Every Day and Twice on Sundays!

Author's Rating:

Pros: Easy to clean, and easy to use. Fast.

Cons: Don't put the coffee on and walk away.  It will burn.  The coffee, that is.

The Bottom Line: 
These are quite expensive to buy but they last for years, even if you let it overheat a couple of times.  A great investment

Author's Review
The Bialetti Espresso pot has changed our lives.  Seriously.
There are eight coffee making devices in our kitchen, and it used to be that we had coffee on Saturdays and Sundays.  Then we found the absolutely simple to use, perfect coffee maker,  Now  it's cafe con leche every day.  From unscrewing the coffee pot to wash it out, to taking it off the stove when it gurgles is about five minutes.  I don't do the steamed milk so we don't get froth, but I do put the milk in a heatproof jug and microwave it for three minutes.  The Bialetti pot makes great espresso, even with the cheaper "bold Latin flavor" ground coffee.  It's an ingenious little thing, and works on an electric stove, gas stove, our pot bellied wood stove, and I'm looking forward to taking it camping too. 

We have the 6 cup coffeepot, but the cup referred to is the tiny espresso cup and so we get just two servings from a potful, mixed half and half with hot milk.  It's fairly strong so this works well for two people, but you could buy the 9 or 12 cup pot if you require more.  Make sure you don't cover the safety valve when filling and use espresso coffee, or try finely ground coffee of your choice.  Don't tamp down the coffee either, it needs to be loose for the steam to infiltrate.

When cleaning the pot, you rinse it well with very hot water, but don't use any detergent, or scourer or put it in the dishwasher.  The oil from the coffee will coat the aluminum and form a protective patina, so the metal will not taint your coffee.

I also have one piece of advice.  When the rubber seal gets nasty, as it will, buy silicon seals to replace it, being careful to measure the diameter accurately.  You can get three silicon seals for the price of one rubber seal if you shop around.  I think the seal would have lasted longer if I didn't wander into the garden and get distracted by something for the crucial few minutes it takes for the pot to overheat and the coffee to burn.  Another piece of advice.  Don't do that.  Stay with the coffee.