With a kitsch back to basics appeal, is 2025 officially the year of the Stovetop brewer?
The humble Stovetop is a seriously underrated piece of coffee making kit. Also known as a Moka Pot or Percolator, this kitchen essential has had a bad reputation in the world of specialty coffee, often associated with overly bitter or even burnt coffee. But it doesn’t have to be this way and with a few simple tweaks your Stovetop brew can taste better than ever.
Moka Pots are experiencing a revival, thanks to shout outs on social media platforms, where users share brewing tips and outright devotion to these nostalgic coffee makers. It’s easy to see the draw. While on one hand, coffee has become more and more technical with the proliferation of global brewing competitions and constant improvements in brew method design and precision equipment there is, alongside this, a desire by some to simplify the way we make our coffee. In an increasingly technology driven world, sometimes we just want our coffee to be simple, manual and back to basics. It’s also an incredibly affordable way to brew coffee, with many of us already having a stove top brewer in the kitchen. With this method, you don’t need to invest in a set of precision scales or a goose neck pouring kettle to enjoy an expert brew.
So what’s trending? The key here is that the quality of coffee is not compromised. The Stovetop revivalist uses quality specialty coffee, brewed using a simple and affordable brew method with just a couple of effortless tweaks to help the coffee shine.
A very brief history of the Stovetop
The Stovetop was invented in Italy in 1933 by Luigi di Ponti before being put into production by Alfonso Bialetti who made the device a household name.
The aluminium construction was groundbreaking at the time and its unique octagonal structure remains a design classic to this day. The stovetop triggered a shift to home coffee drinking and continues to be a kitchen staple not just in its home country of Italy but the world over.
How does it work?
The Stovetop is essentially a percolation device. It consists of: a base, a filter and a top chamber. The device is placed on the stove and the water is heated until it boils. It’s the steam from this boiling water that forces itself through the filter into the top chamber, extracting ground coffee along the way.
This makes a medium bodied cup of coffee that sits somewhere between the mouthfeel of an espresso and a filter.
What coffee should you use in a Moka Pot?
We recommend using any of our espresso roast coffees in your stovetop. Our personal favourites are The Baron, Broadway Blend or The Estate. The fuller mouthfeel and bold flavour profiles of a more developed espresso roast work perfectly here.
A how-to guide for the Moka Pot
Simple, accessible and beloved by so many daily coffee drinkers. This is our guide to make delicious, balanced coffee using the Italian classic.
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Boil your kettle with filtered water
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Grind your coffee to slightly finer than a filter style grind, but not as fine as espresso.
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Fill the basket with your ground coffee
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Add hot water from the kettle to the base of the stovetop, just up to the steam valve.
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Put the basket on the base and very carefully screw down (watch your fingers here as your brewer is now HOT).
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Place your Stovetop on the heat source
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When the coffee begins to come through, wait for a spluttery, gurgling sound, then take off the heat.
Our top tip here is to heat your water first. Crucially, this will reduce bitterness in the coffee as the brew time will be significantly reduced.
Another mistake we often see when brewing with a Stovetop is to walk away and let the coffee bubble for eternity on the stove leading to a bitter brew and generally unpleasant brew. Instead of walking away, tend to your stovetop and listen out for a bubbling sound. This is the moment that you want to take the pot off the heat to stop the coffee from extracting any further. As with all things extraction, timing is key.
Once you’ve made your brew and your pot has cooled to a safe temperature, make sure you’re keeping this piece of kit clean, ensuring there's no leftover oils in the pot which will only lead to bitterness in your next brew.
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Looking to start your Stovetop adventure? We recommend the Pezzetti Steel Express Moka Pot which can be used on both electric and induction hobs.
