The parts of a moka pot

Ten parts

The numbers match the drawing. Most pots have exactly these parts; only the shape of the handle and the knob changes from one pot to another.

1. Lid and knobHinged at the handle. Keep it down while pouring and, if you like, while it brews.
2. SpoutBeccuccio. A sharp little lip that pours cleanly if you do not hurry it.
3. Upper chamberRaccoglitore. Where the brewed coffee collects.
4. ColumnThe tube in the middle of the upper chamber. The coffee comes out of the top of it.
5. Filter plateFiltro. A perforated disc that holds the coffee bed down and keeps grounds out of the cup.
6. GasketGuarnizione. The ring that seals the two halves. It holds the filter plate in place.
7. FunnelImbuto. The basket for the coffee, with a tube that reaches down into the water.
8. BoilerCaldaia. Holds the water. The fill line is the valve.
9. Safety valveValvola. Lets out steam if the pressure ever climbs too high. Never cover it with water.
10. HandleHeat-resistant, but the first thing to suffer from a flame that is too wide.

The water’s journey

Water heats in the boiler, steam pressure pushes it up the funnel tube, it passes through the coffee and the filter plate, rises up the column and spills into the upper chamber. Nothing in that path should be blocked, pressed or forced.

Aluminium or steel

The classic pot is cast aluminium. It heats quickly and evenly, it is light, and it slowly darkens inside with use. It does not work on induction, and it does not like the dishwasher.

Stainless steel pots are heavier and slower to heat, clean up more easily, and, if the base is magnetic, work on induction. Both make good coffee. See induction and care.

Why eight sides

The faceted, eight-sided shape is the classic design, and the one most people picture. People will tell you it spreads the heat better; maybe it does a little, but mostly it is simply how the pot has looked since it first appeared in Italy in the 1930s.