In Naples we have a whole tradition around coffee.
Coffee is hospitality: you never welcome guests to your home without puttin on a moka. It means: welcome to my house. Just like tea for British people!
What are the secrets to make the perfect coffee?
I will give you three rules:
- The quality of the moka is fundamental. The most common moka brand is Bialetti.
- The quality of the water: natural water from the bottle, but the one from the sink is also good in Naples, particularly “clean”, so you can use that one too. But I have always used natural bottled water abroad.
- The quality of the coffee: my favourite is brand is Lavazza, I must say I’m a bit spoiled about coffee and that is nearly the only brand of coffee I drink!
The method:
Our goal is to make the famous “montagnella” (little mountin), so we will add the coffee in the filter little by little, without pushing down (if you do it, you are a coffee-killer!) but gently adding enough coffee to create a cone as high as possible.
Put it on a veeeeeery low fire and be patient.
When the coffee is almost out – but not entrirely – remove the moka from the fire and … there you are: the magic “schiuma” (foam) coming out.
