Last Updated on August 18, 2023 by Barry Gray
I love my Moka pot. First, I think it’s incredible the way it works, and it also doesn’t take up a lot of space, making it the perfect solution for a coffee lover with a small kitchen.
But I do enjoy experimenting with things and determining which type of drink I can make from my different coffee makers, and my Moka pot is no different. So, let me just throw out a question here and see if you know the answer. Is it possible to make tea in a Moka pot?
Yes, you can make tea in a Moka pot, but as with coffee, there’s a need to follow certain steps to ultimately get the drink you want at the end. A Moka pot has the potential to brew a good cup of tea, and it can result in a drink far more potent and robust than you would usually experience.
I admit I’m not a big tea drinker, but my wife loves it. She was surprised at how good it turned out, but it does involve some experimentation on your part to get the best possible drink.
And that’s what this post is all about. I’ve already said how you can make tea using your Moka pot, but I will guide you through the entire process to ensure you are happy with the end result.
I promise any tea lover will be more than happy with the brew they can have, and it only takes a few minutes of your time.
What Will the Tea Taste Like?
Before I start taking you through the key steps to brew tea in your Moka pot, what should it taste like?
Well, I should begin with a word of warning. It will taste different from if you brewed tea in the more conventional manner of steeping the tea bag in some water.
Actually, it could be so different that not every tea lover is going to enjoy it.
When tea is brewed in a Moka pot, the one thing that will leap out at you is just how potent a brew it’s going to be. I’m talking about some real intensity and robustness that you cannot replicate anywhere else.
This tea has the potential to really blow your socks off, and it’s not something you will forget in a hurry.
Why is it Strong?
The reason why tea brewed in a Moka pot is so strong is due to the same reasons as to why coffee brewed in a Moka pot is so intense when compared to using coffee granules.
You need to use loose-leaf tea, and the pressure that builds in a Moka pot has the ability to pull the maximum amount of flavor from the loose tea. That’s where the similarity with coffee is most apparent.
Who Will Enjoy This Tea?
I need to be frank with you here: not everyone who loves tea will find this to be an enjoyable experience. Actually, the people most likely to enjoy tea brewed in a Moka pot will be those that already love a strong cup.
If you prefer your tea to be more on the weak side, I wouldn’t even bother trying it. I promise you will hate it.
But if you want to experience the full flavor of tea and how it can be extremely aromatic, then it could be some fun getting your hands on loose tea and giving it a shot.
What’s the Best Tea to Use in Your Moka Pot?
It’s obvious that you need loose tea, or how else will you put the tea leaves in your Moka pot? Apart from that, I would spend some time understanding the tea you enjoy and then finding a loose tea to match.
But you need to remember that earlier point regarding the strength. Don’t go for loose tea leaves that state they deliver a strong cup. You certainly won’t need any extra help from the tea when it comes to flavor and strength.
Personally, I would opt for a mild or medium-strength tea. It will be supercharged by the Moka pot, so don’t make your life any more stressful than it needs to be at this point.
Also, black tea works best. With black tea, it’s fully oxidized and capable of withstanding higher temperatures without the flavor profile being ruined.
If you try to use either white tea or green tea, they will likely over brew, which will be pretty disgusting. Those two teas cannot cope with the pressure or temperature produced by a Moka pot, and you will ruin the tea leaves in the process.
Tea Leaves or Ground Tea?
Here’s an interesting question: should you use tea leaves or ground tea?
This is where opinion is split.
Some people argue ground tea is best, and it involves you grinding down tea leaves to get some sort of powder. The people that advocate this approach state that tea leaves expand when soaked, which can lead to problems for your Moka pot that you perhaps want to avoid.
But there is some logic in this approach, and it’s all because the tea leaves could, theoretically, clog your Moka pot and then increase the pressure. This would be a bit of a disaster and result in tea even stronger than you could have previously imagined.
So, I would suggest using ground tea at first until you get used to the taste and see how potent tea can be when brewed in a Moka pot.
Preparing Your Moka Pot is Key
I use my Moka pot daily, so when I wanted to try making tea with the pot, I had to ensure my Moka pot was prepared. Let’s face it, the last thing you want is to try to make some tea, and it’s infused with old coffee.
That would not have made a good cuppa and would probably mean this experiment would rank highly on the list of the worst cups of tea ever made.
So, before I did anything else, I had to clean my Moka pot and make sure it was free from all that old coffee. Now, that wasn’t much of a problem as I clean my Moka pot before every use since the old coffee mixed in with the new is not a nice combination. Still, I felt I had to be extra careful.
I would recommend checking out my post on how to clean your Moka pot to get the real run down on how to correctly get it clean and not damage your Moka pot in the process.
Once you have cleaned everything, you can then get on with the actual making of the tea, and there are just a few simple steps to follow.
Step 1: Your Moka Pot
The first step is the same step you would take if using your Moka pot to make coffee, and that’s to fill the base of your Moka pot with water.
As with making coffee, ensure you do not overfill the base with water, or it will mean your Moka pot will be unable to work.
Step 2: Adding the Tea Leaves or Ground Tea
The tea will need to be placed in the filter basket, which is clearly not too different from how you make your coffee, but there is a slight difference in how you add the tea.
You want to avoid adding too many tea leaves or ground tea to your filter basket. They need to be quite loose and make sure they are level with the top of the filter basket.
You don’t want to have any tea spilling over the edge, which is also identical to how you want to avoid having coffee grains on the edge of the filter basket.
Also, I’d smooth the tea down with a spoon but don’t stand there trying to crush them and push them down too much. You don’t want them to be too compact, making it harder for the water to get through the tea leaves.
After that, screw on the top part of your Moka pot as you are ready to brew some tea.
Step 3: Placing Your Moka Pot on the Stove
This step is where things are different from how you brew coffee because the heat you will use when brewing tea with your Moka pot is not the same as it is when you brew coffee.
With tea, you want to have your Moka pot on a medium to high heat to allow it to brew. This is the best way to get the correct flavor from the tea, and I promise it will blow you off your feet.
Step 4: Changing the Flavor
Once your tea has been brewed in your Moka pot, you will know it’s ready when your Moka pot begins to act in the same manner as it does when making coffee; it’s then up to you to finish the drink.
You can add milk or sugar to change the flavor, and I would also suggest trying some without adding anything to really experience the fullness of the cup.
I see this final step as your ultimate opportunity to experiment with different additions but prepare to be blown away by the overall flavor.
My Recap on Making Tea in a Moka Pot
It’s very easy to make tea in a Moka pot, and I’ve covered a few crucial points to making a successful cup. So, here’s a recap of the key areas you should focus on.
- Ground tea is better than tea leaves as there’s less clogging
- Use only black tea in your Moka pot
- Ensure your Moka pot is clean before adding tea
- Use a medium to high heat to brew
- Don’t overfill the filter basket with tea leaves
- Use a spoon to level things off
- Experiment with different types of tea, but always black
- Expect a robust and full cup packed with flavor
I know I certainly enjoyed making tea in my Moka pot, and my wife thought it was a good cup, which is all I needed to hear.
My Conclusion
Making tea with your Moka pot is easy, and it undoubtedly delivers a stunning cuppa that any tea lover should adore. It’s robust, full of flavor, and very easy to do, but make sure you clean your Moka pot well before and after to remove any remnants of coffee or tea.
It just shows how the humble Moka pot is a bit more versatile than people realize. Perhaps now you will feel like experimenting a bit more and see what other drinks you can produce from your stovetop Moka pot.
