Krups has returned the Krups Moka Brew to the US. We received our first stock a few weeks ago, and I have been looking forward to trying one ever since.
(There have been some reports that the brewer is due to be discontinued in the US market. We asked our contacts at Krups, and the responded with the following: “F468 (Moka Brew) is a mainstay of the specialty store program. It continues for the foreseeable future. Thanks.”)
A little history (about all I know) – the Moka Brew has been a hit with coffee connoisseurs in the past, and it is very popular in Europe. The main advantage to the Moka Brew is that it brews by steam, which means that the water will always be at least 195-200F when it hits the coffee – just the right temperature for brewing.
First impressions: an odd-looking contraption, for sure, but very stylish and modern-looking. Only an 8-cup brewer. Brew time was about 7 minutes – slower than most home brewers, but not interminable. The temperature of the coffee right after brewing was 187F.
The Set-Up: the cold water goes into the tank under the carafe. The paper filter (a small, round disk) and coffee go under the lid of the carafe. (About 100 filters are included with the brewer.) Once everything is in place – including locking the carafe in place using the lever on the top of the brewer, simply press the “on” button to start the process.
Brewing: Total brewing time is about 7 minutes when starting with room temperature water. In the first few minutes, the water is heating. Then, steam begins making it’s way to the top of the brewer and condensing over the grounds. The fact that the process begins slowly helps to wet the grounds before brewing for better flavor extraction. Gradually, the amount of water being forced through the grounds increases, and it all finishes with a cascade of water coming through at the end – fun to watch.
The Coffee: All in all, a very good cup with lots of body and a full range of flavor extraction. Since the brewing process is a bit like brewing espresso with the steam being forced through the coffee grounds, the resulting coffee is a bit stronger than regular drip coffee. The coffee very hot.
Clean-up: Clean-up takes slightly more effort than a drip brewer does, if only because the paper filter tends to stick to the bottom of the filter basket, and, since it is a flat disk, there are no edges to grab to pull it out. Besides that, just rinse out the carafe and the brewing process is ready to be repeated.
Notes: The carafe is heated by a warmer, and there is no automatic turn-off. For better coffee, it would be better to transfer the coffee to a thermal carafe or airpot after brewing.