For The Most Traditional Italian Tiramisu, Brew Your Coffee Like This - Tasting Table

"We all strive to make Italian food that's as authentic as possible. We follow tested recipes, buy imported ingredients, and there might even be a fancy piece of cookware involved. All of it feels especially important when it comes to recreating traditional desserts like tiramisu. If you're going to the effort of finding the best mascarpone and ladyfingers, then you need to make sure you're brewing your coffee the right way, too. For a truly authentic tiramisu, you need to use a moka pot."

"If you've ever visited Italy, you might have seen these small, octagonal coffee jugs in local homes. Invented by Alfonso Bialetti in 1933, the moka pot is a symbol of life in Italy. It's estimated that over 90% of Italian homes own at least one. Bialetti's Moka Express is even on permanent display at the Museum of Modern Art in New York to showcase Italian design."

"Moka pots brew strong, espresso-style coffee that's typically made of a special dark-roasted blend of arabica and robusta beans. That blend is key to a classic Italian tiramisu. Moka coffee is much stronger than the coffee we're used to in America, with a richer and more concentrated flavor. The deeply toasted notes pair perfectly with the other ingredients in tiramisu like cocoa powder, and the coffee's bitterness helps cut the creaminess of the mascarpone."

Moka pots are traditional Italian stovetop coffee makers that produce strong, espresso-style coffee using a dark-roasted arabica and robusta blend. Invented by Alfonso Bialetti in 1933, the moka pot is widely owned in Italy and its Moka Express is recognized for iconic design. The concentrated, deeply toasted coffee flavor pairs with tiramisu's cocoa and cuts through the mascarpone's creaminess, making it ideal for authentic tiramisu. A moka pot consists of three aluminum parts: a base water chamber, a funnel filter for grounds, and an upper chamber to collect brewed coffee. Heating the pot on a stove forces coffee upward through steam pressure.

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