how to pick the best beans for yourself, keep reading!

FYI: If you’re looking for a great Moka Pot, we’d recommend the Bialetti Moka Express (link goes to Amazon). This is the original Moka Pot, and we’ve been using it for years to brew amazing Moka Pot coffee!

What Are The Best Coffees For Moka Pot Brewing?

Recommended CoffeeFlavor ProfileImage
PilonRich and delicious with hints of chocolate and smokiness
Cafe BusteloRich and bold with a smoky flavor
La LlaveStrong smoky aroma with hints of cocoa
Illy Classico GroundMedium roast, highly aromatic, rich with balanced taste, notes of chocolate and caramel
Lavazza Crema E- GustoDark roast, full body with rich taste
Bialetti Caffe Italian RoastedPerfectly ground for Moka Pot brewing. These Bialetti beans are medium roasted and made with 100% Columbia Excelso beans.
Starbucks Caffè VeronaDark roast coffee with notes of dark cocoa and caramelized sugar
Image: Table Best Coffees For Moka Pot

In the table above, you can see 6 recommendations for Moka Pot coffee. These are actually coffees we’ve made and enjoyed in our own Bialetti Moka Express (link goes to Amazon).

You may have noticed that most of the coffees are either Latin-style or Italian brands.

While there are other coffees that work great in Moka Pots, we’ve found that most coffees that are made specifically for Moka Pots are either Latin or Italian.

This is most likely because Moka Pots are extremely popular throughout Italy and Latin America. Italian and Latin-style coffees also tend to be the easiest to work with and generally give amazing results.

Let’s take a quick look at some popular coffees made specifically for the Moka Pot.

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Best Moka Pot Coffee Beans From Italy

Illy Classico Ground Moka Coffee – Illy was founded nearly 100 years ago in Italy and is known for making amazing coffee. We highly recommend their classic medium roast, but they also have more intense roasts as well.

Lavazza Crema E Gusto – Lavazza is another famous Italian brand that makes several varieties of coffee, but their Crema E Gusto line is ideal for Moka Pots. It’s a dark-roasted blend of Arabica and Robusta beans that’s highly aromatic, intense, and full-bodied.

Bialetti Caffe Italian Roasted – Bialetti is the brand that invented the Moka Pot. So, it goes without saying that their ground beans are perfect for their brewer. They have several flavors to choose from, but their classic is a must-have. These beans are sourced from Colombia and are medium-roasted to perfection.

Best Moka Pot Coffee Beans From Latin America

When it comes to Latin-style coffees, there are 3 main brands to choose from.

Each of these brands has its roots in Cuba or Puerto Rico. They’re all espresso-style roast and ground specifically for Moka Pots. So, you really can’t go wrong with any of them!

Best coffees for Moka pot ( cafe Pilon and cafe Bustelo)
Image: Cafe Bustelo And Cafe Pilon

Other Great Coffees For Moka Pot Brewing

Italian and Latin-style coffees are often made specifically for Moka Pots; but there are also other types of coffee beans that work great in Moka Pots.

One example is Starbucks Caffè Verona. While Caffè Verona isn’t the darkest roast made by Starbucks, it is considered dark. It’s made with 100% arabica beans and has notes of dark cocoa and caramelized sugar.

Volcanica's cafe Cubano- Miami Espresso
Image: Volcanica’s Cafe Cubano- Miami Espresso

Characteristics Of The Best Moka Pot Coffee Beans

In the table above, you can see our top 5 recommendations for Moka Pot coffee. These are actually coffees that we’ve made in our own Bialetti Moka Express (available on Amazon).

But if you want to search for a different coffee to try in your Moka Pot, how will you know which coffees are best?

The best (and easiest) coffees to brew in a Moka Pot will have two main characteristics:

  • they will be medium or darker roast
  • the beans will be ground slightly coarser than espresso grind

But why are these two factors important? Let’s quickly talk about each one!

FYI: If you’re looking for a great Moka Pot, we’d recommend the Bialetti Moka Express (link goes to Amazon). This is the original Moka Pot, and we’ve been using it for years to brew amazing Moka Pot coffee!

The Best Bean For Moka Pot Coffee Is A Medium Or Dark Roast

We love Moka Pots, but the fact is, you don’t have a lot of control over the brewing process.

  • you can’t really control the temperature inside the chambers and
  • you can’t control how long it takes the coffee to brew.

So, you don’t have a lot of control over the extraction.

If you used light roast beans in a Moka Pot, it would be difficult to extract subtle and balanced flavors from the beans. On the other hand, dark roast is more forgiving and better suited to the high-pressure extraction of a Moka Pot.

Also, keep in mind that since Moka Pots are placed over direct heat, there’s a chance the flavor profile of your beans could change or even burn depending on how hot the stove is and how long you leave it on the heat.

Because of this, it’s far more likely that you’ll lose some of the natural flavors found in light roast beans, while dark roast beans are more likely to maintain their flavor profile.

Best Coffees for Moka pot: Medium dark roast
Image: Medium-Dark Roast Coffee Beans

Pre-ground coffees Best Roast to Use For Moka Pot

When using a Moka Pot, the grind size is extremely important. If your beans are ground too small you could end up with:

  • over-extracted coffee
  • sludge in your coffee
  • a clogged Moka Pot

(Did you know that if your Moka Pot gets clogged while brewing, it could explode?! To learn more about this, check out our post “Can A Moka Pot Explode?“)

On the other hand, if your beans are ground too coarse, you may end up with:

  • weak, sour, or under-extracted coffee

So, basically, you want to make sure your grinds are the right size to brew the best coffee. They should also be ground as uniformly as possible.

If you’ve got a great burr grinder like the Baratza Encore Conical Burr Grinder (link goes to Amazon), you can buy whole beans and grind them yourself. But if you’re like most people, it’s easier to just buy them pre-ground.

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Best Coffee Beans For Moka Pot

Most Moka Pot coffee is sold pre-ground. However, there are some whole bean coffees that are great in Moka Pots as well.

One of our favorites is Volcanica’s Miami Espresso (link to Volcanica’s site). This coffee is inspired by the strong, Cuban Coffee that’s popular throughout Miami. It’s a dark roast with notes of caramel, chocolate, and a nutty finish.

Just keep in mind that you’ll want to use a good burr grinder to get the best results.

Volcanica's cafe Cubano- Miami Espresso
Image: Volcanica’s Cafe Cubano- Miami Espresso

What Roast Is Best For Moka Pot Coffee?

The best roast for Moka Pot coffee is either medium or dark roast.

Remember that Moka Pots are placed on direct heat and use vapor pressure to brew the coffee. Because the beans are exposed to these high temperatures, the flavor profile of lighter roasts may change in a Moka Pot.

But medium and dark roasts are more forgiving and can more easily maintain their flavor profile.

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Can You Use Any Coffee In A Moka Pot?

Any type of coffee can be used in a Moka Pot as long as it’s ground to the right size (slightly coarser than espresso grind).

While we do recommend medium or dark roast, you can use any roast or brand that you enjoy.

Best Coffees For Moka Pot Brewing

Recommended CoffeeFlavor Profile Link Image
PilonRich and delicious with hints of chocolate and smokiness
Cafe BusteloRich and bold with a smoky flavor
La LlaveStrong smoky aroma with hints of cocoa
Illy Classico GroundMedium roast, highly aromatic, rich with balanced taste, notes of chocolate and caramel
Lavazza Crema E- GustoDark roast, full body with rich taste
Bialetti Caffe Italian RoastedPerfectly ground for Moka Pot brewing. These Bialetti beans are medium roasted and made with 100% Columbia Excelso beans.
Starbucks Caffè VeronaDark roast coffee with notes of dark cocoa and caramelized sugar
Image: Table Best Coffees For Moka Pot

What Kind Of Coffee Grounds Should I Use In My Moka Pot?

When brewing in a Moka Pot, your grinds should be medium-fine.

The grinds should be like table salt or slightly coarser than espresso roast.

Can You Use Espresso Grounds In A Moka Pot?

We do not recommend using espresso grounds in a Moka Pot. Espresso grounds are extremely fine and may clog your Moka Pot.

Even if your Moka Pot doesn’t become clogged there’s a good chance you’ll end up with sediment in your coffee.

As water is forced through the coffee beans, the extremely small grinds will be pushed through the filter and up into the top chamber and create sludge in your coffee.

Cheers Coffee Lovers!

Idalmis Holmes

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