ottawa foodies

I was just on holiday in France and got used to drinking espresso.

I had tried a cheaper espresso machine before and didn't get a good coffee, but after some googling I found these coffee pots invented by Bialetti.

They don't make true espresso (no visible crema), but the taste is remarkably like espresso and I prefer it to the coffee my aeropress makes.

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Moka_pot

The pots are sold on www.amazon.ca. Google bialetti or moka. The prices for the smaller pots are under $30 with free shipping by amazon.

You have to season a new pot, first by salt, then a few batches of cheap coffee. After that you just clean the pot with water, no soap.

www.vvlgar.com

Additional Info:

Apparently the smaller sized pots make better coffee (because more pressure builds up in the smaller pot due to less thermal mass ?). I got a 1 "cup" pot and that's what I've been using, but it basically makes just a shot of coffee, and since it's so good, a shot is a bit too little. Perhaps a 2 "cup" or 3 cup pot would be better for one or two people.

I like it so much I may get the electric version, so I can make them in the kitchen at work.

Ikea has one at a really good price just FYI

I couldn't find it on the ikea website. Do you have a link? What was the price?

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Was it this one? www.ikea.com

It at $19 is a good price, as it's $50 on amazon.com (and not available on amazon.ca). But it's a 6 shot pot, so a little too big for one person.

That looks like the one I have - I find it perfect for a good cup of coffee. I don't consider these to make Espresso any more than the Aeropress does. But it does make a great cup of coffee.

Just went and got one, thanks ! It's 6 "cups" - 6 espresso shots or about 1 large cup of coffee, a very strong coffee.

My moka pot has been gathering dust since I got an Aeropress a couple of Christmases ago. Which is fine, it's all aluminium and I do 90% of my cooking on an induction cooktop these days; had I got a stainless one I might use it from time to time, but the Aeropress is so darn fast once you get used to it.

I use a 6 cup Bialetti and like that it is stainless steel and not aluminum like my old ones gathering dust in the basement, and I also like the size. I make 2 nice little cups out of the whole pot and if I only want one I will pour the second one into a 125 ml canning jar and put the lid on - it usually seals so I can take it with me if need be and all I need is a microwave and I'm happy about mid-afternoon. I do like the coffee from it (and use light to medium roasts most often as I rarely roast into 2C). I was given an Aeropress last month but the jury is still out on it as I've been away and only used it a few times - all inverted. Also, 'tis the season for cold-pressed coffee still - I like my afternoon cold latte.

I came up with a faster conditioning method if you get an aluminium pot.

Fill the lower chamber half with salt, then add boiling water to the top. Dissolve and put in the filter basket (empty) and the top section. Put on stove and boil through. Let it cool, pour the salty water from the top back into the base and repeat (one or two more times). Then rinse it and make a batch with cheap coffee.

I like my aeropress, but the moka pot coffee tastes better, to me anyway.

@Andy, cold brew is great ! But it takes a long time :-) It's a different taste though. Cold brew, french press, aeropress, moka pot, all different, all good in their own way. But I really crave the moka pot.

I have a Bialetti Mukka express (this one: www.amazon.ca )

I am no coffee connoisseur, but I find it makes a really yummy cappuccino.

Cool paint job on that Bailetti !

I wonder how this one works? Seems like a different mechanism in the lid than the other Bailetti pots:

www.amazon.com

Since I'm making good coffee at work with a hot plate and moka pot, I thought I should have a decent cup to enjoy it from. The moka coffee cools down too quickly for my liking in a regular ceramic mug.

I found this double wall mug on www.amazon.ca It keeps liquids warm or cold, because there is an space (vacuum?) between the inside and the outside. It's transparent, which is nice if you make a layered beverage.

There is also this one www.amazon.ca A handle is not needed because the outside of the cup doesn't get hot.

Pic of the bodum double wall espresso shot glass.

I have been using Bialetti products since living in France in the mid 2000's. I now use the electric model -- the Easy Cafe -- I have one at work and at home allowing me the opportunity to make good quality coffee whenever the urge arises.

www.bialetti.com

Stokes has 6 cup (espresso shots) Moka pots on sale for $10, in red or black, aluminium.

www.stokesstores.com

Can they be used on Ceran cooktops?

Yes. I use mine (the Bialetti in the picture on the first post) on a Ceran. I fill the base with boiling water first, put in the basket with coffee, then the top. Then I put it on the stove. As soon as the coffee starts to come out (in a minute or so) I turn off the heat. If it's coming out quickly I lift it from the surface then put it back down. You want it to come out slowly. It only takes a minute to brew though, if you start with hot water.

The stainless steel pots can be used on induction, but the pot is kind of small. I wonder what the minimum pot size is for induction cooktops?

If you get an aluminium one, season it with salt, then cheap coffee first, or it will impart a metallic taste to the coffee initially.

And frothers for lattes . . . I tried using a bodum to froth up some soy milk (almond milk didn't froth as well as soy). I haven't gotten tht barrista soy yet.
The French press worked great. The soy milk tripled in volume.

Froth it cold and heat it up afterwards in the microwave.

But the french press worked great as a frother. Stokes has some inexpensive French presses too: www.stokesstores.com It should work.