Bialetti Moka Express Aluminium Stovetop Coffee Maker (9 Cup), 420ml, Silver.

My wife has just got a new job and I wanted to buy her a present. She is only an occasional coffee drinker, but refuses to entertain the idea of instant coffee. I was looking for ideas about strong coffee and with the help of the Amazon community found this coffee pot. The more I researched the more I knew that it would suit my wife's tastes. I purchased the 9 cup coffee pot, which is ideal for the Sunday morning with a pastry. You can make two cups of reasonably sized coffee. It is so easy to clean afterwards. You just take out the filter and put the contents in the bin. I found with other coffee makers I'm continually having to get a spoon to get the grinds out, and even then I can't get everything. Again, thanks to the Amazon community I bought some Illy coffee which is wonderful. Really strong and when you open the container you know you're in 'Coffee Heaven'.Overall, It's a brilliant coffee maker; easy to clean and use. It takes over 10 minutes to heat but on a lazy Sunday, it's rather lovely. It also looks like a work of art!

I have had every type of coffee machine over the years, including bean to cup, cafetiere press, filter machine, you name it I've tried it! My delonghi recently gave up the ghost so I thought I would get out my old mocha pot from the back of the cupboard. This was a generic Italian one, very similar in looks to the bialetti. It made a decent amount of coffee for- 2 mugs of half and half with milk heated in my stove top frother, although it was a 6 cup pot. The taste was decent, but the machine itself was a bit hissy and flimsy. I researched Bialetti on line and decided to purchase the slightly larger 9 cup capacity. I'm delighted I did! The item was delivered in two days ahead of the estimated time( well done Amazon), and is of a far superior quality than my 6 cup. There is no hissing, and surprisingly a noticeable improvement in taste, my husband remarked it was better than our favourite coffee shop.I followed instructions, washing it in hot water with small amount of soap initially, dried it and then seasoned with three throwaway brews. For this I reused the grounds I made coffee with in the old mocha pot, seems to have done the trick with no waste! It brews really quickly, I have a range cooker so heat it up on the simmering plate, it takes about 3-4 minutes. I remove it as soon as the coffee has filled the top chamber. The amount of coffee is just right for two large mugs, again made latte style with hot milk. I rinse in hot water and rub with fingers or dishcloth only- definitely no soap or scrubbing!I use costa or illy coffee, both result in a perfect brew. I am going to try using filtered water, as I have read that it makes even better coffee. All in all I would highly recommend this mocha pot, it's quiet, quick, good looking, of substantial construction, and most importantly makes a fantastic cup of coffee at a very reasonable price. No it will not make an espresso with crema, how could it, there is simply not enough pressure as is possible with an electric machine. If you want a perfect brew for lattes, americano etc. then buy this - why pay more?

This Bialetti will make enough coffee for two-half mugs of intense black coffee. Note that I like reasonably strong coffee and my preference is to use 5-6 teaspoons of ground coffee. I use the very small hallogen ring on my oven and start on 5 full power to get the water boiling, then turn down to 3 to allow the steam to pass through the coffee nice and gently for maximum flavour. For those who prefer their coffee with hot milk in a decent sized mug as I do, first fill each mug a 1/3rd of the way with full fat milk and heat in a microwage for about 1.5 minutes. When coffee has finished brewing after 4-5 minutes, pour into the mugs of hot milk for an amazing coffee with a kick.With hindsight, I could have purchased the larger 12 or 18 cup Bialetti which would allow enough room for milk to be heated up in the coffee chamber. It's no big deal heating in the milk in the microwave and there is the added option of using an electric milk frother. While these Bialetti Espresso Makers are certainly more expensive than a standard cafetiere, the coffee is noticeably better. I woud also chose this Bialetti over an electronic coffee maker as it takes up a lot less space and should outlast all of them although time will tell.Update after daily use for one month. Unofficial top tip - it is safe to overfill the water chamber by about a centimetre providing you don't let it boil away. I reduce the heat from 5 to between 3 and 4 on my electric cooker and there is never any spillage. I am sure I will not the only person overfilling the pot. Finally, I get my two full mugs in the morning! Any ground coffee will be goodto use although I was really impressed when I tried with Lavazza Qualita Rossa Coffee which is a very finely ground coffee and 5 teaspoons, rounded or heaped is perfect for me. The advantage of this pot over a cafetiere is that the coffee comes out stronger and there is also a lot less sludge left over in the pot. Overall, I am very impressed with this device which is neat, compact and it shines up well after cleaning.

I've had mine for more than two years now. It's looking a bit brown at the base and positively black inside, but it's still turning out great coffee. Reading the reviews, I suspect some people break theirs by attempting to keep them pristine. They're not meant to be like that. Let them grow old gracefully.I bought the 'nine cup' version, which of course is not really nine cup. If you dilute it 50-50 with hot water from the kettle, you can get two large mugs of Americano.I noticed some people in the reviews complaining about leakages between base and top. I had this too until I realised what I was doing wrong. When you clean after use with water, make sure you get any excess water out of the thread and plastic seal. Shake it over the sink and wipe around the inside with kitchen towel. If there's water stuck in there it has to go somewhere.The beautiful sound is now part of my morning experience. I'd be bereft without it!