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What is the difference between coffee extracted from a mocha pot and espresso? Is Crema grease exclusive to Espresso?

Published: 2026-04-06 Author:

Last Updated: 2026/04/06, The mocha pot has always been regarded as an alternative to the espresso machine because the extraction method is the same as the espresso machine, which is pressurized. Because the extraction method is the same, the coffee extracted from the mocha pot has a higher concentration and a golden color of Crema. This is inevitably reminiscent

For a long time, the mocha pot has been regarded as a flat version of the espresso machine because it is extracted in the same way as the espresso machine and pressurized. Because of the same extraction method, the coffee extracted from the mocha pot has a high concentration and golden Crema. This makes people wonder: is the coffee extracted from the mocha pot espresso?

In fact, no wonder people have such an idea, because from a historical point of view, there is indeed a certain origin between the two!

Italian coffee maker and mocha pot

You must be very familiar with the birth story of the coffee machine! Because Mr. Angelo Moriando (Angelo Moriondo) was tired of waiting for a long time for coffee making, he began research on coffee making. In 1884, a machine capable of making coffee quickly was born. But the machine at that time was only a primary version, not the pressurized espresso machine as we know it now. Until 1905, after countless iterations of the version, the machine finally had the pressurization function! At this time, the coffee machine is the first in the real sense, the "Italian coffee machine".

With the increase of pressure, the coffee machine can extract a cup of coffee more quickly and produce the iconic substance Crema (rare, not much). Although the pressure is far less than today's coffee machine, only 1.5bar, but for those days, to be able to extract a cup of coffee in less than a minute, not to mention how fast! So, in 1920, a brand new noun was added to the Italian dictionary: Espresso. It means "espresso made by a pressurized machine or filter" and also means "fast". Under this background, the mocha pot arises spontaneously!

In 1933, Bilody released a small coffee utensil, the "mocha pot". The mocha pot works as we know it, extracting coffee by the pressure generated by steam. Therefore, it also belongs to pressurized extraction! The extraction pressure of the mocha pot can reach 1~2bar, so the coffee extracted by the mocha pot is very close to the espresso at that time. Therefore, most people think that this is a small espresso machine! Therefore, the high-quality and inexpensive mocha pot soon spread to every family in Italy, becoming a coffee-making appliance for everyone in Italy.

But in 1961, Faema released a high-pressure coffee machine with an extraction pressure as high as 9bar, which changed people's perception of espresso! Because of the high pressure, the coffee is made faster, the concentration is higher, and the Crema is fuller! It not only widens the gap with the old version of the coffee machine, but also distinguishes it from the mocha pot. So at this point, people's impression of espresso began to be rewritten, and mocha pot coffee is no longer linked to espresso. Because the extraction pressure of the mocha pot is not high, more hot water is needed to give the coffee a suitable extraction rate, which leads to a relatively low overall concentration of coffee, which is very different from the concentration extracted by 9bar high pressure.

Of course, the mocha pot is also growing. In 2020, Bilody released a new double-valve version, and the extraction pressure was increased. The new double-valve mocha pot will not only produce stronger coffee, but also Crema will be thicker, very close to today's espresso. So some beginner friends will think that the coffee extracted from the mocha pot is a similar espresso. But since the birth of the 9bar coffee machine, people have realized the difference between espresso and coffee extracted from the mocha pot, so the coffee extracted from the mocha pot is not espresso! At the same time, it can not be called mocha coffee, only mocha pot coffee. Why can't he be called mocha coffee? you can go to this article and refer to ha ~ "Why can't mocha pot coffee be called mocha coffee?" ")

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