We tested dozens of products and found Lavazza Crema E Gusto Whole Bean Coffee the best coffee for Moka pots.
While we have several other great choices on this list, this whole bean coffee from Lavazza is a perfect decision for Moka pot users. You will find a great mixture of value and taste in this blend from Italy. We love the full-bodied flavor and the way it tastes when making a cappuccino or espresso.
Stick around for the rest of our list, as we have plenty of other delicious coffee beans to recommend you for your Moka pot.
8 Best Coffee for Moka Pot
Whether you like your coffee dark roast or light roast, and no matter what type of tasting notes you enjoy, we have a coffee on this list that will appeal to your taste buds.
1. Lavazza Crema E Gusto
The best product on our list, the Lavazza Crema E Gusto Whole Bean Coffee is perfect for both coffee aficionados and newcomers. It comes in a 2.2-pound bag, giving you great value. And you will not have to worry about running out of beans soon, as this amount of coffee will last you for a long while.
This coffee is a dark roast, meaning it will have bolder flavors and taste closer to what you might expect expensive quality coffee to taste like. Tasters have also said it has a full-bodied flavor, meaning you will get the most flavor out of it.
As for the flavor, tasters have noticed the flavor of spices in the coffee; the flavor makes for a unique cup of coffee. Lavazza has made this blend of Arabica beans from Brazil and Robusta beans from Africa and Indonesia. The spiced flavor mostly comes from the Indonesian beans, as a spice flavor is typical of the coffee from the region.
Lavazza isn’t one of the myriad coffee companies that have sprouted up in recent years thanks to the coffee boom. The company has existed for over 120 years, and the founding family still owns the company. These factors mean you know you are getting quality coffee from a company with history and tradition.
2. illy Classico Ground Moka Coffee
If you are looking for a less expensive option that still packs in a lot of taste, you can do no better than this Moka coffee from illy. The company labels it their Classico roast meaning it will brew a dynamite cup of traditional-tasting coffee.
Unlike some of the other products on this list, illy Classico comes pre-ground and ready for your Moka pot. The benefit of this is it is perfect for coffee drinkers who do not own a coffee grinder or have a lower-quality model. The downside is this coffee will get stale faster. Make sure you vacuum seal the ground coffee to slow the staling process.
Classico is a medium roast coffee, meaning it balances the boldness of a dark roast and the lighter tasting notes of a light roast for a balanced taste.
The tasting notes for this particular grind include notes of orange blossoms, caramel, and jasmine. These tastes make it superb coffee for experienced drinkers and those new to the world of luxury coffee. The fruity notes reminded us of light roasts, while the caramel flavor seemed like something out of a dark roast.
Illy created this blend with nine different single-origin Arabica coffees. We felt like we were on a coffee world tour while drinking this blend.
3. Supreme by Bustelo
Cuba may not be as famous for its coffee as other countries like Colombia or Ethiopia, but the region has plenty of delicious coffee choices for connoisseurs. Supreme by Bustelo is not grown in Cuba but in South Florida, where the climate closely matches the growing conditions found on the island nation.
This coffee comes in whole bean form, meaning you must grind it yourself before brewing. If you do not own a grinder, you can check your local coffee shop and ask if they will grind it for you to your specifications.
Bustelo has given this coffee a dark roast, meaning you will get a full-bodied flavor with some bitter notes and bolder flavors. The company notes that the flavor profile of this coffee is a cinnamon taste, and we noticed it during our tasting sessions. We also found it to have some chocolate flavors as well.
These beans are 100 percent Arabica and make for a delicious cup of espresso brewed with a Moka pot. If you enjoy strong coffee, we think you will find a bean you will enjoy with Supreme.
4. Lavazza Qualità Oro Medium Roast
If you are looking for some of the premium taste of Lavazza’s coffee but want to be a bit more conservative with how much money you are spending, we recommend the Qualita Oro. While it may not be as high quality as our number one choice from the company, this will still provide you with an excellent cup of espresso from your Moka pot.
Unlike our other recommendation from Lavazza, this coffee comes pre-ground, so you will not need a grinder to enjoy this coffee. Make sure you store this coffee in a dry and dark place, preferably vacuum sealed to ensure freshness for as long as possible.
We determined in our tastings that this is a medium roast coffee that will make you fall in love with that particular style. We tasted fruit and flower notes while drinking this coffee, and it has a wonderful aromatic scent. Not only will you enjoy drinking this coffee, but its aroma will keep your house smelling wonderful.
Lavazza has sourced this blend with six different Arabica beans from across South and Central America. The package contains 8.8 ounces of ground coffee, which should keep you supplied with grounds for a few weeks.
5. Coffee Bros., Espresso Roast
Coffee drinkers have long held up Colombia and Ethiopia as two of the best sources of delicious coffee, and Coffee Bros have made the ingenious decision to put them together in a single blend. Coffee Bros has sourced this espresso roast with 100 percent Arabica beans from those two countries to create a delicious cup of coffee for your Moka pot.
Coffee Bros is a new company made up of two people, but it intends to bring its specially sourced coffees to Amazon to give more people the chance to try unique coffee. These whole beans come in a resealable bag to help you maintain freshness as you use them over a few weeks. Coffee Bros sells it in a 12-ounce bag.
If you enjoy some natural sweetness in your cup of coffee, we think you will enjoy this blend. We noticed tastes of sugar cane, vanilla, and a surprising strawberry flavor. It gave this medium roast a unique flavor that made us want to return for more. We also did not notice much bitterness in the cups we had.
6. Lifeboost Espresso
Looking for a more gourmet espresso roast that you can get a subscription to? Well, look no further than the Espresso beans from Lifeboost. You can purchase either a single 12 oz bag at a time or multiples for households constantly drinking coffee. Lifeboost allows the consumer to set the frequency of coffee delivery, so you always have fresh beans or grounds at home.
Lifeboost sourced this coffee from Nicaragua and hand-roasted it with a dark roast. You will get a nice well-balanced cup of coffee with these beans.
During the tasting, we noticed the chocolate and caramel tastes that are typical of dark roast coffees. But more interestingly, we also noticed a hint of fruitiness that we often don’t find in these types of beans. It is made for a unique cup of coffee that is sure to appeal to any espresso drinkers.
Lifeboost boasts about the quality of the beans they ship and the intense selection process the beans go through before being bagged. The company handles most of the process by hand, with hand sorting and hand roasting of the beans. The beans themselves are grown in mountain shade and are never exposed to pesticides.
7. Kicking Horse Coffee, Cliff Hanger Espresso
Looking for a blend a little on the cheaper side that takes you around the world? Well, we have the perfect suggestion for you with the Cliff Hanger Espresso blend from Kicking Horse Coffee. It comes in a bulk 2.2-pound bag and comes out to just under one dollar per ounce, making it one of the cheaper options available.
But do not let the lower price tag fool you, as these beans still brew a delectable cup of coffee. This particular blend is a medium roast and does not come pre-ground. Kicking Horse sources coffee from various regions, including Africa, Indonesia, Central America, and South America.
While it is a perfect bean for a Moka pot, you could also brew it with other methods like a French press or drip machine for excellent results.
We love the taste and smell of this coffee and we think you will too. When you brew it, you will immediately notice the aroma of chocolate and brown sugar. And when we tasted it, we noticed it to have a hint of berry and a strong taste of cocoa. It is a complex flavor profile, but one that just about any coffee drinker is sure to appreciate.
8. illy Decaffeinated Whole Bean Coffee
This is our only decaf coffee on the list, but don’t let that deter you from giving it a try. Even without the caffeine, this blend from illy makes for a tasty and complex cup of coffee. If you want to enjoy the taste of coffee late at night and avoid caffeine, this blend is a perfect solution to the problem.
This coffee comes with beans not yet ground; illy packages it in a pressurized container. This helps to keep the coffee as fresh as possible, retaining its stunning flavors and aromas. If you do not have a vacuum container at home to store your coffee, this is an excellent way to keep your beans fresh for as long as possible.
As for the taste, it is quite different from many of the other cups we have tried over the years. It is quite balanced in acidity and bitterness. Where this coffee truly shines in its rather unheard-of tasting note of toasted bread. These beans are mostly unlike any you’ve ever tried.
The beans are 100 percent Arabica and come from nine different sources. The beans are also ethically sourced.
Choosing the Right Coffee for a Moka Pot
Getting the right coffee for your Moka pot is critical. If you bought a fancy car, you would want to put high-quality gasoline in it, right? Well, the same is true for coffee. No matter how fancy your Moka pot is, you will want the right coffee in it to maximize the taste and flavors.
Best Grind for Moka Pot
Finding the correct grind for your Moka pot is not an exact science, and you may need to dial it in through multiple brews. To start with though, you will want to shoot for something a little finer than what you may use for drip coffee, but not as fine as grinds for espresso.
Luckily for beginners who are not as familiar with grind sizes, Moka pots are generally quite forgiving in grind size. But with enough practice, you should be able to find the medium-fine grind that delivers the best cup of coffee.
Roast
While many coffee drinkers enjoy the taste of light roasts, they are generally not good pairings with Moka pots. Light roasts have a more acidic flavor that does not play well with Moka pots.
If you buy beans or grounds for your Moka pot consider a medium or dark roast. You will want the richer and bolder flavors in your espresso and avoid much of the acid.
All eight of our coffees on this list are either medium or dark roasts, so all these will work well with your Moka pot.
Origin
Point of origin is almost entirely a preference, and you will have to determine what country’s coffee you like the best. If you are looking for a good blend, try one from Italy, the country that invented the Moka pot. But do not be afraid to experiment with coffee from around the globe.
FAQ
We will look at a few common questions related to Moka pots.
Should you tamp a Moka pot?
Moka pots do not require tamping; you can just put your ground coffee directly into the basket.
Why is my Moka pot coffee bitter?
Many factors contribute to bitter coffee, including the type of beans, the temperature of the water, the ratio of water to grounds, and the grind size. If you consistently have bitter coffee, you should attempt to change these elements one at a time to troubleshoot the issue.
Can you make espresso in a Moka pot?
Companies make Moka pots as a more inexpensive way to create espresso at home. While it will not be quite the same as the espresso from a cafe or deluxe espresso machine, you will get most of the experience from your Moka pot.
Conclusion (Verdict)
While any of the coffee choices on this list will make for delicious Moka pot coffee, we recommend Lavazza Crema E Gusto as our top choice. This dark roast is incredibly robust with a good blend of Arabica and Robusta beans.
The taste of Crema E Gusto is unique as well, as we tasted notes of spices that create a delicious cup of coffee. It also brewed perfectly in our Moka pot, making it the best Moka pot coffee you can find.
