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Bialetti Moka Express review: Is this coffee pot able to make a great tasting brew at home?

Bialetti Moka Pot 3-Cup Coffee Maker review

The average American drinks a little over three cups of coffee every day. The typical cost of a cup of coffee ranges from roughly $2-$5. This means the average person can spend $60-$150 on coffee every month. With the right coffee maker, however, you could brew great-tasting coffee at home and save money in the process.

Bialetti, a family-run brand in Italy, has a Moka Express coffee pot that it claims can do just that. It’s manufactured from high-quality polished aluminum and promises to deliver a “strong, rich and velvety brew” in less than five minutes on your stovetop. 

We wanted to see if Bialetti’s claims were true: Is this coffee pot able to brew great-tasting coffee at home? We tested the Bialetti Moka Express and here’s what we found.

Testing the Moka Pot 

To test the Bialetti Moka Express coffee pot, we had a tester use this product for several weeks. While our tester doesn’t drink coffee every day, they will occasionally grind coffee beans to brew themselves. However, the majority of the time, they purchase coffee that has already been brewed.

What is the Moka Pot?

The Bialetti stainless steel Moka Pot is a stovetop coffee brewer that can be used on either a gas or an electric range. It offers an affordable way to brew strong coffee at home in about five minutes. The pot is made of aluminum and has an appealing octagonal shape that gives it an Art Deco style. It’s very simple to unbox and set up. The unit is manufactured to be as earth-friendly as possible and will last up to a decade with very minimal maintenance.

How to use the Moka Pot

The stainless steel Bialetti Moka Pot 3-cup is very simple to use. To start, you will need to unscrew the unit to access the filter basket. We found that, for best results, we needed finely ground coffee — nothing too coarse. Since we ground our own coffee beans, it added two or three minutes to the overall coffee-brewing process, but you could use pre-ground coffee instead. Fill the filter basket to the brim with finely ground coffee and add heated water to the bottom half of the Moka Pot. Place the filter basket in the bottom half of the coffee maker and screw the top half on securely, making sure no coffee grounds get in the way of making a good seal. Place the Bialetti on the stove over medium heat — if you brew it too quickly, the coffee will have a bitter taste — and enjoy.

When you are finished, wait for the Moka Pot to completely cool before disassembling and dumping out the grounds in the filter basket. Rinse the pot and thoroughly dry it so the aluminum won’t stain.

Key features of the Moka Pot

This stovetop coffee brewer is very much a no-frills device that doesn’t have bells and whistles. The model we tested had a 3-cup capacity. It is made of aluminum and features a patented safety valve. For cleaning, you only need to use water, no detergents.

Other top home espresso machines

Breville Barista Express Espresso Machine

If you are looking for a top-of-the-line espresso machine, this offering by Breville is a choice option. You can have all the convenience of a commercial machine in your own home, if you’re willing to pay the price.

Sold by Amazon and Bed Bath & Beyond

Black+Decker 12-Cup Programmable Coffee Maker

For those who simply want an affordably priced programmable coffee maker, this 12-cup model from Black+Decker will suit your needs. The Sneak-a-Cup feature allows you to pour your first cup before brewing ends.

Sold by Amazon, Kohl’s and Macy’s

Keurig K-Cafe Special Edition Single-Serve Coffee, Latte & Cappuccino Maker 

This offering from Keurig allows you to make coffee, lattes and cappuccinos from any K-Cup pod. The large water reservoir lets you brew 6 cups before you need to refill, which can help simplify your morning routine.

Sold by Amazon and Bed Bath & Beyond

Moka Pot price

The Bialetti Moka Express coffee pot has a suggested retail price of $29.99, but it can often be found at a slightly reduced price.

Where is the Moka Pot sold?

The Bialetti Moka Express coffee pot is available at Amazon.

Moka Pot benefits

The most appealing feature for many will be this product’s low price. It also has the ability to make high-quality, flavorful coffee quickly on the stove and get near-espresso results. The Bialetti has a compact size so it fits easily on your counter, and is simple to clean.

Moka Pot drawbacks

Our biggest concern with this model is that the Moka Pot gets very hot, so you must be careful when handling it. Additionally, there can be a rather steep learning curve and it can take a lot of trial and error before you learn how to brew your coffee the way you like it.

Should you get the Moka Pot?

If you want to save a great deal of money and you’re not interested in a coffee machine with one-touch convenience, you’ll be very happy with the Bialetti Moka Express coffee pot. It’s a device that is simple to use but hard to master. The results that you get, however, will be worth the effort because this coffee pot lets you quickly brew great-tasting coffee in your own home.

 

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Allen Foster writes for BestReviews. BestReviews has helped millions of consumers simplify their purchasing decisions, saving them time and money.

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