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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. Before we get into our top picks, here are some key facts you need to know about stovetop espresso makers.
Moka pot vs. fancy espresso machine
Although moka pots don't technically make espresso — because they use lower pressures of 1 to 2 bar and real espresso machines use 9 bar of pressure — the coffee you get is very rich and strong. Some machines will even produce a bit of crema just like high-end espresso machines. If you're using this to make cappuccinos or lattes at home, you'll be more than satisfied, but if you want shots of thick, creamy espresso, you need a real espresso machine.
How many cups do you need?
Most moka pots come in a few different sizes: 1-cup, 3-cup, 6-cup, 9/10-cup, and 12-cup. Keep in mind that the cups in question are small espresso shots — not full cups of coffee as Americans think of them. The 6-cup size is best for couples or people who want to drink two normal cups of coffee with milk on top. The 9/10/12-cup machines are good for families or when you have guests over. I personally own both a 6-cup and a 12-cup Bialetti Moka Express.
Will it work with a gas or electric stove?
Some stovetop espresso makers only work on gas stoves, while others can handle either gas or electric stovetops. We've noted which of our picks work with both kinds of stoves.
Aluminum vs. Stainless steel
Stovetop espresso makers come in either aluminum or stainless steel varieties. Stainless steel models are more fancy, durable, and typically easier to clean. Aluminum machines are typically just as good, provided you buy one from real Italian companies like Bialetti and Alessi. If you buy a cheap aluminum one for $5 at a kitchen store, you may not get the same quality coffee out of it. That's why we recommend you stick to our top pick, the Bialetti Moka Express.
Care and maintenance
It's easy to keep your stovetop espresso maker in good working order. All you have to do is rinse it out after each use and make sure all the ground are out of the filter. No soap or scrubbing is needed. The best moka pots are the ones that have been loved well and the ones that have aged.
Moka pots can last years — decades, even — so long as you don't burn the handle or otherwise harm it. The only thing you'll need to replace periodically is the rubber gasket and filter that prevent the grounds from infiltrating your coffee.
Although the Bialetti 6-Cup Moka Express Stovetop Espresso Maker is our top pick, for the various reasons laid out in the slides below, you should also consider the Cuisinox Roma 6-Cup Stainless Steel Stovetop Espresso Maker, the 6-Cup Alessi Pulcina Stovetop Espresso Maker with a red handle, the Delonghi EMK6 Alicia Electric Moka Espresso Coffee Maker, and the colorful Bialetti Moka Color Stovetop Espresso Makers.
SEE ALSO: The best milk frothers you can buy
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 six 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: None!
Buy the Bialetti 6-Cup Stovetop Espresso Maker on Amazon for $22.38 [You save $12.61]
Buy the Bialetti 1-Cup Stovetop Espresso Maker on Amazon for $18.99 [You save $6.00]
Buy the Bialetti 3-Cup Stovetop Espresso Maker on Amazon for $22.38 [You save $7.61]
Buy the Bialetti 9-Cup Stovetop Espresso Maker on Amazon for $27.65 [You save $12.61]
Buy the Bialetti 12-Cup Stovetop Espresso Maker on Amazon for $56.69 [You save $8.30]
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 $121.40 [You save $10.23]
Buy the Cuisinox Roma 4-Cup Stainless Steel Stovetop Espresso Maker on Amazon for $84.51 [You save $15.48]
Buy the Cuisinox Roma 10-Cup Stainless Steel Stovetop Espresso Maker on Amazon for $111.48 [You save $21.27]
The best-looking stovetop espresso maker
Why you'll love it: The 6-Cup Alessi Pulcina Stovetop Espresso Maker looks like a piece of modern art and it makes excellent coffee, too.
If Bialetti's Moka Express is the everyman stovetop espresso maker, Alessi's Pulcina is the high-brow moka pot for artsy types. Alessi's espresso makers are literally works of art that live in MoMA and other design museums around the world.
Alessi has been designing radically different products since 1921, and its moka pots are well known. The Pulcina was designed by espresso maker Illy and Michele De Lucchi, a famous Italian designer who has worked for Olivetti, Compaq Computers, Philips, Siemens, and Vitra over the course of his long career.
According to Alessi, the Pulcina has a special boiler design that stops filtering the coffee at the "right moment and thus eliminates the 'eruption phase' - the final filtering stage that can generate a burnt aftertaste – thus enhancing its full-bodied and rounded aroma" of your coffee. The pot also has a 'V' shaped spout, which is supposed to be "reminiscent of a baby chick’s beak."
The name Pulcina (baby chick) comes from the beak-like spout and the curvy chick-like shape inside of the machine. It also refers to the fact that De Lucchi designed it in the chicken coop where his studio is set up.
Esoteric design talk aside, Alessi is a trusted brand for stovetop espresso makers, and the Pulcina is a great option. Reviews on Amazon are few, but mostly positive. It works just like other stovetop espresso makers, so you put water in the base and coffee grounds in the filter. However, the Pulcina doesn't work on induction stovetops, so you'll need a gas stove if you buy this stovetop espresso maker.
The Pulcina comes in two sizes: 3-cup and 6-cup models with your choice of a red or black handle. The 6-cup one will be best for most people.
Pros: Cool design by Michele De Lucchi, fun color options for the handle, multiple sizes, and it makes great coffee
Cons: Expensive and it doesn't work on induction stoves
Buy the 6-Cup Alessi Pulcina Stovetop Espresso Maker with a red handle on Amazon for $96.00 [You save $24.00]
Buy the 3-Cup Alessi Pulcina Stovetop Espresso Maker with a red handle on Amazon for $81.00 [You save $9.00]
Buy the 6-Cup Alessi Pulcina Stovetop Espresso Maker with a black handle on Amazon for $95.99 [You save $24.01]
Buy the 3-Cup Alessi Pulcina Stovetop Espresso Maker with a black handle on Amazon for $80.00 [You save $10.00]
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