Quick answer
Fill the base with water just below the safety valve, add medium-fine coffee to the basket without tamping, screw the two halves firmly, and heat on medium. As soon as the upper chamber fills with dark coffee and starts to sputter, remove the Brasilia from the heat. The whole brew should take about five minutes for six cups.
What you need before you start
The Westmark Brasilia works on gas, electric, and ceramic stovetops, but the flame or ring must stay smaller than the base so the handle and gasket do not overheat. You also need coffee ground slightly finer than drip but not as fine as espresso powder, plus a kettle of hot water to speed things up and reduce the time the grounds sit over heat.
- Medium-fine coffee, about the texture of table salt
- A kettle of hot water, not boiling
- A timer or clock within sight
- A dry cloth for the final tighten
How much coffee fits the 6-cup basket
A six-cup moka pot basket holds roughly 20 to 22 grams of medium-fine coffee when filled level and left loose. Do not press the grounds down. Tamping compresses the bed, raises the pressure, and pushes water around the coffee instead of through it, which is the most common cause of a weak, watery brew in a stovetop maker.
Why the grind and water level decide the taste
If the coffee comes out thin and pale, the grind is usually too coarse or the water was cold at the start. If it is harsh and bitter, the grind is too fine or the pot stayed on the heat after the first sputter. Preheating the base water shortens the time on the stove and gives you more control over both problems.
Six-cup brewing steps
- Fill the base with hot water: Pour hot water into the lower chamber until it sits just under the safety valve. Do not cover the valve, because it must stay clear to release pressure. Checkpoint: the valve stays visible above the water line.
- Add coffee to the basket: Fill the basket level with medium-fine coffee and smooth the surface with your finger. Never tamp or press the grounds. Mistake to avoid: packing the coffee down causes weak, uneven extraction.
- Assemble the two halves: Screw the upper chamber onto the base firmly by hand, holding the base with a cloth if it is warm. A loose join lets steam escape and the brew will stall. Checkpoint: the two halves meet with no gap.
- Heat on medium, lid open: Place the Brasilia on a burner smaller than its base and leave the lid open so you can watch the coffee rise. Medium heat is enough; high heat scorches the grounds. Mistake to avoid: a flame wider than the base overheats the handle and gasket.
- Pull it off at the first sputter: When the upper chamber is full and the flow turns pale and noisy, remove the pot from the heat. The residual heat finishes the last few drops. Checkpoint: total brew time is around five minutes.
- Stir and serve: Stir the coffee in the upper chamber once with a spoon to even out the strength, then pour. Rinse the basket and base with warm water after the pot cools. Next step: dry the parts fully before storing to protect the gasket.
Product facts
- Espresso maker »Brasilia«, 6 cups: Makes 6 cups of espresso at a time with a classic stovetop design. The six-cup capacity suits two to three people, and the stovetop format means no separate machine or paper filter is needed.
