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Mocka Express Bialetti

by Alda Quinti
(Malvern, PA)



As a typical Italian mom, I love to enjoy a good cup of coffee everyday. For me, drinking a good cup of coffee means a good coffee quality made with a good coffee maker. I bought this coffee maker last summer during my vacation in Italy.
I like it, because coffee has a rich taste, and not a watery taste from electric coffee makers. In addition, the handle does not get burnt.

Handle can get burnt when you are making coffee on a stove; but this one is made out of a heatproof material. Another good thing of these type of coffee makers is that, since they are express, you use just the necessary amount of coffee to get a rich cup of coffee, or you can use less to get a not that rich cup of coffee. I think that with an electric coffee maker you have to use more coffee, to get the same amount of coffee, and it does not taste the same.

I wash it with steel wool soap, and it always gets shiny and clean. My grandmother always told me ?Do not wash your coffee maker with soap?. According to her, soap damages the coffee maker material. I am not sure whether this would happen with the new brands, but I keep her advice just in case. She also would say, if the coffee maker gets clogged, just put water and vinegar, and boil the coffee maker like making coffee.
Eventually, you will need to change the gasket, and you will have it back again.

I also have another express coffee maker that I bought in Spain 10 years ago. It needs a new gasket. One day, I forgot it was boiling on the stove, and the gasket got burnt. The problem with this one is the handle.

This is made of steel, and gets very hot when you are making coffee. So, you have to be careful, or you?ll get hurt if your express coffee maker does not have a heatproof handle.

Comments for
Mocka Express Bialetti

Average Rating starstarstarstar

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Apr 14, 2011
Rating
starstarstar 		A Few Design Problems, but Great Espresso
by: Jon D

I just melted the handle off, turned the inner ring to glue, and let's just say missed out on a cup of coffee. If you are a busy person, get their electric version. A plastic handle that close to the heat does not last long and becoming distracted just once for 30 minutes will do it. Also, because it dropped out, I got a chance to see just how flimsy the area connecting the handle and base are. It always felt weak. It is.

Other than user error, the espresso is great and though there is normally a bit of a mess filling it, it washes easily enough.
Apr 06, 2009
Rating
starstarstarstarstar 		Durable and reliable little coffee maker
by: Greg

The Bialetti Moka Express is a cheerfully shiny block of Italian aluminum that makes a good, strong cup of coffee with very little fuss.

It is often misleadingly advertised as a stove top espresso maker. As the name implies, it actually brews Mocha coffee. Mocha is stronger than regular coffee, but it isn't as strong as espresso and it lacks the smooth crema foam of real espresso.

I received my Moka Express as a gift just over a year ago. It is a 3-Cup model. This is the perfect size for one person. Don't be tempted by the 1-Cup model. A "Cup" is the equivalent of a commercial "Shot" and Mocha is weaker than espresso. If your coffee-drinking household consists of more than one person, figure 3 cups per person and choose a model with a higher capacity.

It has three sections. The bottom section is where the water goes. The funnel is where the coffee goes and it sits inside the bottom section. The top contains the filter and it screws onto the bottom section.

Making a cup of coffee with the Bialetti Moka Express is a snap. Fill the bottom section up to the line with cold water. Fill the funnel with coffee. Don't use a real fine espresso grind because it may, according to the manual, clog the filter. Screw the top on until you have a firm seal. Then place the Moka Express on a burner on high. Make sure the handle is away from the heat so it stays cool. The Moka Express will make a gurgling sound when the coffee starts filling the container on top. When it is about half full, turn off the heat and wait until it's done. The whole process should take about 5 minutes.

Cleaning it is even simpler. Wait until it cools, rinse, and then wipe it lightly with paper toweling or a cloth. The goal is to build up a layer of coffee residue to coat the aluminum. This makes for better coffee flavor.

The Bialetti's closest relative in the family of home coffee makers is the French Press. If you like French Press coffee, you may like this. If you usually drink espresso in coffee shops, and don't want to spend a lot of money on a home machine, you'll probably get a lot of use out this durable and reliable little coffee maker which performs as well on camping trips as it does in the kitchen.

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