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The best moka pots and other stovetop espresso makers are similar to espresso machines in that they rely on pressure and deliver rich, strong coffee without ultra-fine foam or crema. However, they do it without the expense, mess, and lost counter space wrought by their costlier big siblings, which is why we love them. Celsius Degree
Whether you want to make espresso over a campfire or just need an upgrade, we found the best moka pots for every coffee drinker. Our best overall pick is the Grosche Milano, which was sturdy and great to travel with. We loved the silicone gasket because it seals better and lasts longer than rubber. Our best budget pick was the Imusa from Amazon. This moka pot brewed coffee that was just as good as the other models we tested at a fraction of the price but is less durable.
Best overall: Grosche Milano - See at Amazon Made with thick, durable aluminum, a heat-resistant handle, and a silicone gasket, Grosche's Milano is built to last and priced to compete.
Best budget: Imusa Aluminum Stovetop Coffee Maker - See at Amazon Built with the same materials and roughly the same design found in models four times its price, Imusa's Aluminum Stovetop Coffee Maker is all you really need for top-notch moka pot coffee.
Best for induction stovetops: LuxHaus Stovetop Espresso Maker - See at Amazon LuxHaus' Stovetop Espresso Maker is made with stainless steel and a narrow chimney for carefully maintaining heat and brewing moka-pot coffee on an induction stove.
Best upgrade: Bellman Stovetop Espresso Maker with Pressure Gauge - See at Amazon Producing 2 to 3 bars of pressure, the Bellman CX25P Stovetop Steamer and Espresso Maker gets closer to actually brewing espresso than any moka pot, and has a cafe-style steam wand.
Pros: Sturdy; high-quality parts; great for gas, electric, and camp stoves
Cons: Not great for induction stoves, corrosive, not dishwasher safe
Moka pots need to be designed for contact with an open flame, and unless you're working over an electric stovetop, the best moka pots are built to stand up to the heat. Grosche's Milano is the most durable and functional aluminum model we've tried yet.
Apart from being built with thick, food-grade aluminum, Grosche's Milano comes with a silicone gasket, which won't wear out nearly as quickly as the rubber ones found in many alternatives. Further, we are dealing with pressure when we brew in a moka pot. The low memory of silicone (meaning you won't start to find creases in it as you would with natural rubber) means it will seal better and last longer.
Grosche's Milano comes with a silicone-coated handle so that, first and foremost, you won't burn yourself when you reach for it (as you can with plastic), and it won't melt if you happen to be a little careless. While with proper care and attention, plastic handles should last, all it takes is one slip-up and you'll have a mess of melted plastic to deal with or, at the very least, a handle to replace.
The only place we're left wanting with Grosche's Milano, as we are with every aluminum model, is the handle. The earliest iterations of the moka pot employed only metal parts and were designed to last. That said, Grosche's Milano is the best, widely available solution we've found, and it will stand up to almost anything.
Read our full Grosche Milano Moka Pot review.
Pros: Designed as well as most on the market at a fraction of the price, makes coffee every bit as well
Cons: Slightly more delicate than many other options, corrosive, not dishwasher safe
Moka pot design hasn't evolved much since the first one was introduced almost a century ago. For that reason, they're fairly easy to replicate and produce, and Imusa has done a fantastic job of putting the original design into an incredibly affordable package. There are few, if any, coffee-brewing methods as affordable.
Made of thin aluminum, Imusa's moka pot (billed as a "Stovetop Espresso Maker") heats up quickly and does everything any other aluminum moka pot does, every bit as well. It comes with a low-memory, tighter-sealing silicone gasket, which is preferred to the rubber one included in some pricier options.
The only drawback with this moka pot is that it is (mildly) more delicate. You'll want to take extra care when using the lid and the handle, which are relatively brittle, though still not dainty; they just might not survive a camping trip. If you want espresso-like coffee as cheaply as possible from something that's not going to fall apart in short order, this is the best stovetop espresso maker for you.
Another option is the Goodcook Koffee. It offers something between Bialetti's Express models and Grosche's Milano for a fair price, but like too many other affordable options out there, the non-coated plastic handle is begging to melt.
Pros: Good parts where it counts, dishwasher safe (top rack), non-corrosive
Cons: Plastic handle and lid tab, not great for gas or electric stoves
Because induction stovetops require magnetic cookware to function, purely aluminum moka pots won't work on them. A stainless steel moka pot might take a little longer to heat up in general, which is why we don't necessarily recommend them for gas and electric stovetops, but it will work on an induction stovetop.
LuxHaus' Stovetop Espresso Maker (we'll call it one of the best moka pots because none of these devices make true espresso) is attractive, with its unique shape and stainless-steel sheen, but it also offers a more controlled experience. By that, we mean it is less likely to spurt coffee all over your stovetop and make a mess, which we attribute to the steady pressure buildup within its long and gradually narrowing center column or chimney. While this is a user-error-related issue, LuxHaus has done a great job of addressing it.
It's the minor things that make the LuxHaus so great. First, stainless steel is a lot more durable, corrosion-resistant, and dishwasher-safe. We also like the tall, narrow chimney it comes with, which, in our experience, reduces splatter and leads to a slower, more even trickle of coffee. And while it's a little tricky to remove the filter basket on most moka pots, this one is equipped with a spring that props it up for easy removal and cleaning.
LuxHaus' Stovetop Espresso Maker is an elegantly designed stainless steel moka pot built to last and the best moka pot suited for induction stovetops.
If you have an induction stovetop and want an upgrade, look to the Cuisinox Roma. Fully stainless steel, there's no cheap plastic attached to this, and the gasket is made of silicone. The only reason this isn't a top pick is that it costs far more than most people are willing to spend on a moka pot.
Pros: Compact for what it does, sturdy, high-quality stainless steel components
Cons: Can be dangerous because it is a pressurized vessel, it still doesn't make "true" espresso as defined by the Istituto Nazionale Espresso Italiano (ISNEI)
Bellman's Stovetop Steamer and Espresso Maker produces coffee far closer to real espresso than any other moka pot we've tested. While all stovetop and moka pot coffeemakers rely on pressure to brew, most wouldn't even register on a pressure gauge. The Bellman hits between 2 and 3 bars.
The Bellman can handle the extra pressure thanks to 304-grade stainless steel, heavy-duty gaskets, and a large boiling chamber. It's built to last, and we haven't found any shortcomings in its design or any weak parts or fittings.
It's easier to use the CX25P than your average moka pot. Rather than gauging the temperature with a thermometer, the pressure gauge lets you know when it's the right time to open the tap carefully and let your coffee flow. Aim for around two bars, depending on how you like your coffee, but no more than four, for safety's sake.
There are three different levels (marked inside the chamber) for filling the steamer with water and coffee: 3, 6, and 9-cup brews. We find that they actually equate to about 1, 3, and 6 shots, respectively, based on the weight of the grounds we were able to fit into each portafilter position.
The steam wand comes with a cafe-style two-hole steam wand, allowing for easy steaming of up to six ounces of milk. The brand recommends steaming at around one to one-and-a-half bars of pressure and being sure to purge it after use to keep it clean.
Lastly, the Bellman CX25P works on all stove tops on medium to medium-high heat and, with a bit of deftness, could even handle a small campfire (though the brand doesn't necessarily recommend it). Just make sure to carefully and tightly close the valves ahead of heating, and likewise, gently open them to relieve pressure afterward.
Despite having some serious moka pot enthusiasts on the Insider Reviews staff, we spoke with 2020 UK Brewers Cup champion Matteo D'Ottavio to learn more about what makes a good moka pot and how to brew the perfect cup using one. It turns out that for all but induction stovetops, aluminum is the most convenient, with the concession that it's not dishwasher safe and that it is corrosive (so you'd better clean it).
We asked D'Ottavio to instruct us on exactly how to use a moka pot as flawlessly as possible and what to look for to confirm we'd achieved the right results: an even, steady delivery of coffee somewhere around 158 to 167 degrees Fahrenheit (70 to 75 degrees Celsius).
In our testing, we tried out six of the best moka pots and brewed coffee with each three times. Each time, we noted the following:
Ease of use: Using every moka pot was fairly easy, though we noticed that the threading on stainless-steel models made them a little tougher to put together than that on the aluminum ones.
Consistency: While stainless steel might work on induction stovetops, it was much more difficult to get a quick and predictable cup brewed. Aluminum was fast as can be, and after getting used to dialing the stovetop setting, which can vary based on the thickness of the aluminum and the size of the moka pot, we were able to achieve what we wanted with reasonable consistency with every model we tested—something you might have a lot harder of a time achieving with one of the best espresso machines. We considered how difficult it was to have the coffee brew at the right temperature and pace so that it wasn't completely burned or spewing all over the place.
Quality of materials: All in all, the moka pots we tested performed fairly similarly, but the quality of the materials varied, which will impact longevity. While thinner, cheaper aluminum models work very well, it's easy to bend the funnel and filter that hold the ground coffee. We also took note of the handles of each model we tested and were not impressed with how many models included cheap and all-too-easy-to-melt plastic. We leaned toward higher-quality materials in recommending our overall pick but made a concession with our budget pick because, as we stated above, we came across many popular options that were essentially of the same quality.
We also took note of the gasket, which creates a seal between the coffee collector (the upper chamber), the filter basket or funnel, and the boiler (or heating vessel at the bottom) and creates pressure. There are two common materials used for these, but we learned from D'Ottavio that a silicone seal is preferred to a rubber one because it creates a better seal and lasts a lot longer.
When looking for the best moka pots, consider the following:
Body material: The most important thing to look for is whether the pot is made from aluminum or stainless steel. Aluminum conducts heat faster and brews faster, but it's not corrosion-resistant, nor is it dishwasher-safe. Still, it's D'Ottavio's preferred material for gas and electric stoves thanks to its speed and relative ease of use. On the other hand, stainless steel is dishwasher-safe, but it takes a while to heat up and retains heat for a much longer time (which can lead to burnt grounds).
Handles and gaskets: Other considerations you'll want to take into account are the handle (plastic, heat-resistant metal, or silicone) and the gasket (rubber or silicone). If you're the type of person who tends to neglect things on the stove for even a minute or two, a plastic handle might not last long in your kitchen. And if you use your moka pot regularly, consider models with a silicone gasket as opposed to a rubber one, which is going to be way quicker.
While both coffee-brewing methods rely on pressure, espresso occurs somewhere between five and 10 bars of pressure (depending on whom you ask), and the pressure a moka pot achieves is, optimally, somewhere between one and one-and-a-half bars of pressure.
Because of this, the grind size for moka pots is typically a little coarser, and, according to Matteo D'Ottavio, the 2020 UK Brewers Cup Champion, should be between espresso (very fine) and drip coffee (medium-fine) grounds. He wouldn't give us a particular size, but we found somewhere around 500 microns would do the trick with a medium-roast coffee. Along with D'Ottavio, we also recommend you go up in size for dark roast and down in size for light roast.
The imperative thing is to get it dry and keep it dry after use. According to D'Ottavio, the best way to clean a moka pot is to take it apart, including the screen and gasket, and soak it or wash it with water and a little white vinegar. If it gets really bad (as in, if you find you've left grounds or water in it for days on end), fill a large bowl with some mild dish detergent, disassemble the whole thing, and soak it until things loosen up. Once it's clean, keep everything apart and store the parts loosely piled atop each other to prevent mold and allow for airflow.
Boiler: The basin, or the bottom half of the device into which you pour water
Column or chimney: The spout in the top part through which the coffee brews
Filter cup or Funnel: The funnel and basket into which the coffee grounds go
Filter plate: The metal filter that goes between the gasket and the coffee collector, or the top part
Gasket: The silicone or rubber piece that goes between the filter cup and the metal filter to create a seal for pressurizing
Safety valve or purge valve: The opening in the boiler that allows excess pressure to escape
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