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When it comes to coffee, even small differences in technique can spark a full-blown debate. In this story, Hamad insists that pressing down the coffee grounds enhances the flavour, while Lucia argues he’s breaking sacred Italian moka pot rules.
Their disagreement has even drawn in her 11-year-old son, Noah, and a chorus of friends weighing in. But is this just a clash of traditions, or a deeper debate about personal taste and authority in the kitchen? Let’s read some excerpts from the article published on The Guardian.
You be the judge: should my partner stop compressing the coffee in the moka pot?
USA – Hamad and I have been together for a year and a half, and this issue began when he started making coffee in my flat with the moka pot – the iconic, eight-sided stove-top coffee maker that brews espresso-style coffee.
Every time Hamad uses it, he will pack the coffee grounds down tightly, which you shouldn’t do, as the pot will start hissing. The moka pot was invented in Italy, where I grew up, and there it is taboo to compress the coffee grounds.
Hamad did a barista course and likes to say that he knows more about coffee than me. But the course didn’t teach him about moka pots and traditional methods. He learned how to use modern coffee machines in cafes, where you have to compress coffee grounds. But I’ve been making coffee since I was nine and I don’t need a course to tell me how to use a moka pot. He turned it into a socio-political issue. He’s from India, and said ‘Italians aren’t the only ones who make coffee’
