Coffee & Espresso Makers Tips

Krups Moka Brew F468 8-Cup Coffee Maker Key FeaturesTypeCoffee MakerCapacity8 CupOperation SourceElectricMax. Power850 Watts ...

Krups Moka Krups Moka Brew F468 8 Cup Coffee Maker Coffee makers fascinate me. The past fifteen years have been split between two Krups Aroma Plus units with therma...

Some times it’s hard to be a foodie on a budget; while I didn’t have a huge problem with cooking (the only “expensive” piece of equipment I had to buy myself is my mixer, the knives were a gift) coffee hasn’t been as easy to get into. First of all a good grinder is essential; secondly adequate automatic drip machines tend to be expensive. While a good French press is a decent way to get good coffee it requires more attention—something I have in minimal quantities when I’m trying to make my morning cup—than an automatic machine would; enter the Krups Moka Brew: a remarkable device that automatically produces a great cup of coffee at a reasonable price.

There are a number of problems with most drip machines that range from poor brewing temperatures to ridiculous (short or long) brew times and they all result in a subpar cup of coffee. A good drip brewer, such as a Technivorm, will run over $150, and I don’t have that kind of money. I do, or did, however, have $50. For fifty dollars I was able to pick up a Krups Moka Brew and I haven’t gone without my morning coffee since.

The first thing that I should note is that moka style coffee (I’m talking about the brewing method here, not the region) is not drip coffee. Most Americans who are familiar with moka pots are used to the aluminum contraptions found at Bed, Bath, & Beyond or other kitchen supply stores which are frequently advertised as “stove-top espresso”. These pots work by forcing steam from water in the base through coffee grounds and into the top of the pot where it returns to being a liquid. This brewing method develops a coffee that’s deeper in flavor than traditional drip but certainly isn’t espresso. Many people describe the flavor as an “Americano”, and this is a decent description. An Americano is a shot of espresso mixed with hot water so it’s not as intense as espresso, but still has some of the flavors that only come out of coffee when brewed in an espresso machine. I prefer to describe moka as “what an Americano wishes it could be”. This isn’t watered down espresso, it’s a full bodied and delicious cup that has a rich flavor unlike any other brewing method.

The Krups Moka Brew produces an exceptional example of the Moka style, and it does it much more easily than trying to mind a stove based moka pot. Simply pour the desired quantity of water—up to forty ounces—into the base of the brewer, put a filter in the carafe’s cap, put ground coffee over the filter, and then lock the carafe, with the cap in place, into the brewer. After you turn on the switch don’t expect to have a full pot of coffee in five minutes; moka depends on creating steam and doing a low pressure brew so a full pot generally takes about fifteen minutes. When all the bubbling sounds have subsided just press the big button on the top of the brewer, pull up on the lock lever, and remove the carafe of lovely brewed coffee.

If you are one of those people who makes a whole pot of coffee and then just drinks that for the day (or a few hours) and doesn’t have a Nissan thermos to keep it in: go get one. Until you get one you can keep the coffee warm by leaving the Krups Moka Brew on; the heating coil won’t turn off and it’ll keep the carafe warm. This also means that when you are finished brewing, or keeping the carafe warm, you need to turn off the machine yourself. The power button for this machine is right on the front built into the base of the brewer, which makes it easily accessible for the user as well as putting it in a highly bump-able spot. If you keep the machine plugged in and on your counter keep an eye on the the light and make sure it isn’t accidentally on.

If, all things sacred forbid, you use canned coffee then this isn’t the brewer for you. I’ve never seen canned—bricked or any other packaged pre-ground coffee—that was ground for moka. A grind for drip coffee is too coarse and espresso is too fine; if you have your own grinder (this is another instance where you really do need a burr rather than blade grinder), use a market grinder, or get grind-to-order coffee then aim for something between drip and espresso; I like my grind a bit closer to espresso.

I should also mention the filters. These filters are 92mm in diameter and I haven’t yet found anybody who has a local supplier. There are a number of sources for these on the internet but most people seem to simply buy larger filters at low prices locally and then cut them to size. One of the things that many people lament is that SwissGold hasn’t produced a permanent filter for the Krups Moka Brew, but I’ve found that there’s a great alternative for those who don’t want to use paper: the Bodum Chambord. The filter in the 8-cup model fits perfectly into the grounds basket of the Krups Moka Brew. There is, however, a drawback. The paper filters produce a perfectly clean cup with no sediment while the press pot filter does leave a little bit of sediment. Fortunately this grit does an excellent job of settling to the bottom of the carafe so if I leave a tablespoon or so of coffee in the carafe I get nearly perfect quality right up to the last few sips, and it’s even less grit than I would from using the French press itself (even though it’s the same filter the Krups Moka Brew is extremely low pressure where as a press pot is quite high when depressing the filter).

One draw back to using the French press filter is that it makes cleanup more difficult. With the paper filters you just need to dispose of the grounds & filter, wipe the basket, wipe the lid, and wipe the carafe. With the French press filter you also need to rinse and wipe the filter. It’s not much more work, but comparative to using a paper filter it’s enough work that it deserves pointing out.

If you are a foodie and appreciate truly excellent coffee yet are working on a budget and need an automatic brew machine none the less, then this is probably what you should buy. A number of us who are obsessive enough that we roast our own coffee own and use the Krups Moka Brew on a daily basis, and couldn’t be happier. Even if you are lucky enough to own a great drip machine I’d still recommend the Krups Moka Brew as it will provide an excellent optional brewing method. The only real downside to the Krups Moka Brew is that it’s rumored that Krups will be discontinuing it; while these devices are popular in Europe they haven’t really caught on in the US.

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