I ordered a Bialetti Moka for espresso

[Kimbalabala]

Since I don't want to spend thousands of dollars to get that perfect espresso, I'll try the cheap route. My DeLonghi grinder wasn't cutting it for espresso grind, so I dug out my Porlex hand grinder and it did a decent job. I made a fair cup with my AeroPress, but no crema. So I'm hoping the Bialetti will be 'good enough'. Here's to being cheap and hopefully making do with a small budget.

[Ascholten]

Hopefully it works out for you.  Please let us know how well it performs.  At the end of the day, it all honestly boils down to, what's good enough for YOU.  If you are happy with what you are getting out of it, then that's all that matters.

Aaron

[Kimbalabala]

I'll keep you posted.

[Benjamin]

Moka pot tips:
-Most people will tell you grind barely coarser than espresso. I found best results with a coarser grind, in fact, my french press (FP) and moka pot grind is the same, though I'm a bit unorthodox.
-USE BOILING WATER. This makes by far the biggest difference for me. There is a video of a Hungarian third wave coffee shop where they figured out how to get a thermocouple right in the coffee cake, and they found that the water temp through the grounds was actually cooler than if you start off with cold water in the moka pot and let it boil on the stovetop.
-Take the moka pot off the stove when it's about 1/2 to 2/3 full, there's enough momentum for the pot to go the rest of the way, and you don't want the tail end of the pot, anyways. You could even go so far as putting the bottom of the moka pot in cold water to stop brewing even faster.

I actually enjoyed using my moka pot for americanos for a while, perhaps I'll go back to that once my current infatuation with FP wears off.

[brianmch]

I had a moka 15+ yrs ago as a gateway to the espresso world. 

Lots of thinking has changed since the time when the only available coffee near me was Bustelo. 

[simmich]

I?ve had a Stainless steel moka pot for years. 12oz boiling water, some medium ground coffee in the basket NOT compressed, put it together, back on the stove, and voila, awesome moka! This is not espresso however, for that I crank up my Cremina and use my finely tuned Macap grinder. All good

[Kimbalabala]

I ordered the Moka pot instead of the Brikka by accident. Ok. I was trying to save money and didn't realize they were two different pots (and what I got was about $30 less). So I'm still not making espresso. But it's a nice cup - it'll make a good latte shot I think. But I'm disappointed in my error. Oh well. It'll be a nice thing to drink on a Saturday morning - a cafe con leche.

[brianmch]

I?ve had a Stainless steel moka pot for years. 12oz boiling water, some medium ground coffee in the basket NOT compressed, put it together, back on the stove, and voila, awesome moka! This is not espresso however, for that I crank up my Cremina and use my finely tuned Macap grinder. All good

Yeah, lever espresso and moka coffee are not remotely the same, but both are yummy.

Learning to love my PVL which is in the same vein as the Cremina, which I've never experienced.

 

[Kimbalabala]

Re: Moka coffee ... how do you all drink it? Straight up? On the rocks? (JK) With a dash of cream? Steamed milk? Dilute it to make Americano (is that a thing?). I've been roasting beans for a few years but I've only used a French Press and occasionally the AeroPress, so I'm venturing into new territory and am totally clueless.

[brianmch]

Re: Moka coffee ... how do you all drink it? Straight up? On the rocks? (JK) With a dash of cream? Steamed milk? Dilute it to make Americano (is that a thing?). I've been roasting beans for a few years but I've only used a French Press and occasionally the AeroPress, so I'm venturing into new territory and am totally clueless.

I drank mine straight up but I'm sure any of your options are on the table, including an Americano.  If you make an Iced americano add water to shot first then ice.  Same with an Iced Latte: milk and shot first then ice. 

[simmich]

Re: Moka coffee ... how do you all drink it? Straight up? On the rocks? (JK) With a dash of cream? Steamed milk? Dilute it to make Americano (is that a thing?). I've been roasting beans for a few years but I've only used a French Press and occasionally the AeroPress, so I'm venturing into new territory and am totally clueless.

We have the 12 oz  mocha pot, so we drink 12 ounces straight up.If the little lady is coffeed up, I?ll drink the whole pot straight up. For espresso, I gotta crank up the lever.

[brianmch]

Re: Moka coffee ... how do you all drink it? Straight up? On the rocks? (JK) With a dash of cream? Steamed milk? Dilute it to make Americano (is that a thing?). I've been roasting beans for a few years but I've only used a French Press and occasionally the AeroPress, so I'm venturing into new territory and am totally clueless.

We have the 12 oz  mocha pot, so we drink 12 ounces straight up.If the little lady is coffeed up, I?ll drink the whole pot straight up. For espresso, I gotta crank up the lever.

What coffee type/roast profile do you prefer for your Moka? Or, is there a bean type/profile that seems to turn out better in it than others?