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Tag: Moka pot

What is an Affogato? (and How to make one at home)

Before I took a month break to work on my kitchen renovation project (wow that was a quick month) I wrote about the benefits of drinking coffee black and why you should give it a try. Ironically, I would now like to travel to the complete opposite side of the spectrum talk about the virtues of the Affogato; which is essentially adding lots of cream and sugar to your coffee (in the form of ice cream).

What is an Affogato?

Affogato is a simple dessert that can be easily assembled and served with a few minutes of prep (in the form of making some coffee). The two ingredients, ice cream and coffee, can be kept on hand and used to easily deploy the coffee communities (and arguably a much larger scope) most perfect dessert at a moment’s notice.

Affogato is the Italian word for drowned. The imagery being that a scoop of ice cream is drowned in coffee to make an unforgettable dessert drink. Traditionally an Affogato is made by pulling a double shot of espresso over a scoop of gelato but you will find there is a fair amount of deviations from this standard.

In an affogato, the sweet and creamy ice cream is cut by the acidity and bitterness of the coffee creating a perfect pairing. It is delicious (how could it not be) and quite simply, if you are not adding coffee to your ice cream, you are doing it wrong.

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The Moka Pot Tutorial and Brew Guide

The Moka Pot (sometimes referred to as a stovetop espresso maker) is a classic brewing method with strong Italian roots. Patented in 1933 by inventor Luigi De Ponti, the Moka Pot has spent over three quarters of a century as one of the most recognizable and championed at-home coffee solutions (especially in Europe).

What is a Moka Pot

A Moka Pot is a brewing device that uses steam pressure and an external heat source to create a strong coffee concentrate (usually about a 1:7 coffee to water ratio).

They are most often made of aluminum and consist of three major parts: a boiler, a filter basket and a collection chamber. There are also a few minor parts including a gasket and a removable metal screen.

Are you are interested in a stainless steel Moka Pot? Minos Living makes several varieties with a sleek and appealing design. You can read my review of a Minos Moka Pot here.

It is a fairly fool proof brewing method that is easily accessible to the masses. The Moka Pot comes in a variety of sizes, brands, material composition and designs but the most popular and iconic model is the Bialatti Moka Express.

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