Childofman's Profile

Yes, I agree. No italian would call it other than "CAFFE' ".

Espresso is a different coffee brewing system, based on a different grind and coffee quality (never use the espresso quality in a moka!) and with high pressure adn low contact time,.

Being italian and living in Naples, Italy I can disclose few more tricks and tips, taught by my mother and my grand mother, and so on...
1. water level: the lower tank has a small valve inside. Water level must be always at or below that valve.
2. never press the coffee in the filter. Add coffee in the filter until a small "mountain" shape is achieved.
3. filter must be clean and dry. Trick to clean the filter after the coffe is made: blow inside as Vincenzo showed.
4. very important: NEVER WASH with soap or chemicals. Moka shall be rinsed with water ONLY !!
5. I agree about temperature. Never heat too much, just wait. When the coffee is coming out,, I usually shut down the heating and wait until the upper cup is full.
6. stir the coffee before pouring: the below part is the heaviest, so if no rinse, the first cup is.. "brown water" ! Lighter coffee.
7. espresso cup is kept hot before the coffee is poured. I like it hot, so when at home, I put the the cup on the moka upside down, so the steam heats the inside of my cup. But it's my personal trick and you may not like it.

Being very opften in the US (and all over Eu) I have gave a moka as a gift to many friends. Most of them tell me that they are now drinking only moka coffee in the morning.
Coffee brand I suggest, which is very good and quite easy to find in Italy and abroad is KIMBO (made in Naples).

ciao!