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-A good cup of coffee is less a thing than a collection of things. There's the taste, but also just as important the sound of the brew, the gurgle of the pour in your mug, the sight of the heavy black liquid, the smell -- much of the "taste" of coffee actually comes from the smell -- the tang like creosote, the dark smoky richness reminiscent of chocolate.
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-Coffee is also a state of mind. Or a way of establishing a state of mind. I mean beyond the strictly biochemical action of caffeine. Coffee implies a readiness. It's an open gesture for the day. For those of us that love it, a great cup of coffee is as necessary and reliable a thing as the rising sun in the east. 
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-The hissing boil of a mokapot as it finishes brewing.
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-The metal click of the stove grating heating up. 
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-The curling splash as it hits the bottom of the cup.
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-Though I rarely do it, the best cup of coffee is made over an open fire. Coals banked over night and then stirred back to life, I couple of extra pieces of wood perhaps, not so much of the coffee as for warmth. A percolator, nothing fancy, one of the blue speckled enamelware percolators that every outfitting store in America sells. There's something about the clatter of enamelware on stones early on an otherwise silent, still morning that speaks of great things to come. The smoke of the restored fire, squatting or standing, hands out stretched to warm over the fire, the fog of your breath in the air, waiting. I think maybe it's that waiting, the anticipation, that almost as good as the coffee. And of course the coffee coming out of the enamelware percolator is not the best tasting you've ever hand, but it's the best cup because the experience is greater than the sum of its parts. This, you know as you sit there squatting by the fire scalding your tongue on that first sip, this is how humans were meant to live, this is how we were meant to start out days, outside, part of the world, enjoying the fruits of the world around us.
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-Even living as we do in an RV, outdoors, I'll confess I very rarely stir up a fire first thing in the morning. I almost never make coffee over it when I do. I fire up our trusty tattered but still great green Coleman stove and make coffee in the somewhat fancier mokapot. The mokapot does not make the best coffee I've ever had, but it's combination of good enough coffee, simplicity of brewing and clean up, make it the method I return to.
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-### Which Moka Pot should I buy?
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-I've tested dozens of ways to brew coffee for WIRED. Some of them costing nearly a $1000, which is would be an absolutely insane amount of money to spend for coffee, but in the end, after all that stuff is available, nine times out of ten, I make coffee in my trusty moka pot. 
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-Every mokapot I've tested produces more or less the same good, strong, but smooth cup of coffee. The one I happen to own is this [stainless steel model ($20)](https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07K2ZVJC7/ref=psdc_14163721_t1_B0744CQYJD){: rel=nofollow}. It brews what I would call two cups of coffee, but what manufacturers call six cups. 
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-If you want something a little larger, [this $25 model](https://www.amazon.com/Stovetop-Espresso-Machine-Stainless-Electric/dp/B07XD8YG1R/){: rel=nofollow} looks about the same and probably a better deal. If you hate having so much money in your pocket and love shiny things, this [bonVIVO Intenca](https://www.amazon.com/bonVIVO-Intenca-Stovetop-Espresso-Stainless/dp/B0744CQYJD/){: rel=nofollow} is a very handsome moka pot. If you're a traditionalist you'll want the original, the [Bialetti moka pot](https://www.amazon.com/Bialetti-06800-stove-coffee-Aluminum/dp/B000CNY6UK/r){: rel=nofollow} that started the whole moka pot thing back in the 1950s.
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-### How to brew the best cup in your Moka Pot
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-I've seen at least half a dozen ways to brew moka pots, but here's what I find to be the best: cold water in the chamber, fresh grounds on the cup, put it on a low flame, or if you have electric, only half way on the burner. The lower and slower you brew, the better the results in my opinion.
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-That said, some people swear by hot water in the chamber and hardly any time on the stove heating up. This method is not for me, but worth trying to see how you like it since it does make a faster cup of coffee. Though I'm not sure you should rush coffee.
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-The best results will come from the best beans. When I can I get beans Jittery Joe's roasting company in Athens GA, specifically the [Wake-n-Bake](https://jitteryjoes.com/collections/blends/products/terrapin-wake-n-bake?variant=41287296589) blend. I've known Charlie, who roasts all of Jittery Joes beans, for twenty years now and his coffee is some of the best you'll ever have. 
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-I've also tried a few roasters on the road. The best has been [Fahrenheit Coffee Roaster](https://www.yelp.com/biz/fahrenheit-coffee-roaster-mancos) in Mancos, Colorado. The espresso blend roast are the best beans I've purchased in the United States in two years of traveling. A close second would be the French Roast from [Catedral Coffee Roasters](http://www.cafecatedral.com.mx/) in San Miguel de Allende, Mexico. There was also an excellent roaster up in the UP, Michigan, but for the life of me I can't remember the name or find it online.
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-Coffee is the most widely traded commodity in the world. Chance are, wherever you happen to live, there's a good local roaster. Get your beans from them. Not only are you supporting a local business, but you'll (probably) get fresher beans. The more freshly roasted your beans are, the better the coffee you'll brew. That said, sometimes it's hard to find good coffee on the road. In that case I tend to get [Cafe Bustelo](https://www.amazon.com/Bustelo-Espresso-Ground-Coffee-Packaging/dp/B01ERBUCM8/){: rel=nofollow}, or if you can find it, [Medaglia D'Oro](https://www.amazon.com/Medaglia-DOro-Italian-Espresso-Coffee/dp/B01M5B4Y34){: rel=nofollow} (I find Latin American groceries are the best place to look for both of these).
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-### Worthwhile coffee accessories
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-Once you've purchase a moka pot, some good beans, and are happy with the results, there are two thing I highly recommend you get to go with your new moka pot. The first is a good insulated mug or thermos. The Moka Pot is a great way to brew coffee, but it's a terrible way to keep it warm. 
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-burr grinder.