Customer Reviews

Ilsa Stainless Steel 3 Cup Stovetop Espresso Maker

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

 

 

i own a bialetti 1 cup stovetop espresso maker. i use it for traveling and in my van. it is made of aluminum however, and i wanted a stainless steel maker to take to thailand. the three cup Ilsa was the right size, but for some reason it was priced far higher than either the two cup or the four cup unit - but i bought it anyway because it was the size i wanted. the maker is well made. the hinge on the lid is a little loose and sloppy, but it doesn't interfere with the function. the grounds don't get all worked into the threads of the boiler and top, like they tend to do on the bialetti. being stainless steel, the maker cleans better than the aluminum units. The Ilsa has a stainless steel handle that won't burn if the flame from the stove is too high on the handle side. the plastic handle on my bialetti is schorched and flaking. the Ilsa seems to tolerate finely ground coffee better than the bialetti. if you put espresso grind coffee in the bialetti, it clogs and over-pressures. the Ilsa will push the waer through. the Ilsa comes with a little "reducer" screen, for making using a lesser amount of coffee grounds, but i never use it.

I've had 2 of these--the first was replaced by store (reluctantly) after handle broke off within a month. The replacement's handle broke off after a couple of years of daily use. The handle gets very hot and requires a potholder, and the bottom of the pot is a little narrow, slightly rounded and teeters on my gas burner if I don't place it just exactly right. I'd rather not deal with these potential safety hazards, especially before I've had my morning caffeine!

We've had the 4 cup for about 2 years now, used daily. I'm not sure why the handle would break off unless you were using it to open the pot. It makes excellent espresso each time. Better than major coffee house chains and much cheaper. We will be buying the 9 cup soon.

Great little expresso maker reminds us of the time spent in Italy. Had one for ourselves and bought this one for our Son who just moved out of the North End in Boston and missed his morning expresso. Simple to use, stays clean and the stainless steel will last forever.

I really appreciate my stove top espresso maker. No bulky gadgets taking up space on my counter tops. It's easy to use,clean,store-away,and travel with. My favorite part is that it's 18/10 stainless steel. I'm happy to have found it on Amazon.com at such a great price.:)