Bialetti LA Cafetiere MOKA Express 12 CUP

Brief history

Renato Bialetti, son of founder Alfonso Bialetti, is credited with being the man behind the Moka Express back in 1933. Story has it the Moka Expresso “revolutionised” the way of making coffee at home thanks to a successful advertising campaign on Italian TV. The Group’s trademark is the “Man with the moustache” picture that was developed by Paul Campani in the 1950s.

The range of products is actually manufactured by Rondine Italia, a company that is famous for producing aluminium saucepans. In 1993 Bialetti was taken over by Rondine but the two companies didn’t actually ‘merge’ until 1998. The famous Moka Express range now had a new manufacturer.

A full history of Bialetti can be found on their website.

What is it?

The Bialetti Moka Express maker is a non-electric coffee maker that is of the stove top variety. It consists of an aluminium jug made out of two distinct sections. The first consists of the bottom water holding vessel and the second is a top pouring pot. The two sections are screwed together to make a single unit, in which water and coffee is added before the pot is heated up on a hob, a gas ring, a camping stove or any other cooker that you may wish to use.

The Moka Express range

The Moka Expresso is available in a variety of sizes including a 1cup, 3 cup, 6 cup, 9 cup, 12 cup and 18 cup.

The range of sizes in good but are they all really needed? I can see the point of the 1, 3 and even 6 cup versions but everything above this seems pointless to me. When you consider the boiling times, the actual energy you are going to use in boiling such large vessels and the hassle of cleaning the large pots (all of which are described later on in this review) I see major disadvantages in the 9, 12 and 18 cup versions.

How does it work?

Before using the Moka Express I had only ever had experience of the traditional percolator jug style coffee makers. You know, the ones where the coffee and water is put in a storage vessel above the jug and allowed to drip through a cone of filter paper (to remove the coffee bean/powder sediment) in to a collection jug sat on a hot plate to keep everything hot. Thanks to the findings of Mr Newton and his apple, I naturally assumed that all coffee makers worked on this ‘drip’ system, so I was very surprised when I saw the gravity defying method the Moka Express used. I admit that I was sceptical at first but any concerns I had soon disappeared as I was supping down my first Moka Express pot made coffee.

The Moka Express pot produces the drink using water pressure to fuse the water and coffee powder, rather than gravity and although I still find it difficult to comprehend and struggle to get my hear around the concept, it works very well.

The science bit

From what I can remember from my high school physics classes (please note that these were a few years ago now so feel free to point out any errors I have made) as the water is heated the molecules gain momentum (kinetic energy) and collide with each other. As the temperature increases, the kinetic energy increases (as does the amount of collisions) which in turn increases the pressure. The aluminium pot is made to withstand the additional pressure and keeps its shape, i.e. it does not expand. As the pressure increases the water is forced upwards (well it has to go somewhere) through what is effectively a colander in which there is coffee powder through a gauze (designed to allow the coffee and water through but not the sediment) and through a spout and in to a pouring vessel.

I’m sure the inquisitive amongst you are wondering how the coffee remains in the pouring vessel and doesn’t just fall back down through the gauze and the colander and in to the bottom half of the pot. After all gravity should take hold right?

The spout goes through the middle of the pouring pot so the water and coffee is forced through the spout and spills over in to the pouring vessel, where it is trapped, and can be poured for consumption.

Making the coffee

Making the coffee is simple but it is long winded and unlike the electric coffee makers and machines it requires constant attention. Coffee is made as follows;

i) Unscrew the top pouring vessel and fill the bottom section with water. The instructions state fill up to the line marked on the inside of the bottom section and no further. Being a bit of a ‘yeah, whatever” person I ignored this advice after a couple of uses and ended up regretting it. Fill it up to much and the water will spill over the top of the pouring vessel as the water boils. Fill it to the line and the water remains in the pot. Take heed.

ii) Insert the gauze and spoon in the coffee of your choice. There are loads to choose from and include all different strengths and types, different flavours etc. etc. The amount to use will depend on your own taste but consult the back of the coffee packet (as a starting point) and then adjust for your own requirements.

iii) Screw the pouring vessel back on to the bottom section and put on a hob.

iv) When the pot starts steaming, remove from the hob and pour in to a mug/cup. Add milk and sugar to taste and Hey presto. How easy (although time consuming in practice) is that?

Boiling times

Filling the bottom water bowl to the recommended 325ml mark with cold water straight out of the tap and put on to my Electrolux cooker hob takes 6 minutes to boil. This is not as fast as an electric kettle but they say the best things come to those who wait and waiting 7 minutes for a proper cup of coffee is no big deal.

What I find irritating is the fact the pot requires constant supervision to ensure that you get to remove the pot before the coffee burns. Providing the 325ml mark is not exceeded the water will not boil over. There will be a rumbling noise as the pot wobbles under the pressure but the steam valve is efficient enough to ensure that the water remains in the pot. I find the best time to remove the pot is when the pot just starts to steam as the water is boiling and the coffee is just right. Leave it a split second too long and the coffee will burn, which ruins the taste considerably.

The boiling time of the 1 cup is about the same time as my mother’s coffee machine, but you only get one coffee with my Moka Express, unlike the machine that delivers multiple cups. This is ideal for one person but no good at all, if you are entertaining. Whilst there are many different sizes of Moka Express available I would not like to hazard a guess as to the boiling times, especially considering the 1 cup takes about 6 minutes. Larger versions are likely to take much longer and considering it is the same as boiling a saucepan of water for potatoes or pasta or something similar, I am imagining it could take a while, especially with the 18 cup version. I would think it best to use a machine in these circumstances.

Cleaning

Unfortunately, cleaning is part and parcel of owning a coffee machine. Whether it is one like the Moka Express, a large all singing and all dancing top of the range maker or one of the old fashioned percolators there’s no getting away from it.

Cleaning the Moka Express pot is a messy business and the coffee powder tends to go everywhere. Firstly, you have to let the pot cool down although this is more for safety reasons and to minimise the mess (I always find that I am a bit violent with hot things(it is a human reaction to flinch after all) and find I end up flicking mess everywhere when cleaning out the pot when it is too hot).

Once cool the top pouring vessel needs to be unscrewed from the bottom water holding pot. The coffee sediment will not only be in the colander but it will also be stuck to the bottom of the gauze in the top pouring pot which makes this quite a messy affair. Whilst the coffee sediment can be washed down the sink, I would advise against this as it will block the U-bend sooner, or later. I find the best thing to do is to wrap the sediment in a couple of sheets of newspaper before disposing in the bin. No matter how much I scrape the colander and the gauze I can never seem to get rid of all the sediment and there is always some surplus that needs to be washed down the plughole.

Looks

Providing the Moka Express does what it should do, i.e. allows users to make great cups of coffee, then its looks and appearance should be of no relevance. This is how it should be, but since we live in a bit of a fake and materialistic world where there is a lot of emphasis on looks, consumers will often buy products based on looks rather than functionality.

I think the Moka Express is a stylish looking product. Made out of plain aluminium that looks stainless steel and ‘retro’, which is currently the style to have, it is modern and attractive. It looks bang up to date and is far more tasteful than the old percolator styles, which were a bit of an eyesore. The pot is not your typical cylindrical shape. It is octagonal in design and has some nice looking angles, which in my opinion, gives it a unique selling point.

Whilst it looks pretty to begin with the pot will soon get dis-coloured, faded, scratched and start to look tired after a few uses, but this happens to all functional aluminium and stainless steel looking products. It will only be a ‘show piece’ for so long and you’ll soon find a suitable home for it out of the way.

Durability

The Moka Express appears to be made out of good quality aluminium and, providing it is not too badly mistreated, it is more than good enough for its purpose. Mine has taken a few knocks and bangs (although nothing too severe) and thanks to the thick metal it has managed not to bend out of shape or dent. It has suffered from scratches though but this has not affected the way in which this product performs.

I have used my Moka Express on the hob, on a camping gaz stove (I should stress that it takes an age to boil on these camping gaz cookers but then most things do) and on a Coleman petrol stove which kicks out a whopping 2,200Kw of power (i.e. an awful lot of heat) and it is still going strong. The petrol stove charred the bottom of the pot, but then it has charred everything that has ever been subjected to its immense heat, but the Moka Express still works fine, although it now looks a bit second hand.

Prices to buy and use

The Moka Express range is cheaper than the equivalent sized coffee machines but then given the simplistic design, and what actually goes in to making the product this is not surprising. A brief search on the internet has indicated that prices start at around £18.95 for the 1 cup and rise to £59.95 for the 18 cup, which is very expensive in my opinion especially given they are little more than an aluminium kettle. What I do find strange is that many of the smaller sizes are cheaper than their larger counter-parts. I can only assume this is due to the fact that the smaller versions are more popular, hence the retailers can hike up the price somewhat.

Whilst the Moka Express may be the cheaper outlay we need to consider if using it will be cheaper than using an electric coffee machine. Whilst the Moka Express doesn’t directly rely on electricity to boil, and keep warm, it does require the use of an oven (be it gas or electricity) or some other kind of stove. The 1 cup has a poor boiling time (i.e. it takes ages) and larger versions are likely to take even longer. So, is the energy required to boil a 6 cup version likely to exceed the electricity needed for an equivalent size machine? I am unable to comment on this but it is something that should be taken in to consideration if you are thinking of purchasing a larger sized Moka Express.

Opinion

Being the only coffee drinker in a two-person household makes it awkward to experience the taste of real coffee at home, which is a shame since I do get bored of instant coffee. I appreciate that there are several brands of instant coffee and some are clearly ‘better’ than others but I still think they are all a bit ‘samey’ regardless of the manufacturer. I have found most coffee makers are far too large and making coffee is wasteful since a couple of cups down and I am done. This product allows me, as a single person, to enjoy top quality coffee.

This is clearly a one-person coffee pot, which is suitable for my needs, but I think it is just a bit too small. I like to drink out of mugs. Call me uncouth but I can’t be doing with small cups and saucers with handles so small I can just about squeeze my little finger in (I do suffer from fat finger syndrome) so, in order to actually drink the coffee as opposed to spilling it all over myself a mug is the only viable option. We all have our favourite drinking vessel and mine is a Kit Kat mug (One I got with an Easter Egg many years ago and whilst it has suffered with a bit of fading, a small crack and a few stains it is still going strong) but it can only be filled up once with this pot. After the first fill up there is a tiny bit left, but it is so miniscule it is not worth bothering about.

One coffee is never enough in my opinion so the amount this pot holds is a major disadvantage for me. I suppose I could just make another pot but making a coffee (as described above) is a chore, (what with the cleaning procedure, standing around and waiting for it to boil etc.), and to be brutally honest I can’t be bothered since although I like coffee I am not than fond of it.

I pride myself with being decisive, however on this occasion I’m afraid that I have to sit on the fence about the Moka Express since there are many positives but there are many negatives, as follows;

Positives

i) It is ideal for one or two people
ii) It is much cheaper than other coffee machines
iii) It is tough and durable
iv) It doesn’t require a 240V electric supply, therefore making it portable and ideal for camping, boating and other leisure activities

Negatives

i) The 1 cup version is just too small
ii) It doesn’t look pretty for long
iii) It takes ages to boil
iv) It is a nightmare to clean
v) Potentially, it can cost more to use than the alternative machines
vi) It is not suitable for lots of people

If you are a single person that likes the taste of ‘real’ coffee then, providing you don’t mind the cleaning and the waiting around, I would recommend the Moka Express. I would advise against the 1 cup and go for the 3 cup since this gives you more than one serving.

If you are in a household of coffee drinkers, or looking for a coffee making solution for entertaining, dinner parties and the like I would not recommend any of the Moka Express range and would suggest looking at the more conventional electric coffee machines.

I do have some pictures of the Moka Express that will be posted once Ciao have sorted out their technical problems.

(Originally posted on Dooyoo under the name of Yackers1)