Moka pot coffee, or stovetop coffee, is regarded as a more affordable alternative to regular espresso machines. Both of coffee making methods share similarities in that they produce a strong coffee taste and involve forcing water through coffee grounds with pressure.
But is moka pot coffee is strong as espresso?
Espresso has a higher concentration of caffeine per volume, but moka pot coffee will likey provide you with more total caffeine because it’s consumed in larger portion sizes. In terms of taste, espresso is much stronger because it uses a 1:2 coffee-to-water ratio compared to a moka pot’s 1:7 ratio.
Which has more caffeine?
Espresso
According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, there is approximately 63.6mg of caffeine in a 30g shot of espresso. That works out to 4.24mg of caffeine per gram of coffee if we assume a typical 1:2 coffee-to-water ratio.
A single espresso shot is 15ml of water and 7-8g of coffee (usually a 1:2 coffee-to-water ratio). A double espresso shot is 30ml of water and 15g of coffee.
So we can assume a double shot would contain about 126mg of caffeine.
Moka pot
Moka pot coffee has approximately 6mg of caffeine per gram of coffee. This means a 225ml serving would have 90mg of caffeine and a 330ml serving would have 132 mg of caffeine.
Winner
Moka pot coffee surprisingly has a higher concentration of caffeine per volume. Moka pot coffee is also usually consumed in larger portion sizes as well, making it the caffeine king in this competition.
Which has a stronger taste?
Espresso
Espresso has a stronger taste because it’s brewed with a higher concentration of coffee – usually one part coffee to two parts water. This means the flavors, tannins, acids and other components are extracted into a smaller quantity of water, giving it a rish taste.
Moka pot
Moka pot coffee has a fairly strong taste as well, albeit less than espresso.
Winner
Espresso is the clear winner when is comes to pure strength.
Which has more pressure?
Stove top espresso and espresso machines are compared against each other because they produce coffee under pressure. Whereas most other coffee making methods simply use gravity to pull water through the coffee grounds.
Pressure forces water through coffee grounds more quickly, causing a quicker extraction. This results in a richer and more textured beverage.
Espresso
Espresso machines use an electric pump to create pressure. Specifically, between 8-9 bars of pressure is used to pull a typical espresso shot. This means espresso machines pull shots with almost 5-times more pressure than a moka pot.
This is the primary difference between the two beverages, and is what allows espresso to produce a rich and creamy crema.
Moka pot
Moka pots create pressure using steam that is boil from its lower chamber. A typical moka pot will create approximately 1-2 bars of pressure.
1 bar of pressure is roughly equal to the average atmospheric pressure on Earth at sea level. So moka pots don’t produce a substantial amount of pressure. Only enough to defeat garivyt and push the coffee into the upper chamber.
But this small amount of pressure does cause moka pot espresso to be a little richer and fuller bodied than a typical cup of drip coffee.
Winner
The espresso machine produces more pressure hands down.
