Here are ten rules to prepare a real Italian coffee with mocha. Following these little suggestions, you will better appreciate your home-made coffee:
1) Buy a good brand of coffee, high quality and suitable to your taste;
2) Absolutely avoid any blend with surrogates that alters the drink. In short, few but good;
3) Use fresh and light water, this is the second important component. Salty, calcareous or hard water typical of certain areas weakens the taste. Remember to not use boiled water;
4) Dose properly the proportions of coffee and water. The most diffuses coffee maker machines, Express and Neapolitan types, have already predetermined portions, with respect to the number of desired cups. For the other cases, remember to use a full tablespoon for each person;
5) Do not accelerate the preparation time, using hot water. Always start with cold water that will gradually heat on the bright flame. Be patient for some minutes;
6) Do not press the ground coffee inside the coffee machine. Put it with delicacy, eliminating the clots;
7) Follow the infusion phase not abandoning the coffee machine on the flame; coffee and machine could be compromises. The cover must be open, avoiding steam condensation to fall into the pot and burning or altering the taste of coffee;
8) Remove the coffee machine from fire once the coffee is ready. The drink must never boil, because it would become unpleasant. Remove the machine from fire some moments before the end of the outflow;
9) Drink the coffee very hot, just made: this is the most suitable moment to enjoy its full aroma and taste. The remaining coffee must be preserved inside glass or ceramic recipients, not metallic recipients. Moreover, it must be heated in a bain-marie or on a electric plate; never heat it directly on a flame;
10) Clean carefully the coffee machine each time you use it, do not use soaps or detergents, but only rinse with hot water. The cleaning of the filter must be very careful because this is the point where some residues could deposit, causing consequent unhygienic effects to the drink. A brush with animal bristle can be used to rinse with clean water. Before the use, it is better to boil a small quantity of coffee in new coffee machines or in the ones that have not been used for a long time.