ARAWAKA
In many Puerto Rican homes, the day begins with the same sound: the greca starting to gurgle on the stove. It’s a ritual so woven into daily life that almost no one learned it from a manual; we learned it by watching. That’s exactly why it’s worth walking through slowly, because the difference between a round, full cup and a bitter one comes down to very small details.
The greca, known to most of the world as a moka pot or stovetop espresso maker, brews coffee by using steam pressure to push hot water up through the grounds. The result is concentrated and full-bodied, lovely on its own or with milk.
What You Need (Including the Right Grind Size)
- A greca coffee maker in the right size: a 6-cup greca brews best when it’s full, not half-full.
- Fine-to-medium ground coffee: finer than for drip, coarser than for espresso. That’s the ideal grind size for a moka pot, and our ground coffee already comes that way.
- Fresh water, ideally filtered. If the water tastes good on its own, so will your coffee.
How to Use a Moka Pot, Step by Step
1. Fill the bottom chamber with water
Pour water into the base up to just below the safety valve, never above it. A trick from home: start with hot (not boiling) water. The pot spends less time on the flame, so the coffee doesn’t “cook.”
2. Fill the funnel with coffee, without tamping
Set the funnel in place and fill it with coffee to the rim. Level it with your finger or the back of a spoon, but don’t press it down. Packed coffee blocks the flow of water, and the cup comes out tasting burnt.
3. Screw it together firmly and use medium heat
Wipe the rim of the funnel so no stray grounds are left, then screw the top on firmly. Set it over medium or medium-low heat. If the flame reaches past the base, it’s too high.
4. Take it off the heat when it starts to gurgle
When the coffee begins to rise and you hear the first gurgle, lift the pot off the heat. The remaining steam finishes the job. Give the coffee a stir inside the greca before serving: what comes out first is stronger than what comes out last, and stirring evens it out.
5 Moka Pot Mistakes That Make Coffee Bitter
- Tamping the coffee in the funnel. The most common mistake of all. Level it; don’t pack it.
- High heat. It rushes the extraction and scorches the coffee. Patience shows up in the cup.
- Leaving it on the stove after it gurgles. Those few extra seconds are what leave a bitter, metallic taste.
- Grinding too fine. Espresso-fine coffee clogs the greca and over-extracts.
- Stale coffee. Coffee roasted months ago loses its aroma and tastes flat. That’s why ours is roasted when you place your order.
The Best Coffee for a Moka Pot
A greca calls for coffee with body, one that can stand up to the intensity of the method and, if you take it with milk, won’t disappear in the cup. Our Carnival Roast was made for exactly that: a medium-dark Puerto Rican coffee with notes of chocolate and caramel and a rounded finish. If you prefer a sweeter, lighter cup, try our Medium Roast.
A good greca can’t be rushed. You listen for it.
Quick Questions
How much coffee goes in a 6-cup greca? Whatever fits in the funnel, leveled: about 20 grams (roughly 0.7 oz). The greca comes with the right measure built in.
Can I use whole bean coffee? Yes, as long as you grind it right before brewing to a fine-to-medium grind. The aroma will be even more intense.
Why does brown water come out at the end? That’s the last of the steam. Take the pot off the heat in time and it never reaches your cup.
