Time to resurrect an old thread. Time for a coffee story.
Decades ago, when traveling the world on a big grey ship loaded with airplanes, I had a cup of coffee in a hotel in Singapore that blew me away. After drinking Folgers since I was 10 years old (early morning paper route and my dad's favorite), that Singapore cup of coffee introduced me to rich, robust, coffee packed with flavor and a kick. Later on the same cruise I tasted something very similar at the hotel in Kenya. Honestly, I've been trying to duplicate that flavor ever since. I have probably 8 coffee makers in the house, from antiques to modern V and basket filters, all percolators or drips. The closest I've come to that memorable flavor is triple shots of espresso at the coffee chains. Way too pricey for regular consumption.
One of my daughters and her husband just came back from a friend's wedding in Greece, and they raved about the coffee. That set me off on my search again so I picked up a 6 cup Bialetti Moka Pot (6 espresso cups = 10 oz) for less than $30. OMG! That incredible flavor from overseas was suddenly in my cup! And talk about a caffeine buzz!
I don't like to spend a lot of money on coffee, so when I get low I go by the grocer and watch for sales. They have a store-brand Italian Roast Drip Coffee made from Arabica beans, not the grassy tasting Robusta beans used in many canned coffees. On sale I can pick up whole beans or pre-ground for $5 per 12 oz.
I had both on hand, along with some espresso grind I picked up when I bought the pot. I ground both the store brand drip grind and the whole bean into an espresso grind. Over several days I taste tested all three. They all tasted different in the Moka Pot, but were fantastically delicious, rich, robust, and filled with flavor.
I tried using my favorite V-filter drip maker again the other day and it now tasted like flavored water compared to what comes out of the Moka pot. I'll never be without a Moka pot again.
