Bialetti Brikka Silver/Black 2 Cup Coffee Maker

In my Bialetti geyser coffee maker with built-in frother, I make one cup of coffee, even though it says that the capacity is for two or three cups. But I don't brew espresso, I brew Americano. Using it is very simple. Pour water up to the specified level in the bottom compartment, insert the coffee cone, pour in ground coffee without tamping, screw the top on, close the lid and put it on the stove. When you want a macchiato, you pour 40 ml of milk into the top. When the water boils, it passes through the tube of the coffee cone and rises to the top of the coffee maker. The foam frother handle on the lid rises and the coffee maker can be removed from the stove. To make foam, you need to raise and lower the frother handle 15 times with quick movements, not forgetting ... MoreIn my Bialetti geyser coffee maker with built-in frother, I make one cup of coffee, even though it says that the capacity is for two or three cups. But I don't brew espresso, I brew Americano. Using it is very simple. Pour water up to the specified level in the bottom compartment, insert the coffee cone, pour in ground coffee without tamping, screw the top on, close the lid and put it on the stove. When you want a macchiato, you pour 40 ml of milk into the top. When the water boils, it passes through the tube of the coffee cone and rises to the top of the coffee maker. The foam frother handle on the lid rises and the coffee maker can be removed from the stove. To make foam, you need to raise and lower the frother handle 15 times with quick movements, not forgetting to check whether the lid of the coffee maker is tightly closed. Your coffee is ready ! :)

Buy it!

We were planning to move to the gorgeous countryside from Bondi and my only doubt was how on earth i was going to get a decent coffee every day. Truly such a dilemma haha.I purchased the Brikka Moka Pot with integrated valve after my favourite Italian coffee guy who owns La PiaDina in Bondi told me this was the easiest and cheapest way for me to replicate his amazing coffee. It wasn't going to be "as" good, of course, but with good beans and a good grinder it would come close, and to my utter delight he was correct!I have used it every day for 5 months now and it consistently makes a great, punch you in the face, creamy espresso. I would be lost without it. I'm on the AB website today to have a sniff around at a much more expensive and "proper" coffee machine ... MoreWe were planning to move to the gorgeous countryside from Bondi and my only doubt was how on earth i was going to get a decent coffee every day. Truly such a dilemma haha.I purchased the Brikka Moka Pot with integrated valve after my favourite Italian coffee guy who owns La PiaDina in Bondi told me this was the easiest and cheapest way for me to replicate his amazing coffee. It wasn't going to be "as" good, of course, but with good beans and a good grinder it would come close, and to my utter delight he was correct!I have used it every day for 5 months now and it consistently makes a great, punch you in the face, creamy espresso. I would be lost without it. I'm on the AB website today to have a sniff around at a much more expensive and "proper" coffee machine with all the bells and whistles because my husband thinks it's time for a Bigbop. He loves a long black and currently uses a stovetop pot, whereas I am a strong 3/4 flatwhite girl and truly I don't need all the bells and whistles and parts and noise and gadgets and dials. I am so happy with the Moka Pot espresso and don't see the point upgrading. I don't like milk steamers, mess, noise, more mess... instead, I put some milk in my Breville milk warmer and I grind the beans in my Breville grinder and it's all pretty easy and consistent. Also, because I wake up first and I don't want to make heaps of noise, I love preparing the MokaPot the night before and I just leave it on the stove so all i have to do in the morning is turn on the stove, it's a quick and quiet routine. I can get quietly caffeinated before my three tiny humans wake up.The parts are all aluminium so very sturdy except there is one rubber seal which you can easily replace for little cost when it needs it.The only downside is it's quite tight to undo at times, i wish i had a little contraption to assist with opening it. My husband opens it for me usually but something to consider if you have arthritis or wrist pain.Before you buy a bigbop, buy the brikka mokapot, best $70 you ever spent.

Find Your Brew!

I really like this espresso coffee maker. My family and I recently went to Italy and had quite a few espressos. The Airbnb we stayed in had one of these so we used it, incorrectly. After we ordered ours I watched a video. It was helpful. The one thing I must stress is that every stove heats differently. Start off on a lower heat and slowly bring it up each time until you find the optimum heat. Also, timing the removal of the pot from the heat is critical. Leave it on for just a few seconds too long and you will burn your espresso. One you dial-in your method this pot will brew a very tasty cup of espresso.

Good, but needs more attention and optimisation

A nice addition to my coffee tools. Different to the moka I own. You can definitely tell the effect of the increased pressure on taste. Much closer to an espresso. It needs optimising (volume, coarseness of grind, etc.), which I don’t always feel like going through, so have been swapping back to moka now and then. The volumes produced don’t always match the guide, and you have to watch it like a hawk to turn off heat as before it goes crazy or it bubbles and boils over everywhere. The “creama” is really just coffee foam. So it’s good but needs optimisation and more attention when in use, but it makes closest to an espresso I’ve had from a stovetop.

Great brew in all conditions!

I bought this as part of a camping set up for a 2 month trip. The pressure valve is a game changer for stellar coffee when you are need your morning cuppa. I also found this super easy to keep clean and definitely noticed a nice difference when using pre-boiled water, speeds up the process too a lot especially with a bit of wind around a gas cooker.Only thing I would change is the handle, sometimes I needed to be careful as it did get too hot to touch a few times, mainly due to wind moving the gas flame around. However, if this is for a home setup, it wouldn't be an issue for you.

Not as good as it used to be!

I've loved Bialetti for decades, and bought one of these previously which made really great espresso with a good crema on top. Unfortunately it gave up the ghost just short of a year after purchase, but we had used it a LOT so didn't feel too bad.However this replacement is vastly inferior - the metal is very thin, the threaded area between the top and bottom is not smooth, and the coffee standard is erratic - no long-lasting crema compared to the previous one, and sometimes it just spurts out of the middle of the pot during heating. I've binned the box so can't return it, and there's no alternative that close, so I guess I'll stick with it, but I'm not happy.

Patience and perseverance richly rewarded

It took a few days to "dial in" the correct grind for the Brikka (I gather that if you are using ready ground coffee any Italian brand, eg Illy, Lavazza, will be fine).It took a while longer to realise that you should start pouring the coffee BEFORE the Brikka starts spluttering. That way you will get the delicious coffee. The coffee that comes out once the spluttering starts is bitter and burnt tasting, in my experience. It isn't enough just to remove the Brikka from the heat when the coffee comes through into the pouring chamber.The result is as good as anything I can get in the best coffee shops.