Customer Reviews

Stovetop Espresso Maker - Vev Vigano Kontessa Gold 2 cup size

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

 

 

I bought this to replace my aluminum Bialetti macchinetta, which I had used daily for ten years. I've been hearing that aluminum is unhealthy, and finally decided to lay out some money for a steel macchinetta. I bought the Kontessa based on some solid online reviews and based on some mixed reports on the steel Bialetti, which now seems to be made in India, with uneven results. I must say that the Kontessa, while pretty, is quite disappointing. It takes far longer to brew than the Bialetti, which drastically overheats the beans leading to a far more bitter coffee, generally tasting scorched. It is far more temperamental, demanding a coarser grind and a lighter tamp. I recently purchased an outrageously good grinder, the Mazzer Super Jolly, in anticipation of my upcoming purchase of a high quality espresso machine (probably an Elektra Micro Casa a Leva), and while the superior grind quality made little difference in the Kontessa, it produced by far the best macchinetta coffee I have yet had in the Bialetti. Oh well. Hopefully one more week of aluminum won't kill me. But I am bummed about having wasted money on the Kontessa. The only reasons I give it two stars rather than one is because I grant that I may be doing something wrong (but seriously, with a macchinetta?) and because it is, at least, steel, and therefore perhaps a little safer.

You can't do better than a premium vev vigano espresso maker. i have two of them, and am looking for a smaller version. this might do.while making the espresso on the stovetop, i heat up 1/2 and 1/2 and add cinnamon. pour finished espresso in cup, fluff heated milk with a bonjour caffe latte frother, pour over the espresso holding the froth till the last moment with a spoon. voila. beats most barista productions. but without a very good stovetop maker, it won't be as good. Vev V is the bomb.