Bialetti Class 4-Cup Stovetop Espresso Percolator

Great Deal Bialetti Class 4-Cup Stovetop Espresso Percolator

This works VERY well to make a strong coffee that is more intense than that from any drip or press coffee maker but not so powerful as a big high pressure espresso machine in a cafe. Somewhere in between – but quite nice and inexpensive for the home. Cleans up easily. These are made in India (probably by guys sitting with hammers on the sidwalk) so may vary a bit sample to sample.

The only problem is the rubber seal ring – this gradually wears out and if you don’t find an original Bialetti replacement, it can leak steam no matter how hard you gorilla down the threads.

not built to last – Viola –
I’ve owned several stove top espresso makers, and this one made decent espresso. I think this was my second or third Bialetti. It was fairly quick, relative to another larger one I own, but in the end the steel on the bottom cracked and water started spewing out all over the place rather than syphoning up to the top for coffee. I think the steel also thinned out, because the whole base seemed to get hotter than it used to and would shoot heat up the side and burn it into a whitish color. The design is functional – the knob on top doesn’t get hot, the rubber ring didn’t flake out like the Venus one I had, and the tilted handle doesn’t sit over the flame like on some others, but in its last days this too got really hot. So while it’s cheaper than some others, mine didn’t last as a long term investment. I’m scaling up to another one. Hopefully that’ll last longer than this one, which only lasted like 5 years.

a major step up from aluminum – Kai Ewert –
I finally replaced our aluminum espresso maker with this one. After the mixed reviews, I was waiting with mixed feelings for it to arrive, but have been very happy once it got here. It is incredibly easy to clean (and needs that less than the aluminum version), no need to worry about aluminum intake, and it feels plenty solid, not at all shoddy like some other reviews indicate. I am very happy with this product and can’t believe I waited so long to make the switch.

Rating : 4.0

Price on May 10, 2010 11:15:10 : $54.99

Offer Price : $39.99

Availability : Usually ships in 24 hours

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