Cuisinox Roma 6-Cup Stainless Steel Stovetop Moka Pot - Italian Espresso Maker for Home & Office Coffee Brewing - Perfect for Camping, Travel & Gifts

After reading reviews on all the stove top espresso makers I could find, I decided on this one. It is made out of a heavy gauge stainless- so there is some substance there. It also had fairly good reviews. It's a bit pricy at $99, but I wanted quality, not cheap. I also liked the handle being welded on in two spots. I also bought the Cuisinox Cappuccino Frother with it, since that is what I mainly wanted to make. It's also a bit pricy at $30, but again, seems to be good quality. The both have a nice mirrored finish on them. Both are made in China. The thing about things manufactured in China, or any where else overseas, is quality control. Cuisinox apparently takes quality control seriously, and these are both first rate. Amazon shipped them, and they arrived in good shape within a day after ordering. Packaging seemed adequate. ( I happen to live where Amazon has a main hub- so stuff doesn’t have to come very far.) I was anxious to try out my hand at espresso making. I went to Starbucks, and bought their espresso blend, on their recommendation, and had them grind it for me (~$13). As I’m new to this, I wanted to see what an espresso grind looks like. Turns out, it’s not much grittier then baby powder. (Bad Parenting Thought: Hmm, I’m out of baby powder, wonder if I can use this espresso in a pinch…) It came with adequate instructions. I didn’t wash the items with soap, but used very hot water and wiped everything out with paper towels. To season the pot, I used the reducer, so as not to waste a lot of coffee. A note about the reducer: The reducer is to reduce the amount of coffee you use. I read several reviewers who didn’t have a clue what it was for. It says in bold letters in the instructions, never to put it over the coffee. You put the reducer in the funnel first, and it reduces the funnel capacity by about a third. Fill the boiler with water to just below the brass safety valve. Then put the funnel into it. After putting coffee in the funnel, you want to take care to carefully wipe the rim area off that seats against the nylon gasket. I read several reviews where the reviewers had steam coming out the side of the seal, or coffee too weak, etc. This isn’t rocket science. You have to have a good gasket seal for the boiling water to be forced through the coffee. Also, I could see a potential problem if the funnel rim ever gets pushed in, or the lip on it ever got bent up slightly. As the funnel is of fairly light gauge, both issues can be easily fixed. You just have to do quick eyeball on it, to look for potential problems. On this particular unit, the gasket is fairly wide, and the tooling on where the funnel and boiler pot meet is fairly tight. I had no problems with a leaky seal. The top kettle part is then screwed onto the base. I didn’t use a whole lot of pressure to screw them together. Just enough to snug the seat into the gasket. I have an old electric stove with the ring elements on it. I turned it up to around ¾ high. As pointed out in the instructions, keep the handle off the element area. If you do this, the handle doesn’t get hot at all. It takes maybe 5-6 minuets to boil the water up into the top kettle. You can check it as it’s boiling- the lid never got hot (it‘s double walled), so you can stand there and watch it if you want. (be careful of the coffee though- it’s very hot!) While the coffee maker was doing it’s thing, I decided to try my hand at frothing. I had half a burner open, so… why not heat the milk on the other side of the burner? Well, it worked, but… more on that in the clean up section… The whole idea for heating the milk, is so you don’t cool down the coffee when you add it to it. (You can froth cold milk if you want.) I heated it to where it was hot to touch, but not boiling. Then I set it on the stove and started doing the frothing thing. You don’t have to be very aggressive or fast on it to work up a good froth. I used 2% milk (‘cause that was what was in the fridge…) You just plunge it gently to where you feel the plunger hitting the milk. I kept checking it thinking I didn’t have much froth there- but I did notice that the volume of milk had about doubled. It wasn’t until I poured some that I realized it was so frothed most of the bubbles hadn’t gotten to the top yet. OK- well, that worked way better then I anticipated… I had set the coffee aside on the stove while I was finishing frothing, then decided to try the “seasoning” brew. I added about 1/3 coffee to 2/3 froth/milk into a mug, and called my son down to try it. (he’s of legal age… let him be the guinea pig) He actually liked it, and said the coffee was very bitter. I gave it a try- it was actually very good. I tried some of the espresso with out the creamer in it- very good, but a little on the strong side for me. This morning I tried a pot without the reducer in it. It was very good as a cappuccino (with the frothed milk). It was way strong as an espresso, at least for me… Think I’ll stick with the reducer for mine. Clean up was easy, but you do have to do it. It is more work then using a drip brewer. I read some reviewers complaining about having to wait for the pot to cool down. Why? I filled the kettle with cool tap water and ran tap water around the boiler. Instant cool pot. It’s stainless steel, you’re not going to hurt it. In the instructions they tell you not to use the handle to unscrew the parts. I would head this advice. I don’t see much heat penetration where the handle is welded, looking at the inside of the pot. It seems sturdy enough, but just take care. Also, when you clean the top kettle portion, be sure to pull the gasket and top strainer out every time. I noticed water under the gasket, and this could be a potential rust spot. (yes, stainless steel will rust- it just takes longer) How do you get the gasket out? I took a thin pairing knife and slipped it down the side of the gasket, and gently pried it up with the dull side of the knife- easy. Also, the espresso maker comes with an extra gasket. (in case one might like to pry it up with the sharp side of the knife) Clean up of the frother basically involves rinsing with hot water, and wiping it down. Although, where I set the frother on the burner, the milk burned to the metal. Not hard to clean- used a scouring pad. Today my wife heated a cup and a half of milk in microwave for 2 ½- 3 minuets, and we kept the frother just for frothing. Overall, I think both the espresso maker and frother are of pretty good quality, and should last a long time. I’ll be using it just on weekends, instead of the drip brewer. If I run into any major issues, I’ll keep you posted.The overall construction of this is very sturdy. I was very impressed with the thickness of the walls of this espresso maker. However, when I used it for the first few times there are a few problems. First, it doesn't seal well between the top vessel and the bottom vessel where you have to screw them together. There is a nice gasket there and the machining of the screw on area is really superb. However, there must be some defect in the manufacturing because no matter how tight I put them together; when the coffee began to heat up and boil or "steam up"... I saw coffee bubble and leak from the connection middle. Seems the gasket just isn't thick enough possibly? I repeated the process three time and all three times it had a leak.... a small one for sure... but it wasn't air tight and that is a problem when you are depending on the pressure inside to do the job of delivering the right amount of properly heated water up thru the vessel.The second problem, and it can easily be dealt with by the manufacturer, is the way the instruction sheet tells you how to put it all together. It says, "place the funnel filter into the base and fill with espresso ground coffee". it then goes on to say that if you want to make less coffee, thn "insert the reducer into the funnel filter thus reducing th capacity for espresso coffee grounds. Only then fill the funnel filter with espresso ground coffee up to the rim of the base". Because I was not familiar with this type of pot, I wasn't clear as to what a reducer was. There was a little plastic bag that had a rubber gasket in it and I wondered if maybe that was the "reducer". Then I noted that there was a metal thin disc with perforations throughout it and which also had a little quarter inch nub in the center with which you could grab it there to lift it up and such. So I thought you were supposed to then put that metal disc on top of the ground coffee.... since it seated so well inside the funnel.... and it seated right halfway down where it had that indentation all around the inside just perfectly. There are NO pictures or diagrams showing the names of the parts whatsoever. That really would be helpful. then you would know what part is what... especially for a novice as myself who has never used one of these stovetop espresso makers before. So, I filled the funnel with the espresso.... the first timejust up to the mid way point; thinking that was correct because the metal filter disc would sit right on top of it at that point. Wrong!! So when I made the espresso I found that half of the liquid was still in the bottom chamber. So, the next time I did the exact same thing and let it "cook" a minute longer to see if that did the job. Wrong! Again, the coffee was not strong and half the liquid remained in the bottom chamber. I then read and reread the instructions. (Im not daft but I sure felt like it)The third time, I filled the filter funnel to the very top and then put the metal filter cover on top of the coffee grounds so the filter disc sat right on top; nice and tidy. Surely I thought, this would rectify the problem. Wrong! This time the brew was much stronger... got that part right. But the liquid was still half in the upper chamber and half in the lower chamber. I thought maybe it was due to the leak I saw at the mid point where the two vessel parts are screwed together.So, the fourth and final time, I again filled the funnel filter with espresso grounds to the top, placed the metal filter disc on top of the grounds, and then screwed the upper and lower chamber together better with a real good tightening. Surely this was going to work. I also decided to let it simmer a bit longer and perhaps that would allow it the time needed to move the liquid entirely from the lower chamber up to the top chamber as it should be doing.The result was mixed. It still had a gasket failure at the midline where you screwed the two parts together; albeit smaller this time. But its not supposed to leak there at all. I watched it carefully, listened for the "whoosh" sound which is supposed to tell me that the coffee has been discharged entirely into the upper chamber.... but allowed it to perk a bit longer, around half a minute. I removed it from the stove top and let it sit a half minute. Then I poured myself a cup.... and thats when I saw that the upper chamber pot was only half filled yet again. The bottom chamber still had half the liquid left in it below. Drat. But, the brew was dark and rich this time. Success.... kind of. I was still not happy about how it was going.When I took the pot apart to rinse it out for the final time.... thats when I saw that the metal filter disc which I had put on top of the grounds had caved in at the middle and bent in a concave fashion across its middle. And, the little nub with which you grasp it between your fingers had sheared off. I thought it just needed to be screwed in to the hole to tighten it but found it didn't screw in .. it was spot welded and the weld had failed. Not good. I read the instructions once again. Thats when I figured out that id been putting the "reducing disc" on top of the grounds which is NOT what you are supposed to do. I didn't know that the metal disc was the reducer. I had thought the extra gasket enclosed was the reducer as it was the exact right size to sit inside the filter funnel. Oh well. Like I said, had there been diagrams with the names and numbering of the parts..... I wouldn't have made this grave mistake.By putting the metal disc on TOP of the grounds, it didn't allow the liquid to make it all the way into the upper pouring chamber. And, it caused a suction of such that it bent the thin metal disc. My fault, but there just wasn't any diagrams or labeling of the parts. Had there been, I never would have mistaken the rubber gasket for the "reducer" and maybe all would have worked properly.Thus, I had to call Amazon and report a defect in the device. They were extremely helpful and sent me a new coffee pot maker that day and sent me a "return label" so I could send the broken pot back to them. I feel very badly now that I have figured out that it was I who most probably caused the metal disc to bend and fail. Ofcourse Im responsible for that.... but it all would have been averted had the parts been diagramed and labeled. So, my unfamiliarity with a stovetop espresso maker such as this led to the failure of the device. In closing, Id say the manufacturer needs to simply diagram the cooker and name the parts. Simple to do and then there won't be any misunderstanding. I hope they will do this in the future.Im sure when the new coffee maker arrives in a few days.... it will probably work just fine.... since I definately won't be putting the metal filter disc on top of the grounds in the funnel. (ITS THE REDUCER..... NOT A GROUNDS KEEPER THINGY) But I didn't know.To make a final test of the gasket at the middle junction which had leaked on all thre times previously.... thinking maybe having that little metal disc where it shouldn't have been might have caused excess pressure to build up inside at the junction and invariably exceed the specifications of the gasket... resulting in the leak.I just used the water as always, added the ground espresso to the filter funnel and DID NOT place the metal disc on top this time. I left it sitting in the box this time! Unfortunately, the middle line area still had a dripping and failure at the junction... so that still seems to be a defect. I'll have to wait for the new, unbroken device to arrive and use it correctly from the "get go". We will then be able to ascertain if there will be another leak at the gasket or not. I hope not. But Ill update this and let you know.Because of the lack of good instructions and the lack of diagrams and labeling of the parts... I can't give this espresso maker anything better than two stars. That simple matter led a frustrating experience and an unsuccessful cup of espresso four times over. And to the breakage of the "REDUCER".Hopefully, now that I know what Im actually supposed to do.... I'll have success with the new device that arrives in a few days and can then report on a smooth cup of espresso that Im just dying for. I even sprung for the wonderful, but costlier, Illy brand of expresso coffee grounds to ensure that Id have a great cup of espresso which others who had used this pot had reported. Stay tuned for hopefully better results!By the way, don't allow the brewer to "brew" for anything longer than the three minutes it calls for and the classic "whoosh" sound. That resulted in a burnt bitter taste and Illy brand grounds should never have that taste at all! Obviously I had over brewed it. My bad.I read all the reviews and decided on the premium 10 espresso cup version versus the cheaper one and was not disappointed at all. I experimented with the grind and using less water and/or more grinds with or without the reducer insert and got good espresso on medium to high heat but something was missing. However, after talking to my local barista, I realized my beans should be number 3 grind (Turkish coffee is #1to give you an idea of how fine) and had the folks at Moja in North Vancouver do the grinding for me when I bought my beans. It was far finer than mine and I packed it tight as they told me so it drops out like a hockey puck afterwards. WOW what a difference that the grind made. I also used the P function which is used to quickly bring water to the boil on my AEG Induction Cooktop. WOW again. It increases the pressure well beyond the regular HIGH function in less than a minute with steam shooting out the side and the pot whistling. The pot had come alive. I am making lattes almost as good as my barista due to these two above points I have made. The high pressure extracted more stronger coffee and even if you don't have a P function JUST make sure your use a fine grind (number 3) and that in itself will make all the difference on regular high heat. Monitor the noise so you know when the water has all shot up and remove it right away. Using such high heat you will have the coffee in the top start to boil so you have to do it quick and don't leave without supervision. You will be rewarded. Remember these are not cups of coffee BUT 10 shots of espresso. So I make a latte with while I add hot water to my wife's 2 1/2 shots (using half water and reducer for 5 shots) to give her a regular strong cup of coffee. It has been a learning curve, however, I am now making near perfect coffee after my barista's advice. The pot itself is a work of stainless steel art. I wash it after every use (when it is cool), it comes with an extra silicone washer which is better than rubber and I have no complaints about the quality or workmanship. It isn't cheap but worth every penny based on my results. It maybe made in China, I do not know, however, even so it is made of premium 18/10 Stainless Steel with a 25 year warranty. Cuisinox also offers a full range of 18/10 cookware on their website which is endorsed and used by many professional chefs in Quebec so I am content from that and my own experience that this is a quality company and product. Enjoy!When you want the best quality Moka pot, accept no substitute.There are other stainless steel Moka pots out there. I bought the Bialetti one and it is thin and flimsy. This Moka Pot is made of much thicker stainless steel and it makes delicious coffee. Due to it's tapered design it is somewhat difficult to clean and I recommend cleaning it as soon after making the coffee as you can. It's a little awkward to get inside so I found the best way to clean it is with denture cleaning tablets. Yep. You read that right. Fill the top chamber with really hot water and throw a dental cleaning tablet in there. The inside will shine. You can clean stainless steel thermoses this way too.The handle is solidly attached and the whole pot feels very solid. It just screams quality. Keep it nice and dry once cleaned and it will last for years. It even comes with a nice silicone gasket to spare (yes silicone not crappy rubber). Furthermore it comes with a reducer which allows you to use half the grinds when making coffee. You can use half the water or for a slightly weaker but still much stronger coffee than a drip coffee, use full water and half grinds.I am very happy with this purchase and I know I will get years out of this pot.This device exceeded my (high) expectations. I had been concerned about some comments in other reviews, but they turned out not to be issues: The handle does NOT get hot to the touch. The coffee does NOT taste metallic.We bought the 6-cup version. It produces around 4 to 6 shots of espresso in terms of volume. (There is a small insert that can be used to halve the amount of space for grounds and consequently halve the coffee output.) The coffee tastes excellent, impressing even my coffee-snob spouse.The only quibble I have is that the upper reservoir that holds the coffee is narrow at the top, making it a little tricky to get your fingers or a scrub brush in for cleaning. We find a quick rinse in generally sufficient in any case so it’s not a problem.I purchased the 6 cup pot recently and had very high hopes that I could finally make a great cup of coffee at home...I was not disappointed. I've tried just about every coffee making contraption out there but this pot outdoes them all by far. for me it is the perfect size, it makes enough espresso to make 2 good sized mugs of Americano's and I like my coffee pretty strong. It is easy to put together, take apart and clean. I have an induction stove and it works perfectly. My coffee is ready in 3 minutes flat! It may seem a little pricey however in my opinion it is worth every cent! I am so pleased with this espresso pot.This is the Rolls Royce of stove top espresso machines. We love the simple / elegant design and heavy weight. For over 10 years we purchased countless well known brands which were much less expensive and also very light in weight. Inevitably we had to discard them after leaving accidentally on the stove as they never survived the experience and you could always smell/taste the burnt metal! We purchased this same Cuisinox model 20 years as we hoped the heavy weight and stainless steel manufacturing would survive the accidental memory loss.... and it did!! We love it so much that when we searched online for the same Cuisinox model we were thrilled to be able to purchase a second one for when friends visit as we need 2 going to keep up with the demand. Thank you Cuisinox - we are fans for life!