Bialetti Brikka Espresso Machine
- Operation: Manual
- Type: Espresso Machine
- Family Line: Bialetti Brikka
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Awesome little pot!
Pros
Simple, elegant, charming, works great
Cons
Made from aluminum and must be "broken in"
Recommended it?
Yes
The Bottom Line:
The Brikka is a convenient and inexpensive way to make espresso at home.
As an introduction, I will say that I'm not a coffee aficionado, but coming from the Pacific Northwest (the birthplace of Starbucks), I probably know more about it than I think. I learned about the Brikka through the reviewers at coffeegeek.com.
The Brikka isn't technically an espresso machine, but as far as I'm concerned it's close enough. Its claim to fame is that it creates a froth or crema similar to that of an espresso machine. I don't really care about this much since I use the Brikka's "espresso" to make lattes, but I'm sure that some people do.
The Brikka looks like a "Moka" pot, but operates in a different and charming way. When the coffee is done, the Brikka makes a loud gurgling noise as the valve inside suddenly releases the "espresso" into the top section of the pot. I purchased the 2-cup version of the Brikka instead of a regular Moka pot because of this feature.
Some people have commented that the Brikka is difficult to use. If you're careful, I think it's fairly foolproof. There are marks inside that show how much water to pour in. Getting the right coffee grind is fairly easy. I initially got help at Starbucks. They knew exactly what grind was best and ground it for me. Since then, I've had good luck grinding finely with my own Kitchen Aid blade coffee grinder.
Unfortunately, because the Brikka is made of aluminum, you have to "break it in" by making and dumping out the first three batches of "espresso." It also shouldn't be washed with soap (except prior to the first use), which actually makes cleaning it easier and makes the "espresso" taste better. I run cold water over it to cool it off, take it apart, rinse each piece under running water with a clean scrap of paper towel, and let it air dry. The only gasket I remove when cleaning it is the big one, which you can pry out fairly easily with a table knife.
The Brikka "espresso" tastes great. The only minor flaw is that there are always a few tiny coffee grounds that come through into the espresso. This doesn't bother me at all, but it might bother some people.
Because they don't sell Brikka in many stores, ordering online is probably necessary. I recommend ordering extra gaskets at the same time while they're available. Bialetti's website lists online stores that sell the Brikka, some of which also carry the gaskets.
The Brikka isn't technically an espresso machine, but as far as I'm concerned it's close enough. Its claim to fame is that it creates a froth or crema similar to that of an espresso machine. I don't really care about this much since I use the Brikka's "espresso" to make lattes, but I'm sure that some people do.
The Brikka looks like a "Moka" pot, but operates in a different and charming way. When the coffee is done, the Brikka makes a loud gurgling noise as the valve inside suddenly releases the "espresso" into the top section of the pot. I purchased the 2-cup version of the Brikka instead of a regular Moka pot because of this feature.
Some people have commented that the Brikka is difficult to use. If you're careful, I think it's fairly foolproof. There are marks inside that show how much water to pour in. Getting the right coffee grind is fairly easy. I initially got help at Starbucks. They knew exactly what grind was best and ground it for me. Since then, I've had good luck grinding finely with my own Kitchen Aid blade coffee grinder.
Unfortunately, because the Brikka is made of aluminum, you have to "break it in" by making and dumping out the first three batches of "espresso." It also shouldn't be washed with soap (except prior to the first use), which actually makes cleaning it easier and makes the "espresso" taste better. I run cold water over it to cool it off, take it apart, rinse each piece under running water with a clean scrap of paper towel, and let it air dry. The only gasket I remove when cleaning it is the big one, which you can pry out fairly easily with a table knife.
The Brikka "espresso" tastes great. The only minor flaw is that there are always a few tiny coffee grounds that come through into the espresso. This doesn't bother me at all, but it might bother some people.
Because they don't sell Brikka in many stores, ordering online is probably necessary. I recommend ordering extra gaskets at the same time while they're available. Bialetti's website lists online stores that sell the Brikka, some of which also carry the gaskets.
