Bialetti 6800 Moka Express 6-Cup Stovetop Espresso Maker Save 16% Off

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!

15. (Added Nov 2012) Wait until all the water has reached the upper chamber before removing from the heat. You will be able to tell by the sound (takes some practice) or simply visually. As soon as no more coffee reaches the upper chamber remove from heat. Do note let the coffee boil. With practice, you may remove from the heat even sooner, by just using the residual heat in the lower chamber.

16. (Added Nov 2012) Some times you may put too much coffee, or the coffee is too finely ground, or it''s been packed too hard. In all of these situations, the end results is typically that the coffee struggles reaching the upper chamber. You can tell by the spouting noise occurring too early, the foam occurring too early, and how slow the whole process is. You can try increasing the heat if that helps. However, you will likely end up with a coffee that is too bitter and tastes burned. Back in the old days, this was dangerous business with many machines exploding (they had no safety valves). Regardless, your coffee is ruined and I would suggest removing it frmo the heat immediately, let it coold down and starts all over.

17. (Added Nov 2012) What kind of coffee should I use? Experiment, experiment, experiment! Here are some tips I have learned by experimenting. Until you become confortable with the operations of the machine, you can use a good commercial brand like Illy (although it''s quite expensive). I wouldn''t want you to blame the machine, just because you happened to use a bad coffee. Then start trying different varieties from different roasters. If there are independent roasters near you, why not giving them a try? I haven''t had good experience with roasts marketed towards Espresso machines (I find the roast too excessive). Try to buy whole beans and grind them yourself. I find the cheap and popular brands pretty bad for Mokas, even if they happen to make good American style brews. I have had pretty good luck with small roasters and Colombian varieties (or Costa Rican). I have also had outstanding African coffees (Ethiopian). Unfortunately, I found they are seldom consistent.

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.

Buy Bialetti 6800 Moka Express 6-Cup Stovetop Espresso Maker Now

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!!!

Read Best Reviews of Bialetti 6800 Moka Express 6-Cup Stovetop Espresso Maker Here

***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!

Want Bialetti 6800 Moka Express 6-Cup Stovetop Espresso Maker Discount?

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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