Bialetti - Musa, Stovetop Coffee Maker, Suitable for all Types of Hobs, Stainless Steel, 4 Cups (5.07 oz.), Silver

So, in an effort to break my Starbucks habit, I purchased this and a Kuissential milk frother. From all of the reviews of multiple moka pots I decided to stay with a Bialetti in stainless steel and not aluminum. This particular pot is very sleek and attractive and looks nice on our island behind the cooktop. More importantly, the moka pot works PERFECTLY! I wanted to be sure that I could produce the best tasting espresso from the pot, so I did quite a bit of research online about "how to make the perfect moka espresso". The one that I decided to follow had a few more steps than came with the pot, but I did it anyway (improvising a bit along the way) and the results were AMAZING! Starbucks should be so lucky to produce an espresso as smooth as this. So to share here, these are tips for a perfect moka espresso: 1. Never wash the pot with anything than hot water and never use soap to clean it. 2. Break the pot in/season it before you start making espresso. I used a strong coffee blend that I had on hand and made two (2) pots before finally committing the expensive illy coffee to the endeavor. 3. Put the coffee into the basket and level it off with your finger. Don't fill it on the bottom of the pot and DO NOT TAMP the grounds. 4. Have a small bowl of cold tap water near the stove (I will explain this later). 5. Microwave or pre-heat the water for the espresso to just before it comes to a boil. I use 8 ounces for the moka pot. You can also heat more and pour the extra into your cup to warm it up (Obviously, dump the water out just before you pour the espresso into it). 6. Add the hot water to the bottom of the pot and do not let it go about the blow-off valve. 7. Place the filter basket in the bottom piece and screw the top onto the unit. 8. Place the pot on the stove on high and watch the process. You can lift the lid and watch the progress. The coffee will start to come out dark and gradually get lighter as it gets to the end of brewing. 9. When you start to see the coffee running out light remove the pot from the burner. 10. Place the pot into the cold water (not above the seal) to stop the brewing process. 11. Swirl the espresso around in the pot for a second or two to mix the coffee evenly. 12. Pour and enjoy. If you are very disciplined and are going to save the rest for some reason, place whatever is left in a covered thermos to keep it hot. Obviously, having a great coffee grind specifically for a moka pot is critical. The illy that I purchased is pricey, but the flavor is absolutely amazing and smooth. This and my new frother are letting me enjoy great lattes at a significant savings over what I've been paying at Starbucks. My only regret is that I waited so long to finally make this purchase and start enjoying the coffee. If you're on the fence about purchasing one - don't hesitate.

This is my third stainless steel Bialetti and it does not disappoint. I will say though that, not knowing what to expect from a 10 cup, it is bigger that I envisioned. I have a 4 cup, a 6 cup and now a 10 cup. I got the 10 cup because I'm having to make two 6 pot runs whenever I have friends over and I'm only just 1 or 2 cups short; the 10 cup solves that problem. The pot is of Bialetti's usual high quality, no lightweight stainless steel here. I will say, however that on my pot, the lid is looser than on my other 2 pots... not really an issue. Please note, this pot is NOT for a beginner! First of, if you are learning to make espresso only on a 10 cup you are going to spend too much on coffee honing your skills (on my test runs so far it looks like somewhere around 50 to 55 grams will get me to my sweet spot... I need a few more runs to dial it in. (I season my new pots by first running a vinegar "espresso" with nothing in the filter then 4 or 5 plain water "espressos" again nothing in the filter and then 4 or 5 pots using the cheapest espresso I can find, when I see a little staining on the inner walls of the pot I'm ready to dial in my pot with my regular espresso roast. (Remember to never wash the pot with soap, rinse with hot tap water and a toothbrush or a small stiff paintbrush and I also use a wooden chopstick to get down into that crevice inside, shave it as needed) If you are a beginner learn on a 4 cup it's much cheaper when playing with your tamping and heat settings. I read in someone's review before I bought this pot, that it was difficult to tighten the 10 cup because it was hard to grasp since it was "big". Well he was absolutely right. It is 5 inches in diameter at the bottom of the pot and tapers up to about 4.5 inches. I pre boil my water to 145 deg. F before I drop in the loaded filter so tightening this baby required some thought. I finally wound up using two small rubber strap wrenches (see photo) to tighten the preheated pot and also to loosten it. It works very well. You can't go wrong with a Bialetti... Always Great Espresso, ENJOY!

I recently returned from a visit to Paris, and the AirBnB apartment we stayed at had a small aluminum stovetop espresso maker. I liked the ease of use and overall simplicity, so I decided to purchase one after getting home. I had reservations about using an aluminum pot, so I opted for the stainless steel version, which, as an added bonus, also has a more stylish appearance than the "classic" model. Some reviews have stated that the stainless steel version doesn't work as well as the aluminum, but I have gotten terrific results with it. I use good quality dark roast whole beans, which I grind coarsely just before brewing with an older (made in France) Krups propeller grinder. I fill the water chamber to just below the valve and then loosely fill the filter basket with the grinds, without packing or tamping. (To get a good pressure seal, it's important to remove any coffee dust from the edge of the basket.) The instructions say to not use the highest setting on an electric stove, but it works best for me at full blast on my stove. Once the coffee is starting to get towards the end of brewing, remove the pot from the heat until it finishes hissing and spurting, swish the coffee around in the pot to blend, and then enjoy! Do not be concerned if there is a small amount of water left in the lower chamber after brewing; this is normal. I would describe the brew to be somewhere between espresso and French press-brewed coffee, very rich and with a bit of sediment left in the cup. I typically take drip coffee with some half-and-half, but the coffee from this pot is so flavorful and lacking in unpleasant acidity that I enjoy it straight. I bought the 6-cup model, but that number is based on demitasse sizes. Be aware that a full pot will only fill one standard-sized coffee mug. This may seem like a PITA if you need to make coffee for two, but it literally takes just a few minutes to prepare a second pot of coffee, and the clean-up is super easy and not especially messy. The quality of the brew more than compensates for any inconvenience.

I recently ruined my aluminum Moka pot by accidentally putting it on the burner with no water in the reservoir. I bought the 6 cup Bialetti Musa as we will be getting an induction oven so a stainless steel model made sense. I had high hopes. However, while breaking the pot in, two items have led me to return it First, I cut the inside of my thumb on the lid when screwing the unit together - there was no excessive twisting involved. I love a good cup of coffee but I’m not willing to bleed for it. Second, unless you leave the pot on the stove for a few minutes to cool off the handle is uncomfortably hot - too hot to handle for more than a few seconds. Can you overcome both of these? Sure, but I really would like the coffee pot to serve me, not the other way around. For those wanting to know, I also measured the volume of coffee produced. It was consistently between 9 and 9.5 ounces when filling to just below the safety valve. Lastly, I was curious why so many reviews talked about the difficulty of opening the lid. I have to confess that this doesn’t seem like a reason not to buy the product. First, there is no need to open the lid when holding the pot by the handle. Second, I found that if I gripped the handle with three fingers (i.e. with my index finger above the handle) the reach of my thumb easily allowed me to open the lid at will. No problems with the quality of the brewing or anything else - I just don’t see any reason to make enjoying a good cup of coffee anything less than a simple thing.

I love coffee, and since I was a kid I was making it in the house with this pot. Bialetti is the best brand for coffee pots. It’s super easy to use: put water in the bottom half up to the valve, then put the metal “filter “ in, put the coffee in it, screw the top on and put it on the stove at medium heat. Let it go for a few minutes like 6-7 and when you hear the gurgling sound, and the top part is full of coffee, it’s ready! You should mix it before pouring as the first coffee at the top is weaker. Make sure to never wash it with soap or any chemicals as you will ruin the coffee flavor. One of these coffee pots is better when old as it retains the taste of the coffee. As soon as you receive it, do a couple of coffee runs and trash the coffee that comes out. In other words you have to “prime “ it so you can have a better taste. I personally suggest Lavazza classic. It’s the best. If you like another brand just make sure that it’s fine ground as if it’s too coarse it’ll make it weak. Also as a suggestion, after you rinse out the coffee pot, dry it with a paper towel inside or let it air dry.

The coffee quality, and flavour with this coffee maker is excellent! It's easy to clean, materials are extremely good quality, and I just love it! It's made from stainless steel (NO aluminium), has a silicon gasket, and plastic handles. I saw one review mentioning that some of the parts were "razor-sharp" but for my unit, all the edges were smoothened out, and not at all sharp. They probably received a defective unit, or may be exaggerating. Pro tip: go with the largest size possible / 10-Cup (15.5 Oz) (Like I did) so that you can make more cups of coffee. A typical cup of coffee (an Americano) for me is made with 350mL of water, and 1 and 1/2 tablespoons of coffee. The largest size possible can hold roughly 525mL of water MAX, or 1.5 americanos using the directions above. Overall, would definitely recommend.

I've used the Bialetti aluminum moka pots for years but lost interest when I got an aeropress which is more convenient to clean. I missed the moka pot for fine espresso grind sometimes so I got a stainless steel one to see how it works. It's way better than aluminum. It's super easy to clean compared to the aluminum. Steel rinses off more easily. And steel heats up slower than aluminum and doesn't get super hot enough to burn the coffee inside. That's a common complaint of the aluminum pots which get too hot too quickly. I use room temperature water, espresso ground or moka ground coffee, an aeropress paper filter in front of the metal filter, and high temp on my electric stove to get perfectly brewed coffee. This method gives me the best qualities of moka pot and aeropress coffee. I think it tastes better than aluminum. Musa has plastic stay cool handle on the lid, while Venus has a metal handle. 4 cups means small shot glass sized cups.

Horrible design! I should have sent it back but didn't. The first things that stands out is the worthless cover handle that simply cant be held when pouring. You need two hands to open it and won't stay open when pouring; it's just very annoying. (See videos from people who are recommending it, but can't even open the lid while demonstrating) The second and more important issue is that the safety pressure valve failed after just a few uses, so it leaks profusely and it never gets hot enough to turn all the water to steam. Since the amount of coffee is sometimes half the expected, this has lead to more time on the stove and this has only made the problem worse because it overheats. The result is that sometimes the coffee is too strong and sometimes too weak since the ratio of water to coffee is always different. I have had Bialetti coffee makers in the past both aluminum and steel that have made great coffee, but this new design is both expensive and totally worthless. Sometimes you just have to stop what you are doing and send it back! *** UPDATE: After eight emails back and forth to the Bialetti Servizio Clienti, I am now more disappointed than before. They essentially ignored all the explanations, pictures, and videos they asked me to submit to show the leaky valve issue, and refuse to do anything about it even though the coffee maker is under warranty. They are condescending and patronizing, and will not even send me a new valve! There are many other companies that make better and cheaper coffee makers than Bialetti; they seem to be riding on their reputation, but with these products and service that will soon change.