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Stovetop espresso makers are easy to use, make excellent strong espresso-like coffee, and last for decades.
The Bialetti Moka Express Stovetop Espresso Maker has been around since 1933, and it is still the best stovetop espresso maker you can buy to make strong, delicious coffee right at home.
True coffee lovers know there's more than one way to make a cuppa, and they've tried them all: French press, drip coffee, cold brew, fancy espresso machines, and so on. One of the most humble and effective machines for making a strong cup of coffee is the stovetop espresso maker also known as the moka pot.
The moka pot, or macchinetta del caffè, which literally translates to "small coffee machine," is a stovetop machine that moves boiling water, pressurized by steam, through ground coffee to make a delicious brew.
Back in 1933, an Italian inventor named Luigi De Ponti patented the design for Alfonso Bialetti, and the company is still making stovetop espresso makers with the same basic design. Bialetti's classic moka pot is so reliable, that it remains the best stovetop espresso maker you can buy.
If you want to learn more about how stovetop espresso machines work, jump ahead to our explainer page. We've tested several stovetop espresso makers over the years and we've done a lot of research to find the best ones you can buy.
Here are the best stovetop espresso makers you can buy:
- Best overall: Bialetti 6-Cup Moka Express Stovetop Espresso Maker
- Best for gas stoves: GROSCHE Milano Stovetop Espresso Maker
- Best expensive moka pot: Cuisinox Roma 6-Cup Stainless Steel Stovetop Espresso Maker
- Best affordable moka pot: Bialetti Kitty Espresso Coffee Maker
- Best espresso-esque shots: Bialetti Mini Express Espresso Maker
- Best-looking moka pot: 6-Cup Alessi Pulcina Stovetop Espresso Maker
- Best electric moka pot: Delonghi EMK6 Alicia Electric Moka Espresso Coffee Maker
Updated on 10/05/18 by Owen Burke: Added the GROSCHE Milano Stovetop Espresso Maker, the Bialetti Mini Express Espresso Maker, and updated prices and formatting.
Read on in the slides below to check out our top picks.
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The best stovetop espresso maker overall
Why you'll love it: The Italian Bialetti Moka Express Stovetop Espresso Maker was the first moka pot, and after all these years, it's still the very best.
Bialetti made the first stovetop espresso maker back in 1933, and it's still using the exact same patented moka pot design. The company may make many different models now, but the original Bialetti Moka Express Stovetop Espresso Maker is still the very best one you can buy.
Unlike the cheap imitations you'll find in kitchen stores, the Bialetti is made right in Italy with craftsmanship and care. Although it's made of aluminum and not stainless steel, it's a sturdy, durable little machine that will last you a lifetime. I've had mine for seven years, and it works like new after daily use.
The aluminum pot has an eight-sided base that diffuses heat equally, resulting in evenly brewed coffee with a delicious rich flavor. To make coffee, you simply fill the base up to the water line, spoon moka ground coffee into the funnel, and twist the top closed securely over the grounds and water.
Put a gas burner on low so the flame doesn't go outside of the pot's base and burn the handle. You can also use it on an electric stove, just be careful to place the handle well away from the heating element.
Using less heat ensures that your coffee doesn't burn, either. A few minutes later, you'll hear the pot begin to gurgle as the steam-pressurized boiling water passes through the grounds and up through the spout of the moka pot to become strong, rich coffee.
You can get the Bialetti Moka Express in a variety of sizes from 3 cups to 12 cups. The 6-cup machine is best for most people, but if you like to entertain or you have a big family, the 12-cup machine will be just right. I actually own both the 6-cup and 12-cup machines, so that I always make the perfect amount of coffee for every situation.
The traditional moka pot comes in silvery aluminum, but you can also get it in blue, orange, red, and purple color options.
If you're still on the fence, experts, reviewers, and websites like Best Products, Espresso Corner, Coffee Gear At Home, Good Housekeeping, Espresso Perfecto, Little Coffee Place, and Home Grounds all recommend the Bialetti Moka Express. It's also a number one best-seller on Amazon with consistently high reviews.
Pros: Inexpensive, comes in fun colors and different sizes, makes great coffee, easy to clean, made in Italy, and it has a two-year warranty
Cons: Handle melts off quickly if you leave it unattended (which, of course, one should never do), but you can buy a replacement
Buy the Bialetti 6-Cup Stovetop Espresso Maker on Amazon for $34.95
Buy the Bialetti 1-Cup Stovetop Espresso Maker on Amazon for $20.20 (originally $24.99)
Buy the Bialetti 3-Cup Stovetop Espresso Maker on Amazon for $28.48 (originally $29.99)
Buy the Bialetti 9-Cup Stovetop Espresso Maker on Amazon for $37.20 (originally $44.99)
Buy the Bialetti 12-Cup Stovetop Espresso Maker on Amazon for $45.91
Buy a replacement handle for the Bialetti Stovetop Espresso Maker on Amazon for $7.49-$9.22
The best stovetop espresso maker for gas stoves
Why you’ll love it: GROSCHE's stovetop espresso pot has a heavy-duty extended handle that’s made with heat-resistant rubber-coated plastic and sits away from your heat source so it won't melt on gas stoves.
While Bialetti is a tried-and-true favorite coming up on its centennial anniversary, if you’re anything like me or some other members of the Insider Picks team, you’ve probably burned through any number of them over the years. Not because the aluminum gave way, but that cheap, plastic handle the company has been attaching to their oh-so-iconic moka pot in recent history. While Bialetti used to make its pots with stainless steel handles, the new, markedly cheaper plastic handle does not survive the hands of hapless fools such as I.
So, after a third Bialetti handle melted on me this year (it's admittedly more a reflection on me and my ilk than Bialetti, which I still hold dearly), I decided to set out on a quest to find a somewhat more foolproof and final replacement.
Enter GROSCHE — The company eliminates the melting handle problem in two ways. One, the handle is farther from the unit and your stove burner, so it’s not sitting directly over heat. Two, the handle is also made out of a soft rubber-coated heat-resistant plastic, so in case you do make the ill-advised decision to leave the kitchen with a burner on the stove going, you won’t be out an espresso pot and $20 to replace it.
The GROSCHE comes in 3-, 6-, and 9-cup models, and is made out of aluminum.
Founded in 2006, GROSCHE is a newer company, but it's already won customers who’ve left applause on Amazon to the tune of: “Have worn out 6 or so well-loved Bialettis similar to this one."
Reviews left by 159 people average out to a respectable 4.2/5-star rating , and 73% of those reviews included 5-star ratings.
The cherry on top? Through the Safe Water Project, GROSCHE pledges to provide 50+ days of safe drinking water for people in need for every product they sell. — Owen Burke
Pros: Handle is heat-resistant, socially responsible company
Cons: None yet, at time of writing
Buy the GROSCHE Milano Stovetop Espresso Maker on Amazon for $20.79, $25.59, or $31.99
The best expensive stovetop espresso maker
Why you'll love it: The Cuisinox Roma 6-cup Stainless Steel Stovetop Espresso Maker lasts a lifetime, and it brews delicious strong coffee.
If Bialetti's Moka Express is too old-fashioned and quaint for you, you'll love the slick modern look of the Cuisinox Roma Stainless Steel Stovetop Espresso Maker. It's a high-end, fancy moka pot that's not made out of aluminum. You will pay a premium for it — it's nearly five times more than the Bialetti — but it has a 25-year warranty and top-notch reviews.
Cuisinox used stainless steel to make its stovetop espresso maker, so you know it's going to be durable. The design is more slick, shiny, and curvy than the traditional 8-sided aluminum Bialetti moka pot. Since it doesn't have corners, the insides are easier to clean. However, just like with the other moka pots in this guide, you really don't need to scrub it like crazy.
The process of making coffee in the Roma is the same, too. You simply fill the base up to the water line, spoon moka ground coffee into the funnel, and twist the top closed securely over the grounds and water.
Put a gas burner on low so the flame doesn't go outside of the pot's base and burn the handle. You can also use it on an electric stove, just be careful to place the handle well away from the heating element.
Using less heat ensures that your coffee doesn't burn, either. A few minutes later, you'll hear the pot begin to gurgle as the steam-pressurized boiling water passes through the grounds and up through the spout of the moka pot to become strong, rich coffee.
You can get the Cuisinox Roma in 4-cup, 6-cup, and 10-cup sizes to suit your needs. The 6-cup model will be best for most users, but bigger families will want the 10-cup machine.
Most reviewers consider the Cuisinox Roma to be the best stainless steel stovetop espresso maker and recommend it right alongside the Bialetti. Coffee Gear at Home, Espresso Perfecto, Little Coffee Place, and Home Grounds all say the Roma is a great machine for making strong coffee at home.
Reviews on Amazon are incredibly positive, too. One reviewer expressed"unreserved admiration" for the moka pot and even pitted it against high-end espresso machines. Although it's not made in Italy like the Bialetti, the Cuisinox Roma is very high quality and reviewers on Amazon praise the build quality and durability.
Pros: Stainless steel design, comes in multiple sizes, easy to clean, affordable compared to high-end machines, it works on gas or electric stoves, and it has a 25-year warranty
Cons: Expensive
Buy the Cuisinox Roma 6-Cup Stainless Steel Stovetop Espresso Maker on Amazon for $140.90
Buy the Cuisinox Roma 4-Cup Stainless Steel Stovetop Espresso Maker on Amazon for $99.99
Buy the Cuisinox Roma 10-Cup Stainless Steel Stovetop Espresso Maker on Amazon for $139.74
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