If you’re a daily moka pot user who enjoys your coffee drinks with milk, you’ve might have tried to add milk directly into your Moka Pot or thought about it, at least.
The truth is, a Moka Pot is not designed to be used with milk. The intense heat and pressure created by the pot can cause the milk to scorch and create a burnt taste in your coffee.
Instead, if you want to enjoy your moka pot coffee with milk, it’s best to heat the milk separately and add it to your coffee after it’s brewed.
Heating milk separately may seem like an extra step, but it’s the only correct way to do it. Plus, it gives you the opportunity to froth your milk and create a delicious latte or cappuccino (recipes and instructions are below)
Why Adding Milk To a Moka Pot Is a Bad Idea
While adding milk instead of water into your moka pot sounds like a simple and easy idea, there are a few things you should know before you try it.
First of all, using milk in a Moka pot will burn and stick to the chamber. This is because milk has a higher sugar and fat content than water, which causes it to scorch at high temperatures.
When you use milk instead of water, the heat from the Moka pot will cause the milk to foam up and expand, which can clog the filter and make it difficult to pour.
Additionally, the milk will leave a residue on the inside of the Moka pot, which can be difficult to clean and may affect the taste of your coffee. So instead of ending up with a creamy cup of coffee with milk, you’ll end up with burnt tasting coffee and a ruined moka pot.
The Best Way To Use Milk For Moka Pot Coffee
There are several ways you can use milk with your moka pot coffee. The rule is to heat the milk separately:
- Do it old school… Use a small pot or saucepan to heat the milk. This will make it easier to control the temperature and prevent the milk from scorching.
- Use an electric milk frother that heats and froths the milk to your liking
- Heat milk in a microwave
If you want to add milk to your coffee made with a Moka Pot, there are a few ways you can do it. Here are three methods:
Use a Stovetop Milk Frother
A stovetop milk frother is a small pot that goes right onto your stovetop to heat the milk, then you can froth it using the lid. It’s quick and easy. In fact, this is an accessory that Bialetti sells to make your moka pot experience complete. Here’s how to use it:
- Pour milk into the pot to the fill line.
- Place the pot on a stove burner and turn the heat to medium.
- Once it reached desired temperature, remove from stove top and place the frothing lid on top.
- Press the wand on the lid up and down to create the froth.
- Once you’ve reached the desired froth level, pour your milk and froth into your coffee cup and enjoy!
Note that this frothing pitcher works on all stovetops except for induction hobs.
Use an Electric Milk Heater and Frother
An electric milk heater and frother is a machine that heats and froths milk. No need for manual work, all you have to do is fill the frother with milk and let it do the rest.
- Pour milk into the frother to the fill line.
- Press the button to start the machine.
- When the milk is hot and has a good amount of foam, turn off the machine.
Electric milk frothers can also make cold foam for iced coffee drinks.
Hand Held Milk Frother
This is the easiest and most cost effective way to prepare froth for your moka pot coffee. But note that it is used to create milk froth only, you’ll still have to heat the milk separately. Or if you’re preparing an iced coffee drink, you can use it directly with your cold milk. For the most part, these handheld frothers work the same way and will create the same level of froth, so pick whichever has the best price.
Moka Pot with Milk Recipes
Latte
To make your Latte using a moka pot, you will need to do two things:
- Create the coffee base using the moka pot
- Heat and froth your milk separately using a milk frother.
Coffee Base for the Latte
- Fill the bottom chamber of your moka pot with water up to the safety valve.
- Insert the filter basket and fill it with finely ground coffee, tamping it down lightly.
- Screw on the top chamber and place the moka pot on the stove over medium heat.
- When the coffee starts to pour out, remove the moka pot from the heat and pour the espresso into a cup.
Milk Froth
If you want to make a latte or cappuccino using a moka pot, you’ll need to froth your milk using a separate device, since moka pot does not prepare hot milk or froth.
If you don’t have an electric milk frother, try this method:
- Pour cold milk into a jar or container with a lid. Make sure it’s no more than halfway full, as the milk will expand when frothed.
- Shake the container vigorously for about 30 seconds until the milk has doubled in volume and there are no more large bubbles.
- Remove the lid and microwave the container for 30 seconds to set the foam.
If you have an electric milk frother, follow directions of your frother to heat and froth the milk.
Milk to Coffee Ratio
The milk ratio for a latte is typically 3 parts milk to 1 part espresso. If you want it to taste stronger, add one more part of coffee. Use lightly frothed milk for the perfect creamy latte.
The milk ratio for a cappuccino is typically equal parts milk, foam, and espresso. Here’s how to make a cappuccino using a moka pot:
- Follow the same steps as for a latte, but only fill your cup one-third of the way with espresso.
- Pour an equal amount of frothed milk and foam over the espresso.
- Sprinkle with cocoa powder or cinnamon, if desired.
Latte Art
Latte art is a fun thing to practice. Usually, you would need an espresso machine with a steam wand to be able to create the milk texture for a latte art. But can you do latte art when making your latte with moka pot?
To answer this question, I have to break down what makes latte art successful:
Milk Texture
To be able to create latte art, your frothed milk has to be micro-foamed and silky. Anything too foamy won’t show any art and you won’t be able to draw with.
Espresso Crema
Having an espresso shot with a thick crema helps hold the latte art and makes it more visible.
Moka pot itself isn’t the tool to make the latte art, it’s what you’ll use to make the espresso. So you’ll have to use the moka pot to make a thick coffee.
The important thing for latte is milk. Whether you are using a milk frother, a jar or a french press to make the froth, you’ll want the forth to be less foamy that it usually is.
To lose the foam, one thing that helps is transferring the milk froth from one jug to another once or twice, which helps break down the large bubbles and leaves you with micro foam.
Iced Latte Recipe
Making an Iced latte works the same way as making it hot, you’ll just want to do two things differently:
The obvious one is not to heat the milk. You can froth the milk using the cold setting, if you have an electric frother.
You’ll want to use slightly more coffee, or using a stronger coffee roast. This way, when the ice starts to melt, the coffee won’t taste watered down.
Instructions
- First, brew a strong coffee using the moka pot.
- While the coffee is brewing, mix the milk and sugar or flavored syrup in a separate container.
- Once the coffee is ready, pour it into a tall glass filled with ice cubes.
- Next, pour the milk and sugar mixture over the coffee.
- Stir well and enjoy your refreshing iced latte!
Experiment with different ratios until you find the perfect balance for your taste buds.
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