Customer Reviews

Bialetti Brikka 4 Cup Stovetop Espresso Maker 06988

5 star:		(2)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

Excellent coffeemaker! Makes perfect espresso. Don't be fooled by the size. Four cups means four tiny cups, one sip each. Don't plan on using this thing to make coffee for your friends. Maximum two people can enjoy this at a time and only if they are used to drinking coffee in European quantities.

One con: hard to clean and the old smell tends to linger, especially in the bottom part of the apparatus. Another, do not attempt to wash it in a dishwasher; though nothing dramatic, but the chrome plating is gone, which gave the thing older vintage look :-)

Love this little guy. Certainly makes better coffee than the Moka Express but definitely not as much. I get two servings from this and find myself preparing it over and over if there's other people around (because they want one too!). This is the price you pay for wanting good coffee though - same thing would happen if I had an espresso machine. Anyway, on the coffee spectrum, this is closer to true espresso than the moka express but by no means is a substitute for a coffee house espresso. As far as the crema, not that big of a deal to me but it definitely makes a crema - nothing like a $6,000 machine does but it makes it.

Praise
- Better than moka express
- Quick
- Cheaper than cheap auto-espresso makers
- Puts a little crema on top

Complaints:
- No options to make more than 2 servings (not that big of a deal)
- Hard to unscrew when you're trying to clean it (could be unique to mine)


Notes for new owners:
- Do NOT put it in the dishwasher or it will come out looking like a 10 year old alternator
- The more meticulous you are with your procedure, the more predictable and better your cafe will be
- Split it up between two espresso cups and top off with warm milk and a little foamed milk on top for the perfect affordable-at-hom macchiato/cortado
- OH, and a couple times, I've accidentally put too much water in there and it made a MESS. Granted, I think I put twice as much water as I was supposed to but when this thing blows, it spews.

In all, I definitely recommend it if you're looking for something better than drip coffee in the mornings. I prefer this to starbucks. Make sure you get dark beans and a decent grinder!

Just got my second one of it. It is one of the best "Moka" coffee makers, especially for its unique pressure valve that could produce crema. It is the prefect entry level coffee maker for people trying to do espresso at home. Simple and fast!

Total disappointment. This little coffe maker managed to spray coffee all over our stovetop - no matter how many times we tried to follow the vague instructions. Additionally - this maker is advertised as 4-cup, which is 32oz. - even considering a 6oz cup - we expected 24oz. You are only allowed to put in 3oz. - so this maker doesn't even come close to 1 cup..... that is if you manage to keep it from spraying coffee all over the stovetop. The manufacturer of this unit needs to reengineer this expresso maker. Shame on this vendor for applying a 20% restocking charge if you return the item used. We'll see what Amazon has to say about that.