Potted pleasure

CLASSIC: the moka pot

I've been rediscovering the moka pot, and the way I first learned how to make a half-decent cup of coffee. And I'm wondering why I've not used one for so long, because now it's getting to be a habit.

It needn't be an expensive habit, either. My "3-cup" Bialetti -- the size tells you how many 30ml espresso-sized servings it will deliver, though the maximum boiler capacity is 200ml -- was bought brand-new at a car-boot sale for £2. And Bialetti is widely regarded as the best.

I have bigger moka pots, too. They're part of a collection that includes filter funnels, cafetieres (aka French presses), a magnificently theatrical Cona system and electric

THEATRE: the Cona

espresso makers (including a La Pavoni lever machine). Oh yes, there's a cafe-size, two-group, bean-to-cup machine, as well. Don't ask...

The point is that I've enjoyed coffee made in many ways since I was a child, and from a moka pot since dad brought one back from Italy in the 60s. I'm enjoying a moka pot coffee right now from my favourite

APT: Apilco

Apilco "tea" cup (another very cheap car-boot find). Using the Bialetti is both child's play and adult joy. And because you don't need to -- mustn't! -- tamp the coffee firmly first, and don't need a knock-box to empty the grounds afterwards, it's often more convenient than an espresso machine. And the coffee is almost as good.

There's plenty of advice on how to do it; this is what I recommend:

Have to hand your moka pot, some coffee (see below about the grind), a tablespoon (or coffee measure), a cup, a kettle and a tea towel. Put the kettle on.

Rule of thumb

Unscrew the bottom of the pot, pour boiling water into it up to the safety valve, drop the funnel into the aperture and spoon coffee into the filter. A rule of thumb is one tablespoon of coffee per cup, but you can vary this to taste. I push the measure gently into the coffee at this stage to level it. DON'T press hard.

Pick up the top of the pot with one hand and the tea towel with the other. Grip the bottom of the pot with the tea-towel hand (it's hot!) and screw the top on. Put the pot on the stove on a lowish light -- I turn the gas down until it stops hissing. Make sure the lid is closed. And put some hot water from the kettle in your cup to warm it.

Because you've put hot water in the pot it won't take long to brew, so don't stray far. As soon as the pot begins to make a bubbling noise, take it off the heat, empty the hot water from the cup and pour. Enjoy!

Ready to use

Remember to clean and rinse the pot afterwards so that it's ready to use -- reassemble it loosely and keep it handy. Please don't push it to the back of a cupboard, as I did, where it will be forgotten.

There are many ways to make coffee, and mine changes with the time of day and the circumstances. What's yours?

A note on the grind: slightly coarser than the grind for an espresso is best, but I cope with the few grounds that have settled in the cup when I use ground coffee such as Lavazza Espresso or Rosso. You'll get a reasonable brew using an all-purpose grind, which is coarser, but it won't be quite as good.