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The most helpful favorable review
The most helpful critical review
480 of 490 people found the following review helpful:
Follow these tips for a unique coffee
Every family in Italy owns one of these machines. Here are a few tips:
1. In Italy this is NOT called an espresso machine, but a Moka machine. An espresso is what you would drink in bar made with a steam or high pressure machine with the crema on top.
2. Smaller size Moka machine tend to make better coffee.
3. Never wash the Moka with detergents, just...
Published on February 3, 2007 by T. Speidel
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106 of 136 people found the following review helpful:
Something to consider
I love this espresso maker, just love it! It makes great coffee, I agree with all the rave reviews.
I have one word for you to think about: "aluminum".
After couple of times I used it, I noticed that aluminum on the bottom of the inside started peeling/oxidizing/dissolving. At first, it did not bother me, I knew the problem and I cleaned the parts before...
Published on December 29, 2005 by Danielle Adams
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480 of 490 people found the following review helpful:
Follow these tips for a unique coffee, February 3, 2007
Every family in Italy owns one of these machines. Here are a few tips:
1. In Italy this is NOT called an espresso machine, but a Moka machine. An espresso is what you would drink in bar made with a steam or high pressure machine with the crema on top.
2. Smaller size Moka machine tend to make better coffee.
3. Never wash the Moka with detergents, just rinse it under tap water
4. You've gotta use it often for a good coffee.
5. If you haven't use it in a while, make a weak coffee ("lungo") and discard
6. DO NOT put the MOka in the dishwasher.
7. Use drinking water. Avoid tap water especially if very chlorinated
8. Never compress the coffee.
9. For a strong coffee fill the filter with ground coffee and make a small cupola that slightly protrudes beyond the rim. Do not press down.
10. For best coffee, heat at very low heat. It's ok if it takes 10min.
11. As soon as coffee reaches the top, remove from heat
12. Do not let the coffee boil
13. Use good quality coffee, not too strong, medium grind (try Illy for a good commercial brand)
14. Sip while still hot, enjoy!
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237 of 245 people found the following review helpful:
The best -- straight from Italy!, February 1, 2004
About 12 years ago I was in Milan, and a friend gave me one of these to take home. I have used it nearly every day since (I don't take it out of town), so that should give you an idea of how sturdy it is. It is the best coffee maker I have ever owned. To compare, I also have a high-tech espresso machine with frother; a state-of-the-art automatic drip coffeemaker; a French Press; and a different style of stovetop maker, which, surprisingly, makes a different brew. But I ALWAYS go back to my Bialetti Moka 6-cup for the best espresso and lattes. You even will get a crema effect with this simple pot. For lattes, I simply fill half a coffee mug with milk, heat it in the microwave until it's hot, and then top it off with espresso. It's low-maintenance -- every once in a while I replace the internal rubber gasket, which costs a buck or so, depending upon where you buy it. If you like your coffee like the Italians and the Cubans, then you will like the brew this serves. I am loyal to this simple little pot, and hope you enjoy it as much as I do.
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130 of 132 people found the following review helpful:
My favorite espresso maker of all time, April 23, 2004
Works great on the stovetop, works great when you're CAMPING..!!! No plugs, no cords, no nonsense -- fill the lower half with water to the indicated mark, put your grounds in the upper basket, join the two halves, wait for it to gurgle and you have EXCEPTIONALLY DELICIOUS espresso the way it ought to be made.The device is simple and beautifully made. I'd recommend the six-cup version, the smaller versions just don't make very much espresso -- I mean, get the six-cup version if there are two of you, since that will make an adequate amount. Really a brilliant product. I wish that everything was so well-designed and robust. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!!!
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52 of 53 people found the following review helpful:
A how-to, for the curious, September 25, 2006
This review is from: Bialetti 6799 Moka Express 3-Cup Stovetop Espresso Maker (Kitchen)
I got my Bialetti 6-cup about a week and a half ago. It took me a while to learn all the tricks of the trade, so I thought I'd piece it together here.
1. Rinse out the pot, preferably with warm water and not with any abrasive cloth.
2. Fill the bottom of the pot with water to the line. If you go over it, the pot might explode. Seriously.
3. Fill the middle filter with ground espresso roast (dark) beans. Grind them a little bit finer then auto drip grind, to about the grain of fine sand. Level off the filter, and put it in the pot.
4. Screw on the top hard. Don't use the handle to screw it, because it could snap off.
5. My stove goes LO, 1, 2, ... 8, 9, HI; I usually set it between 3 and 5. It takes 5-ish minutes to finish. Take it off the stove when you hear it gurgling and sputtering.
Things I've learned:
*If it's going to be mainly you drinking the espresso, consider a 3-cup. I usually make a double cappuccino in the morning, and the rest of my family uses no more than 3 shots total. I stick the left-over in a Tupperware container and refrigerate it (a practice sure to make Italians shudder) to mix with milk and sugar when I come home from work.
*You can open the top to watch the espresso come out, because it is really cool. Just be sure to close it before it starts sputtering, because it goes all over.
*Read an article in a magazine or something while you wait--just don't wander off, because the time between when it first comes out and when it's finished is brief.
Moka pots make great 'espresso,' plus they're cheap and quick. From what I've gathered, Bialetti's the best maker. So I definitely recommend this.
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58 of 60 people found the following review helpful:
Simple. Consistent. Tasty. Bialetti., August 23, 2006
My wife and I have been spending a pretty penny at the local coffee shop, so I began looking for inexpensive home alternatives. Most of the coffee snobs claim you have to purchase a $200+ machine and $150+ grinder to have a decent cup of espresso. I turned instead to the frugal Italians. They did invent the stuff, afterall. My Bialetti Moka Express coffee pot came this afternoon. I was a little concerned that a $20 pot might not meet the high standards of the gourmet beverages wifey and I have become accustomed to. I was wrong. The brew made by this ingenious little pot is a little weaker than "pumped" espresso and lacks the foamy cap (crema) that all the snobs rave about, but mixed with some hot, frothed milk and a bit of chocolate syrup I couldn't tell the difference between Bialetti and Seattle's Best.
This rich brew comes from a tiny little aluminum contraption with no moving parts, no electronic gizmos, no pump handle and virtually no wait time or clean-up. You just fill, brew and pour. It's that simple. Its base only covers half of the stovetop's smallest eye and I expect it will be easy to store due to its diminuitive size. I've already had three cups of homemade mocha today, and I've only had the pot since noon! *jitter jitter* The point is this: If you're a coffee lover who is bored with Folgers from a Mr. Coffee drip machine or is spending way too much at Starbucks, the Moka pot is an inexpensive and easy-to-use alternative with excellent results.
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38 of 39 people found the following review helpful:
Smooo---ooo----oooo--th!!, October 2, 2007
***DO NOT OVERHEAT!***DO NOT OVERHEAT!***DO NOT OVERHEAT!***
There. I've done my good deed, and passed along the warning for the next person. Reading the translated-to-English directions, it's easy to miss this important cautionary note. In fact, it's not even IN the directions. It's written on the side of the box.
But fortunately, before my Moka Express ever arrived, I read another reviewer's cautionary note about avoiding HIGH heat (which can destroy the rubber gasket), so I didn't have any problem from the get-go.
And speaking of 'get-go' here's the deal. The FIRST time out (actually the second time, because the directions recommend that you dispose of the first batch), I had THE *BEST* ESPRESSO I EVER HAD. PERIOD. BAR NONE.
Using some Columbian coffee (that a friend had actually hand-carried from Columbia a few weeks ago), and setting my smallest burner (it's a ceramic-top stove) to just under "5" (10 being the hottest), the espresso that came out of this coffeemaker was INCREDIBLY smooth, and totally without the bitter taste that it can sometimes have.
If this is the result after using it ONCE, I'm looking forward to seeing how good it gets after I've had a chance to figure out the best combination of type of coffee/amount to use/fineness of grind/etc.
Also, for the price, it absolutely cannot be beat. The full pot yielded about six double-shots, so after just one use, it's almost half paid for!
I'm going to be drinking a lot more espresso. And cappuccino. And cafe-au-lait.
Oh well. Who needs sleep? It's overrated anyway! ;-)
-Jonathan Sabin
UPDATE... We put it in the dishwasher today.
DON'T make this mistake!
When we pulled it out at the end of the cycle, the shiny aluminum exterior had turned into a pretty ugly, uneven, dull finish. I'm sure it'll still work just fine, but it sure doesn't look as nice as it did before.
(ONE other review, among the 48 thusfar, mentions the dishwasher issue, but doesn't say why.)
UPDATE TO THE UPDATE... It's taken about 3 months, but a BUNCH of hand-cleaning has finally reverted our Bialetti to its former shiny state! It's STILL making the best espresso/cappucino I've ever had!
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32 of 33 people found the following review helpful:
This thing is awful! Don't buy it, August 24, 2007
This review is from: Bialetti 6799 Moka Express 3-Cup Stovetop Espresso Maker (Kitchen)
Unless you are ready to be ruined for any other coffee, and the three cup size will not be big enough! Decades of my life wasted. I've discovered real coffee so late in life, my only lament about buying this espresso pot is the tears shed over all those mornings I *could* have had REAL coffee...
Easy to use, a little time consuming to clean, handsome enough to leave out as a decoration. Unscrew the bottom, fill the bottom half with cold water, fill the little filter cup with fine ground coffee (note that "espresso" is a grind, not a roast), screw it back together, and put it on the stove top. In five minutes or less, you have the most incredible coffee ever. With the internal parts, it is not hard to clean, but time consuming, especially given the time it takes to cool off enough to take apart (the other reason to get a bigger one, the little one is too slow to reload).
The styling is a little retro, but handsome enough to lend a kitchen a quirky flair. Oh, but that's trivia next to the coffee that comes out of it.
I've been using a couple of Tchibo coffees in it with super results, and look forward to trying other fine grinds in it.
Don't do it, don't get this monkey on your back, don't ruin yourself for all those lesser coffee makers, and don't touch my espresso pot (we need alone time).
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36 of 38 people found the following review helpful:
The only drawback? You'll need a larger one for company..., August 3, 2005
This review is from: Bialetti 6799 Moka Express 3-Cup Stovetop Espresso Maker (Kitchen)
Recently picked up a 3 cup Bialetti Moka Express while on holiday and couldn't wait to get it home and broken in. I've tried stove-top Italian coffee makers before, and this model has not disappointed.
Sturdy and well made, this unit only has about five parts, all of them metal or heavy-duty plastic so very little can go wrong. This should last ages if properly cared for.
Just remember to keep it simple; fresh, cold water in the lower chamber (stopping *before* you get to the brass outlet valve) and fill the grounds basket with an espresso grind coffee (good excuse to buy more coffee) without packing it too tightly. Place on your stovetop ring and don't go anywhere. Wait a few minutes, and you have an excellent espresso to start the day or to add to steamed milk after dinner. I can't wait to have some with a cigar this weekend. I've been trying some Cafe Bustello the last few mornings and it's been great. Yeah, I know it's canned, but so are most of the coffees in Italy and Latin America.
The only problem I can foresee is needing a larger one for company, but unless you need gallons of espresso each morning, this is great for two to share.
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25 of 25 people found the following review helpful:
The simplest, the cheapest, and the best!, April 8, 2006
If you want to make expressos quickly and without fuss, then the Bialetti line is the way to go. They are much cheaper than modern expresso machines which can set you back several hundred or even thousands of dollars, and yet make the perfect expresso shot as it has been made since the thirties in Italy.
It works by letting water boil in the lower half, forcing it up into the upper half through the coffee grain container in the middle. The simplicity explains the robustness of the device, made almost entirely of highly durable aluminium.
The result is a strong, dark shot of expresso which you can drink straight or with milk froth for a perfect capuccino.
I have had mine for over ten years, and it is still as good as new, with daily morning use.
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28 of 29 people found the following review helpful:
Good, cheap espresso, August 28, 2005
Bought it at the suggestion of a friend's Italian wife and haven't looked back. It makes six espresso shots (for many Americans who just don't get it, that is the size of a shot, not the 7 Eleven jumbo coffee).
Operation is simple, fill it up to a little below the <safety> valve or it will explode as another reviewer discovered. If you use Illy beans (lower caffeine content so its less bitter) you will get a better cup, but standard supermarket beans are palatable as a base for lattes and so on. Get the beans finely ground and put in Bialetti but don't overfill or tamp them down, put on medium heat, and as soon as its done pour out the espresso from the Bialetti so it doesn't burn the espresso, which is especially important if you use the electric bialetti!
For a fraction of the price of Starbucks you can make espresso in your home like the average Italian family. The only problem you'll find with a six cup size is that you end up drinking it all yourself, so if you buy it for personal use, get a 2 or 3 cup size and avoid the caffeine jitters.
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