Is there a great taste/strength difference between mocha machine "espresso" and real espresso?
So I bought a stove top mocha machine to make espresso for tiramisu. I later found out its not real espresso, but close to it. I work at an Italian restaurant, I've had their real espresso before, and, going off memory, the stuff I just brewed from the mocha maker doesn't seem to be much different then the real espresso brewed there.
So to people who know the difference, is there a disparity between the two brews of coffee?
On a side note, what espresso grounds do you use? I bought some cafe bustelo (it's what they use at the restaurant) and not only does it have a bold, intense flavor, but it after about 2 shots, I'm almost close to being jittery, which is hard to achieve considering my seemingly tolerance of caffeine.
>>7707861
go drink a colada
People who call any old strong coffee espresso are the coffee world equivalent of the people who refer to margarine as butter.
>>7707861
Huge difference. Moka pot burns the coffee, denaturing the oils and making it bitter. Still fine for a cup at home if you're mixing it with milk. Espresso machine uses a pump to push 190 degree water through the puck, resulting in all of the oils coming through into the coffee.
>>7707861
that finely balanced pot!
the amount of times ive gone to grab the pot off the burner and accidentally knocked it over, spilling coffee allover the hob :(
>>7707899
Thanks. Like I said, using the same espresso grind, the real espresso and the brew from the mocha pot taste the same, as memory has it. And it's far stronger and richer then the standard dark roast drip coffee.
>>7707911
The flavors may seem similar because they are both stronger flavors than standard drip coffee.
Real espresso is going to be much more viscous, like hot engine oil. Moka pot will not pull the oils that the espresso machine does.
Moka pot doesn't "burn" the coffee. It just doesn't do the same equation of: (heat/time)*pressure
>>7707987
>Moka pot doesn't "burn" the coffee
It's 22 degrees hotter than an espresso machine, which is why it denatures the oils. Gaggia's innovation was using a pump to push water below boiling temp through the grounds. When the water in a moka pot passes through the puck it's at boiling temperature, which is too hot for real espresso.
moka pot doesn't generate nearly enough pressure to make real espresso
>>7707861
Yeah, tastes completely different. Mocha doesn't taste as creamy as real espresso and it's generally more bitter in my experience.
Try both and see which you like better.
>>7707899
>burns the coffee
dude i make this stuff every few days and don't burn it because i'm not a retard
>>7708155
I use my moka pot every morning. It's not that it's actually burned, just overcooked in comparison to espresso. If you had the water heater of an espresso machine near the temperature of a moka pot you'd be burning your espresso. Moka is espresso made at too high a temperature.
>>7707861
The strength is the same, but the body of the coffee is different.
Espresso machines do a better job of achieving a nice rich body, while the moka pot offers a strong brew that feels "thinner", if that makes sense.
