One of the best ways to make good strong coffee with little skill and little money. You can buy some of Italy's finest caffe' espresso in small amounts ground for this purpose (so you don't even need a grinder.) It is very light-weight and transports easily. Care is simple, don't use soap, just some water and a paper towel (I've read baking soda, but have never had to use it.)
Negative Product Points
It's just too hot. The espresso is more like thick, bitter coffee than true pressure-brewed caffe' espresso. It is not difficult to forget to put water in the bottom chamber and melt the gasket into a sticky, hellish mush. It's easy to use, but not easy to use extremely well.
Detailed Commentary
Here it is! The beautiful machine that you see in all of those old coffee posters. You know the one...a tower of brass or chrome making steaming cups of coffee for well dressed Italians. Well, okay, it's not the same exterior (and your guests will not be transformed into early 20th century sophisticates,) but it's the same coffee! Over-heated crema free (for the most part,) steaming coffee. You can pay almost $200.00 for the same technology, these are frequently referred to as steam-driven toys. It is this device that gave birth to the ever-popular caffe' latte. Long before the coffee shaped charcoal briquettes were sold on every street corner in America (TOMORROW THE WORLD!!!HA, HA, HA!), Italian mothers were using these mocha pots to make this strong, strong coffee. Milk was heated on the stove, and added to this to make coffee with milk (a great drink for the kids.) Meanwhile...on an island far, far away... we whisk you away to the exotic island of Cuba, where something sweet was happening. I don't usually take my coffee with sugar, but Cuban style coffee is sweet times ten, and so good. I won't go into the exact recipe here, but here are the basics: Get ready a mixing bowl with a lot of sugar in it and a wire whisk. When the first drops of coffee come out of the stem, (hey that looks much like crema,) pour this into the sugar. Put the mocha back onto the stove and start whipping the sugar until it turns pale in color and develops a creamy texture. Pour coffee into your cups and top with the creamed sugar. Enjoy. I would also like to mention that Piazza Espresso makes a moka style pot with a piston that uses half the coffee and is really well made.
Buying Experience
Pretty straight forward, I traded two goats and a sack of flour to a naked guy with dread-locks, and he gave me an aluminum mocha pot and a can of Danesi Gold.
