Sizes and real yields
What a three-cup pot really makes
A moka pot is measured in small Italian cups, not mugs. Here is what each size holds and pours.
What a “cup” means
The cup on a moka pot is an Italian tazzina, the small espresso cup, and the amount poured into it at home is somewhere around 40–50 ml. So a three-cup pot makes three small cups, or one ordinary mug if you are not sharing.
That surprises everyone who buys a six-cup pot expecting six mugs of coffee. It makes about a quarter of a litre.
Typical figures
These are typical ranges from the pots I have owned and measured, and from friends’ kitchens. Makers do not all agree on what a cup is, so measure your own pot once.
| Pot | Water to the valve | Coffee, level | In the top | Pours |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1-cup | 55–70 ml | 6–8 g | 40–55 ml | about 1 tazzina |
| 2-cup | 90–110 ml | 10–12 g | 70–90 ml | about 2 tazzine |
| 3-cup | 140–170 ml | 15–18 g | 110–140 ml | about 3 tazzine |
| 4-cup | 190–220 ml | 20–22 g | 150–180 ml | about 4 tazzine |
| 6-cup | 280–330 ml | 28–32 g | 220–270 ml | about 6 tazzine |
| 9-cup | 420–480 ml | 40–46 g | 330–390 ml | about 9 tazzine |
| 12-cup | 560–650 ml | 52–60 g | 450–530 ml | about 12 tazzine |
Pick a size
Tell the helper how many people and what kind of cup; it picks the smallest pot that makes enough in one go and highlights it in the table.
Which pot?
A 2-cup pot
About 90 ml of coffee for 2 people. A 2-cup pot gives roughly 70–90 ml.
- Water, to the valve
- 90–110 ml
- Coffee, level basket
- 10–12 g
- In the top, each brew
- 70–90 ml
Measure your own
Fill the boiler to just under the valve, pour it into a measuring jug, and write the number on a piece of tape inside the cupboard. Then fill the funnel level with coffee and weigh it. Expect about four fifths of the water to reach the top as coffee; the rest stays in the grounds and the bottom of the boiler.
Making less in a big pot
Do not half-fill the basket of a big pot. The water finds a way round the coffee instead of through it, and the cup is thin and bitter at once. Some pots come with a smaller insert for the funnel, which works; otherwise keep a small pot for small mornings.