Reddit reviews Bialetti Moka Express StoveTop Coffee maker, 3-Cup, Aluminum Silver

Within that price range, you're better off buying a Moka Pot, which is a stove top espresso maker. Not quite the same as "real" espresso, but its close enough and makes great drinks when you get the hang of it. Buy a cheap $5 handheld milk frother and you can make latte/cappuccino at home. You can buy all kinds of flavored syrups to use as well. Lots of possibilities. Cuban coffee is another great recipe but way too sweet for me.

If you don't plan on buying/grinding your own beans, Cafe Bustelo, illy and Lavazza are great brands to buy for Moka pot usage.

https://www.amazon.com/Bialetti-6-Cup-Stovetop-Espresso-Maker/dp/B0000CF3Q6?th=1&psc=1

https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B018TCWL8O/ref=mp_s_a_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1481683917&sr=8-1&pi=SY200_QL40&keywords=milk+frother&dpPl=1&dpID=31GALNyqVzL&ref=plSrch

• Aeropress, $25
  
• Moka Pot, $26
  
• Hario Mini Mill, $33
  
• Scale (you WILL need this), $9
  Total: $91, spend all remaining moneys on beans
  

Ok. There's been some great advice in this thread and I don't want to step on anyone's toes. But I went through a similar process when I wanted to stop drinking shit coffee a couple years ago, and this is my current setup.

The Grinder. You want a conical burr grinder. You can do this without breaking the bank: I got a Breville for less than $100 and it kicks ass. Grinds like a boss, whisper quiet, and it looks like a robot.

But why, you ask, should you splurge on the grinder? You could get a little Krups grinder for $15. And that would be great -- if all you wanted, ever, was to drink french pressed or drip coffee. But if you ever want to make espresso, then you need a conical burr grinder. And it sounds like you are going to want to do some experimenting.

The Brewer. My personal thing is this: I don't brew coffee through anything that plugs in. There's just no reason to.

Get yourself a kettle for your stove - I like this one, because you can see that there's nothing growing inside. And you avoid the mineral-y crust that you would have to scrape off of an electric kettle.

Use filtered water. It makes a difference.

Get yourself a simple drip cone or, if you want to be a little fancier, a Chemex carafe. You put a filter in the top, you grind the beans, you put the beans in the filter, you pour hot water over the top of it. The beans get thoroughly steeped and you end up with an even, smooth coffee with little to no bitterness.

Because you've saved so much money on coffee makers, splurge a bit. Get yourself a French press for when you want something with more oomph. And get yourself a little Italian stovetop espresso maker. You put fine espresso grinds in the top, you put water in the bottom, you put the whole thing on the stove - voilà.

There. If you wanted all this shit to plug into the wall you would have spent $1000. But you can get all of this for less than $200.

The Beans. Here's the dirty little secret about coffee beans: freshness matters more than brand. You could get the finest quality beans shipped to you from halfway across the country if you like - but they're going to be stale by the time they get to you.

Here's what you do instead: find a cafe that roasts their own beans and buy from their cafe. They'll have been roasted within the last few weeks. The beans will have this great oily sheen to them - that's how you know they're good. Buy them one package at a time and keep them in an airtight canister. And for christ's sakes, never freeze coffee beans.

There you go! With this setup you can make almost any type of coffee drink available at your local Starbucks, for cheap. There'll be no gunk to clean out of the musty interiors of a complex drip coffee maker. And a lot of this stuff has a great aesthetic, so your kitchen will look fantastic.

Edited for spelling.

For those interested/curious, the coffee system I went with was the Bialetti espresso machine and the Epica milk heater/frother. I just make my espresso right on the stovetop, and once it starts boiling I start the milk frother which works extremely quickly. My latte art could stand some improvement, but I'm really happy with these purchases and how they work together.

The only bad thing about all of this is my milk intake is way higher than before, and I forgot to replenish my half-carton yesterday. Looks like I'll be making a morning trip to the grocery store any minute now.

Bialetti Moka Pot - $30 (3-cup) - Stovetop brew system which does not make espresso. You can substitute off-brand units to save money but may not get as high a quality

You can't make espresso without equipment for it.

If you don't know whether he can use the pods, my suggestions is don't buy them.

If something like a moka pot would be in your budget, it's a cheap way to make some espresso-like coffee on stovetop.

You can find plenty of stuff online which can still deliver in time for Christmas.

$50 means there doesn't need to be an "or"

3 cup Bialetti Moka Express $28.99

8 cup Bodum Brazil $19.99

Best by far for espresso. If you want a decent coffee, a french press is the best option IMO.

My guess is they are referring to a Bialetti. They can make good espresso but there is definitely a learning curve, and if you mess up you get burnt espresso.

https://www.amazon.com/Original-Bialetti-Stovetop-Espresso-Patented/dp/B0000CF3Q6

i have found this rudimentary steam distillation device to be somewhat effective at extracting caffeine. :)

The clever is probably the next brew method I'll be adding to my kitchen. It doesn't quite taste like press (it's filtered) or like drip (it steeps).

You might also want to consider moka pot. Despite the name, it's not very much like espresso, but I like it.

Well, thank you for the correction. I actually am not a Starbucks coffee drinker, despite working here. I like my own espresso made at home in a percolator much better, and I use coffee-roasted beans that are preground. I don't know what that makes me. Hip? Ignorant? Whatever.

Likely a stovetop model.

Get a large Stovetop espresso maker and just use it for coffee

https://www.amazon.com/Original-Bialetti-Stovetop-Espresso-06799/dp/B0000CF3Q6

Interesting, I didn't know that it was classified as a "pod" brewer. We're talking about this right?

The bad news is that with such a budget it's impossible to make espresso. The good one is that espresso is not the only way to make good tasting coffee!

So if you like lattes, my suggestion is to go to with a moka pot (like the classic bialetti: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0000CF3Q6/) - it won't make real espresso but rather a quite strong, sirupy brew that can work as a substitute for it in a latte.
Then, to froth the milk, get one of these (https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0001ZN48Y/) frothers, which can make a very good foam that approaches the one made with good steamers (although is dryier and the milk will possibly be not as sweet). Then I'd suggest to get the hario mini mill burr grinder (https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01B2O5VS8/) because using freshly roasted coffe ground right before usage with a burr grinder is arguably the most important factor that impacts on making good coffee, and this is true for any brew methods. For a little more than 80$ you can buy all this equipment brand new and go make good and tasty fake lattes, and for each of these things there is a wealth of resources on the internet on how to best use them.

Here's a good deal on a moka pot on amazon: http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B0000CF3Q6/ref=s9_simh_gw_d0_g79_i1?pf_rd_m=ATVPDKIKX0DER&pf_rd_s=mobile-1&pf_rd_r=0H6QSM9ZPF2WNQQ990PS&pf_rd_t=36701&pf_rd_p=1824978342&pf_rd_i=mobile

Don't get a percolator - probably the worst way to make coffee.

I owned this, and no. The idea of a cheap espresso maker is exactly that. CHEAP. You get what you pay for. At one point mine broke and I couldn't even open it. If cost is an issue, you should save up for a nicer machine.

Edit: http://www.amazon.com/Bialetti-Express-3-Cup-Stovetop-Espresso/dp/B0000CF3Q6/ref=sr_1_4?s=home-garden&ie=UTF8&qid=1347641742&sr=1-4&keywords=espresso+machine
Did a quick search, and this looks promising, so promising I might give this a try.

Try out a moka pot - it's technically not "true" espresso, but the spirit tells me otherwise. Get a milk frother and you're all set! I buy the big tubs of cheap Yuban brand coffee and it's delicious.

They're probably safe, but there's no guarantee they're going to last any longer than 6 weeks and chances are they might not make a good a beverage as say a Bialetti. It's worth saving up the pennies and getting something like this

I found a 3 cup moka pot in one of the online shops here, i have an amazon link, right here since I was looking at a non-english website. They have a 2 and 6 cup moka too. I am the only person that will have that coffee 90% of the time. So getting a 6 cup might be too much? Other times i make coffee is when my gf or friends are over.

I have one of these . I like it a lot. It is not the same as espresso from a high pressure super fancy espresso maker but it is durable as all get out and I think the coffee it makes is strong and delicious. Very viscous and arrrg drool I want coffee now.

What you may be referring to is a moka pot and some of the most common ones are from Bialetti. It isn't exactly espresso however.

If a french press is what you're looking for, I would recommend one from Bodum. The one I have is this one and I am very pleased with it.

Mines betterrr https://www.amazon.com/Original-Bialetti-Stovetop-Espresso-Patented/dp/B0000CF3Q6

This! I love's me some Starbucks, but most days I make espresso with a Mocha pot and froth the HWC (with KG Butter and Coconut Oil!) in an electric frother. Much cheaper in the long run.

Yeah right? It definitely falls into the "services we love" category hehe. Thanks for sharing your list, I just added the bigger 6-cup version of this item (Bialetti 3-Cup Stovetop Espresso Maker) to my list. I never thought of trying a stovetop espresso maker before (in fact, as silly as it is, I never thought it existed before I looked at your list!).

You are referring to a Mokapot?

First, Southerners will take their time with anything ;)

This is a very popular coffee kettle used in Italy (not in coffee shops, but for home use):
https://www.amazon.com/Original-Bialetti-Moka-Express-Stovetop/dp/B0000CF3Q6

i carry a little 3 cup bialetti espresso maker and some espresso. world class coffee right on top of your backpacking stove. some would probably argue it's a bit heavy, but for me it's worth it to avoid those god awful instant coffee products. they also last forever, i use mine on a daily basis (not just backpacking) and have had it for 5-6 years. replace the gaskets every few years and you're good to go. the 3 cup makes enough for 2 and weighs about a pound, the 1 cup makes enough for (you guessed it) one and weights about half of that at half a pound.

http://www.amazon.com/Original-Bialetti-Stovetop-Espresso-Patented/dp/B0000CF3Q6

cheers!

For me, no, it's not. I use this and drink this coffee. I used to have an espresso machine and a grinder, but I much prefer what I currently have. Yes, freshly ground coffee tastes better, but I could never get the fine grind needed to make a truly strong coffee.

because people don't like simple. get one of these, makes great espresso!

https://www.amazon.com/Original-Bialetti-Stovetop-Espresso-Patented/dp/B0000CF3Q6

Seconding the leafy greens to munch on - I do the same thing and find it helps alot w/ stamina.

I use this Moka Pot for a super simple cup of espresso in the morning. It's alot cheaper than buying from a coffee shop (especially if you roast your own beans) and super fast. Takes 3-4 minutes to heat up and you just put grounds in the top and water in the bottom and throw it on the stove.

https://www.amazon.com/Bialetti-6-Cup-Stovetop-Espresso-Maker/dp/B0000CF3Q6?th=1

Works great on the road too if you have a little camping stove (and a hand grinder!)

bro you got a few options for your 120$ budget..

so you have mr.coffee grinder and its working perfectly right? if so than you can skip grinder part and go with coffee makers

1- 3cup MokaPot $23 with a bodum Brazil French Press $20 and a Milk Pitcher $8, so why i offered such package.. its about 50$ in total and you can make really strong cup of coffee in mokapot and use frenchpress to froth milk so you can do latte art with the pitcher.. o and when u want to make coffee in french press u can... Total $50

2- get an AeroPress $30 with this Frenchpress $15 and aboved mention pitcher for aeropress lattes... Total $50

3- Get MiniPresso Espresso Maker $59 with aboved mentioned frenchpress and latte pitcher,,,Total $80

4- Get Delonghi EC155 Espresso Machine $89 with a latte pitcher.. Total $95

and finally with all that a $5 digital gram scale

all these will work fine with me.coffee grinder as none requires fine grind or have a presurized portafilter