Customer Reviews

BonJour Cafe Milano 6-Cup Stovetop Espresso Maker

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

 

 

I just bought the 9-cupper and was suprised at how little it was. That's 9 cups? I said to myself. It's more like one! But espresso is supposedly taken in itty bitty cups (shot glasses with handles), hence the smallness.

Next surprise was the lack of instructions. I had to fiddle with it and experiment, so I'm going to share what I learned. First, take the thing COMPLETELY apart and wash. Unscrew the pot in the middle. Take out the filter in the bottom part that holds the ground. Now, (I missed this part) take out the filter in the top part that will hold your finished coffee. There's a gasket that holds in in. Get your fingernail under it and just lift it out. Mine was put in backwards and it prevented the coffee from rising to the upper chamber. Very frustrating. Wash and dry.

To brew, fill the bottom chamber with cold water up to just beneath the overfill hole - it's a brass nut with a hole in it. Set the funnel-filter in and add your grounds. Grounds should be a fine powder for better taste. Don't overfill and no need to tamp down. I take 4 tablespoons of beans and grind them myself for a little over 4 tbsp of grounds. Before putting the upper chamber back on, make sure the filter is back in with gasket. The smooth side should be down, facing the grounds. Screw the 2 halves back together and put on the stove over high heat (electric) or a flame. You'll hear it and see steam when the water starts to boil and percolate up.

I'm still working out how much time to let it steam, but I'd say give it about 3-5 minutes to fill up the upper chamber. There is a lot of guesswork and estimation here and you just have to figure it out. The first pot will taste terrible. I spat it out and tried again. Each time I make a pot, the coffee tastes better than the last time. Since my first day was an exercise in frustration, by the time I got it right, I was climbing the wall. The coffee will be better - much better - than most espresso stands, more like a Turkish coffee than Starbucks.

Don't overcook it or it'll be burnt and horrible. Don't try to boil off all the water in the bottom chamber. You'll always leave some unboiled. Don't worry about keeping it clean and shiny. The interior quickly stains. I think a thin layer of coffee grime actually protects your final coffee from that metallic aluminum taste, in fact, and explains why a used pot makes better coffee than one right out of the box. However, I like it to shine on the outside, so I do use dishwater and just swish it around on the inside to get the grounds out.

It's not as easy to use as an electric coffee maker, but it's worth it for the superior coffee.

I bought this item after I visited my friend in Paris and she made me some coffee in one excatly like this one. I have tried making it myself...but for some reason it does not taste the same. It might just be me...but I do like it for being small, that way you do not have to make a huge amount and then waste it.

I received this as a gift and was thrilled to receive it. While it made good espresso, after only three uses the main filter (the basket where you fill the filter with coffee grounds) broke. The stem came apart from the filter basket rendering the espresso maker inoperable. I called BonJour Products to ask about the possibility of getting a replacement filter. The very pleasant customer service agent said the filter itself wasn't being made anymore, put me on hold, came back and said she was mistaken it was available, put me on hold again while she checked on the cost and then told me the filter itself was not after all available for sale and that I'd have to buy a whole new espresso maker. Not at all happy with BonJour Products' management's response, I'll just replace it with a Bialetti instead. Bialetti has replacement filters available on-line as well as in kitchen stores.

I bought one of these "BonJour" models thinking I was getting the same thing as those I used while studying in Italy. The quality of these asian knockoffs are nowhere near that of the real thing (aside from the rough manufacture, the steam pressure valve broke on mine after three uses, making it useless.)- Check out the Bialetti models on other Amazon pages. World Market also carries a real Italian model from another maker.

I couldn't be happier with this product. It's so easy to use and makes great espresso in just a few minutes.

I see that some people have given this item a bad review; my guess is that they were unlucky or impatient. It is true that they come with almost no instructions, but it is a straightforward and simple product. If you are a coffee lover, I strongly recommend this product. Buy it, try different grounds and grind them to different degrees until you find what is best. And it's true, over time, the coffee only gets better.

After returning the secong one, I will never use this brand again. The first one leaked water, and the second one just wouldn't wotk period. Save yourself the time and effort and buy another brand!!!

This is a fantastic old world espresso maker you can use on the stove-top, electric or gas. This is like the ones I saw in Italy. It takes a few practice runs, but it's worth it!

Under the description says "made in Italy" but the box is marked "made in PRC". When if first starts to brew the coffee spills over the top and makes a mess. The taste of the coffee is somewhat with a "metalic" flavor and taste. Save your money for another type of stovetop espresso maker.