A First Look at the MokaBot, the Smart Moka Pot

Javier Tellols gives us an exclusive view of his creation, the MokaBot: a compact, touchscreen-controlled moka brewer with boiling-point calibration, pressure estimation, and user-defined heat profiles.

BY ISABELLE MANI
BARISTA MAGAZINE ONLINE

Photos courtesy of Javier Tellols

Invented in 1933 by Italian engineer Alfonso Bialetti, the moka pot has spent over 90 years as a symbol of Italian coffee culture—beloved from north to south, and synonymous with stovetop brewing across the world. Its unmistakable octagonal shape and “hissy” brew routine made it a memorable daily ritual in millions of homes, with Bialetti cementing itself as the brand behind the most iconic and widely sold moka of all time.

But despite its legendary status, the moka pot is still a creature of imprecision. What if it were possible to control every variable usually left to guesswork: temperature, pressure, and more? Forget hacks like dunking the moka in cold water, starting with pre-boiled water, or stirring mid-brew just to avoid over-extracting expensive specialty coffee. That’s the premise behind MokaBot: a modified moka pot equipped with real-time pressure estimation and PID-controlled heating, all engineered into the familiar silhouette of a classic Bialetti-made stovetop brewer.

Brewing Logic

Over the decades, the moka has seen a number of updates: models adapted for induction cooktops, double-chamber variants, and even smaller designs for solo brewing. But none of those changed how it brews—only how or where it’s used.

“The MokaBot changes that. It doesn’t just adapt the moka to modern kitchens. It rewires how it works,” says its creator, Javier Vidal Tellols, who’s also a café owner, IT engineer, and the CEO of Make It Brewtalist in Valencia, Spain.

The concept behind MokaBot was born in 2022, during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic. In isolation, Javier found himself obsessing over coffee videos —particularly the videos of James Hoffmann, whom he still cites as a major influence. “I even bought the ‘Hoffee Coffee’ mug,” he told Barista Magazine with a laugh.

“After watching the Moka video, I thought: I can do that with control and improve the technique,” he adds.

Rather than build from scratch, he started modifying an existing electric moka pot. The Bialetti Elettrika offered the internal space he needed to add sensors and control systems. After installing a temperature probe, he began experimenting with PID controllers: feedback-based loops that regulate heating more precisely than standard on/off thermostats.

“I added the temp sensor and started playing with PID controllers until I got a usable first draft,” he says. “It had cables everywhere, but it worked—kind of.”

That rough prototype sat dormant for most of 2024. Then, in November, Javier reignited the project over an intense holiday sprint. The goal: refine it in time to show James Hoffmann himself, who was scheduled to appear at the 2025 Madrid Coffee Fest.  

The result: a compact, touchscreen-controlled moka brewer with boiling-point calibration, pressure estimation, and user-defined heat profiles.

The sprint paid off. In February, Javier brought the improved MokaBot to Madrid. He met Hoffmann in person, demonstrated the prototype (wearing his “Hoffee Coffee” shirt, of course), and promised to send him a more stable, updated version—which he later did.

PID 101

At the core of the MokaBot is a PID (Proportional, Integral, Derivative) control loop—a system pulled from industrial engineering and smart kitchen appliances. Unlike simple thermostats that flick the heat on and off, a PID setup applies nuanced, real-time adjustments to stabilize the brew.

• Proportional (P): Increases power the further you are from the target
• Integral (I): Corrects lingering error over time
• Derivative (D): Anticipates fast changes and softens overshoot

“It’s like dimming a light instead of flicking a switch,” Javier explains. “That’s what makes the experience smooth.”

This method prevents the violent temperature swings common in moka pots, helping to avoid bitterness, over-extraction, and burnt notes.

Estimating Pressure

Unlike espresso machines, moka pots don’t rely on pumps. Instead, they use vapor pressure from boiling water to force liquid upward through the coffee bed. But that pressure has always been a black box—unmeasured, unmonitored, and unpredictable.

The MokaBot solves this by inferring pressure from temperature. Because water boils at higher temperatures when under pressure, the system uses boiling-point calibration and the Clausius–Clapeyron equation to estimate what’s happening inside the chamber in real-time.

“It’s not exact pressure. It’s an estimation,” Javier says, “but it’s accurate enough to give you control.”

Also, Safety remains central. MokaBot is designed specifically for low-pressure brewing, with firmware safeguards and thermal cutoffs built in.

A Different Moka, but a Moka Still

Despite its tech-heavy internals, MokaBot isn’t chasing espresso. It’s not about crema or pressure stats; it’s about clarity, structure, and control.

By letting users manage heat curves and pressure logic, it reclaims the moka pot from its reputation for inconsistency and gives it a new place in the home brewing landscape.

“The moka has this romantic, homey image,” Javier says, “but no one talks about how inconsistent it is. I wanted to fix that, without killing what people love about it.”

The system also supports brew profile storage, allowing users to repeat successful recipe sessions after session—something never before possible with a stovetop moka.

Next Steps

A patent has already been filed for MokaBot’s system architecture. But Javier also intends to open-source the firmware and control logic under a Creative Commons license, inviting others to build, iterate, or adapt the design.

“I don’t want this to be a black box,” he says. “If someone wants to build one, they should be able to.”

Moreover, what started as a late-night YouTube binge has now come full circle. One of the latest MokaBot prototypes has been sent directly to James Hoffmann—the very person who inspired the project in the first place. “Full circle,” says Javier, smiling.

In October 2025, Javier brought the MokaBot prototype with him to HostMilano (Held biennially in Milan, HostMilano is the world’s largest hospitality trade show, with over 2,000 exhibitors and 180,000 attendees)—not for an official launch or demo, but to quietly start conversations. The prototype wasn’t part of a formal presentation. It sat in his bag, occasionally pulled out during spontaneous meetings with equipment makers, baristas, and influencers.

Still, the interest came quickly.

Four brands expressed interest, requesting a custom version of the prototype that could integrate with their Moka designs, and began tracking the project. 

“They requested to see it operating with one of their designs,” he says, “so, I’m building a second version specifically for that purpose.”

James Hoffmann hasn’t shared his feedback yet—not out of disinterest, but by design. “He told me he wants to film the whole experience,” Javier says. “Unboxing to brew. Frame by frame.”

The MokaBot, like its code, remains open. And so does its story.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Isabelle Mani (she/her) is a writer, journalist, and communicator specializing in the international coffee industry. Since 2017, she has focused on writing articles and features for various international coffee news outlets. Isabelle has traveled to coffee-producing countries such as Colombia, Kenya, Rwanda, China, and Brazil to study and research coffee. She holds training certifications from the Specialty Coffee Association (SCA) and the Coffee Quality Institute (Arabica Q Grading).

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