Bialetti Mukka Express

owned one of this machines for years now, the older they get the better the coffee then make, just simple to use, add water at the bottom container, put the coffee in the middle and stick it on the fire, 5 minutes and you get a super tasty strong, Italian style coffee, simple to use yet quality coffee.

Took awhile to arrive at Proper Beans, Type of Burr Grind, and Stove Setting, But have come up with a very passable Cappuccino.

Proper Cleaning of Milk Chamber and Valve is very important.

The Mukka Express is unpredictable: It can be great, lousy or something in-between...you just never know, however carefully you prepare!

When all goes well, it produces two small/medium cups of cappuccino that can rival Italian coffee bar ones - full-tasting coffee at a perfect temperature, with a gorgeous golden coffee-infused froth.

However, that's maybe on 4 out of 10 occasions, if you're lucky.

Here's what can go wrong: 1. The coffee mysteriously returns to the base (where the water is heated) with most of the milk, leaving virtually nothing to pour. 2. The Mukki suffers a leak and the result is almost cold coffee. 3. Virtually no water is ejected through the coffee and no froth is produced.

The problem is, there are so many variables with this system; a precise amount of water is required, the coffee must not be packed tightly, nor must it be too finely ground, the rubber seal must seat just so, the valve mechanism must be screwed on correctly, and so on!

Although she is a temperamental Italian, I can't give her up.

My Bialetti espresso machine, makes great tasting cappuccino. Very easy, Not too hard to clean. Very impressed. Much better than I'd hoped.

I got my Bialetti Mukka Express at a bargain price from the internet and wouldn't have wanted to pay a penny more. You waste a lot of coffee to get the hang of it. Not as satisfying as the original moka's. It's stylish. Simple to use once you worked it out. It takes a while to deliver relatively good consistent cuppuccino's.

Hard to clean.

Expensive if bought new.