Moka Pot Coffee and Water Calculator

The moka pot is deceptively simple — a bottom chamber fills with water, steam pressure pushes it through a coffee basket, and espresso-strength brew collects in the top chamber.
But the dose matters more than most people realize.

Underdosing (too little coffee) produces a watery, bitter cup because the water blasts through the puck too fast with too little resistance.
Overdosing (packing the basket too full) restricts flow, builds excess pressure, and can cause sputtering or an uneven extraction.

The standard dose for a moka pot is about 7 grams of coffee per nominal “cup."
Keep in mind that moka pot “cups” are espresso-sized — roughly 40-60 ml of finished brew, not the 240 ml you would pour into a mug.
A 3-cup moka pot makes about 120-150 ml total: roughly three small servings or one large American-sized coffee.

Water fill: fill the bottom chamber to just below the safety valve.
Never overfill — the valve is there to release excess steam pressure, not to indicate the fill line.
Most bottom chambers have a fill line or a visible bottom of the valve; use that.

Grind size matters a lot.
Too fine (espresso grind) and the puck packs too tight — slow extraction, sometimes no flow at all.
Too coarse (drip grind) and the water rushes through without proper resistance, producing a thin brew.
Target a medium-fine grind: slightly coarser than espresso, finer than drip.
If you only have pre-ground espresso, loosen the dose slightly and do not tamp the basket.

For strong coffee: increase the dose per cup by 1-2 grams.
Do not change the water amount — changing water volume changes the pressure dynamics.