ESPRESSO AT HOME Luckily coffee is also a domestic pleasure and moka pot, in Italian culture and customs, is the queen of pleasures. Unfortunately results are not good, sometimes. By following next advices we should have a better result: I say "should" because the outcome depends even on the blend and the water we use. Moka pot is made up of: • a boiler, that must be filled with water; • a funnel-shaped metal filter, where finely-ground coffee is added; • an upper part, where coffee is collected. The first thing to put attention on is the cleaning of the moka, with special care on gaskets and filter. Never use cleanser or soap: warm water is enough! Once in a while, the frequency depends on how often you use your moka, you can fill the boiler up with vinegar, put some baking soda in the filter and put it on the boil. This practice sanitizes all parts of moka pot. Let's make our home-made espresso: • fill the boiler with cold water; • add ground coffee in the filter (do not press it or exceed the edge, that's the right quantity for a good extraction); • close the pot tight, in order to fit together gasket and both the boiler and the upper part. This is important to avoid the leak of the infusion liquid that, in contact with the rubber, should give a burnt taste to the espresso; • place the pot on a heat source (flame is the best choice); • when first drops spill out (usually a light hazel cream) turn the flame down; an excessive amount of heat should easily gives a bitter-strong taste to the coffee; • as soon as the bubble starts, turn the flame off. Don't let the coffee gurgle till the end on a heat source, because it can cause the extraction of leftover coffee grounds. Don't leave exceeding coffee in the pot or in plastic/aluminum trays. It's better to drink the espresso immediately after made it, because noble aromas lose their organoleptic characteristics with the passing of the time. If you need to conserve the infusion, you can put it in a tightly close glass bottle and then in the fridge. In the last years home espresso machines take moka's place. To make coffee from those machines you can use: gauze, plastic or aluminum coffee pods.