Anyone used this espresso gizmo?

[j44ke]

Looks dangerous so of course I am intrigued. Seems to be an old design made by a company called Kamira.

[Too Tall]

I had a version, looked different and I belive it was essentially Moka.
Consider the Flair Espresso doohikey. I'm pulling some of the best shots I've ever had. The kicker is you must have a great grinder to go with unless you are ok with a Porlex. I'm ok with the Porlex when we are on the road.
If your motivation is express strong coffee I can not say enough good about the Bialette Kitty Nera (versions there are many) stovetop. I was fortunate to pick up a lovely NOS Bialette Kitty recently and is now my go to for afternoon coffee.


This is much better than the original Moka Express Bilatte we know so well. Use a espresso grind and it even produces crema!

[j44ke]

Oh hey, here is a video by Agata Cangemi. Look at that crema!



We have an Ilsa Slancio stainless pot. The base is heavy duty! Enough to brain a horse. Makes espresso like a jet engine. But I was looking for a new gasket (slightly out of the ordinary size) and came upon the Kamira.

[HarryBeast]

Looks dangerous so of course I am intrigued. Seems to be an old design made by a company called Kamira.

Design looks very simple and thus, clever, thanks for sharing! The crema does look mighty foamy, though. Wonder what it tastes like.

[Pastashop]

Is the base magnetic / compatible with induction stoves?

[j44ke]

It isn't aluminum, but I don't know for sure. I have two pots that are from the exact same line from Cuisinart, and the 3 quart pan works but the 4 quart pan does not. Diabolical.

[froze]

I had a version, looked different and I belive it was essentially Moka.
Consider the Flair Espresso doohikey. I'm pulling some of the best shots I've ever had. The kicker is you must have a great grinder to go with unless you are ok with a Porlex. I'm ok with the Porlex when we are on the road.
If your motivation is express strong coffee I can not say enough good about the Bialette Kitty Nera (versions there are many) stovetop. I was fortunate to pick up a lovely NOS Bialette Kitty recently and is now my go to for afternoon coffee.


This is much better than the original Moka Express Bilatte we know so well. Use a espresso grind and it even produces crema!

I'm confused by the two Moka pots you showed, how can two different Moka pots that operate the exact same way just the exterior design is different have the one model working better than the other?

They both are identical in how they function, you heat up the water in the bottom chamber, this forces steam through a fine grind coffee in a strainer above it, which then rises through the center tube and dumps out the fresh brewed coffee into the holding chamber. Also the fluted one is made of aluminium and has been made that way for many years in Italy, the bottom round one is I think made of stainless steel, but the metals used again wouldn't change the flavor any. In Italy they like the aluminum one because like cast iron that has to be seasoned, aluminum is porous and becomes seasoned with coffee oil the more you use, in Italy all they do is rinse it out, they never wash it so as to preserve the oil which over time increases the flavor of the coffee. The stainless version doesn't hold the oil because it's not porous which is why they don't use them in Italy. So if anything once both have been used for a while the aluminum one will make coffee taste better. Of course that is from a standpoint of how the Italians want the coffee to taste, Americans being much different may not want that strong of a flavor that comes from a well seasoned Moka pot.

Speaking of cleaning, NEVER put a aluminium Moka pot into the dishwasher, it will ruin the pot, which is why all I do, and Italians as well, is just rinse it out, which is probably why you like the stainless version because you can keep it clean by throwing it in the dishwasher and Americans like their stuff clean, even washing out a aluminum pot by hand using dishwashing soap can still damage the aluminium especially if that soap contains any citrus.

By the way, the bottom one is the style that was used originally in Italy and still in widespread use today, not that I can't see how that would alter the flavor any over the other style. Also as a side note, the rounded bottom Moka pot that you like is supposedly made in China not Italy as the fluted bottom one is...again not that where it's made would alter the flavor.

Another thing with Moka pots, the lower the heat the more flavor is extracted from the coffee, you want the water to pass through the coffee slowly with a Moka pot. I wish I had a gas stovetop it would work better for a Moka pot, but I have electric, I put my stovetop on 3 out of 9 which takes it about 5 minutes, but those 5 minutes is only because I do a small trick first to speed up the making, I boil the water in cup in the microwave for 2 minutes and then pour the hot water into the Moka pot and set it on the stovetop. If I don't boil the water first it will take about 12 minutes, not that much longer, but you know us Americans! I have cooked the pot on level 2 on the stovetop but even after pre boiling the water it took about 20 minutes for the coffee to be done, so I don't cook it that low due to the time element but it did seem to taste a tad stronger. You can tell if the heat is just right because the coffee should come out of the center tube creeping out it and slowly oozing down and slowly filling the chamber, if it's gushing out like some sort of volcano the heat is too high.

In regards to tamping, some internet sites say to tamp Moka pot coffee and others say not to, I lightly tamp mine, and with tamping you don't need anything expensive, if you pickup a small round spice bottle it will cover the entire basket area of a Moka pot perfectly, and that's what I use to tamp with, but again only lightly, to much and the water won't get through the coffee grinds correctly since it's only getting about 2 to 4 psi vs 16 to 18 with an espresso maker.

While I like coffee created by Moka pots, French Press, Takeya cold brewed, and the AeroPress, I don't get to wrapped up into grinds so I have never bought a espresso fine grinder for the Moka, I simply buy it from the store already ground that way if I want to, and the other makers use a medium to coarse grind which I have an old electric grinder that can go from fine (not espresso fine) to coarse; the Moka pot I think works just as good with a fine grind about like table salt fine as it does with espresso grind which is more powdery, in fact the instructions that came with my pot and on the internet say to use a table salt consistency grind though there are some sites that say use a espresso grind; so a lot of the time I will grind my own in my grinder for the Moka pot. I also don't go crazy with buying coffee that cost $30 for a small bag, I just get the better end of the coffee brands at my grocery store, and I buy whatever is on sale! So I'm not a truest in that sense, and that's only because I don't want spend the money nor take the time to do all of that, maybe when I retire and I get bored I become more of a truest! That's not to say I don't like the true way Italians make their coffee, no in fact I love it better than my way, but again it's the time element and the expense I don't want to be bothered with.

These Moka pots are a very iconic Italian way of making coffee, so if you want something done the old fashion way and not by those crappy pod coffee makers that are all the rage in America, then going with the original and iconic way of making coffee is definitely the way to make real tasting coffee in the Italian sense. Americans overall don't like strong tasting drinks, which is why the drip maker for years was the prevalent way of making coffee in America howbeit nasty tasting weak coffee if you ask me! And those pod coffee makers are essentially the same thing, they don't make a good cup of coffee, but Americans don't know that! I've tried several different types of pod coffee (and using the high strength and just 4 ounce setting) because I have friend who has one and whenever I go to his house we drink coffee, I think all the pods tasted nasty...but in all honesty when he comes to my house and he drinks my Moka (or my French press, or my cold brewed coffee) he thinks it all tastes nasty to him but that's because mine is stronger than any pod so I have to weaken his down with water. This stronger tasting drink thing extends to beer too, I like the darkest beer I can get and I especially like the Russian Imperial Stout type of beer, but most Americans like the water downed light crap like Coors and the such which to me all that light to amber colored beer is nasty tasting. I had to check my birth certificate to make sure I was born in America!

I thought about buying a Flair Espresso maker but if I do that then I have to buy a specialized grinder, and get specialized coffee beans that are fresher roasted than store bought, so I'm not sure if I will buy an espresso maker due to all of that; I'm not a scientist and so experimenting to get all the right espresso nuances found in a real Italian espresso is not something I relish doing...at this time, again maybe, just maybe when I retire and I want to play around more with coffee I might do that but for now if I want a true espresso I'll get it at a Italian restaurant in town.

Of course coffee taste varies by the person, so all that I've said is opinion; and I like to change up my coffee from different coffee brands and roasts (medium to dark, I don't like light roasted) to using the different coffee makers that I have in an effort not to get bored with the taste of coffee.

[froze]

Design looks very simple and thus, clever, thanks for sharing! The crema does look mighty foamy, though. Wonder what it tastes like.

By the way, I was looking at that Kamira online after seeing it here because it looked very cool and with that crema even better, but I found some disturbing problems with it that gave me pause from buying it. Apparently some have exploded due to the pressure relief valve failing after about 5 to 6 months of use, and the Kamira company refused to honor their 5 year warranty, which is typical of Italian manufactures by the way! One of the reports I read the guy was using it on a glass top stove top (which is what I have in my house) the unit exploded breaking the glass top on the stove! And since Kamira doesn't honor their warranty he had to buy a new glass top that cost $400 plus he was out a maker. Not sure how widespread that issue is since that's only happened twice in 60 some odd reviews on Amazon, but they also seem to have a problem with quality control at the manufacturing of the unit because some came with cracks in the welds which allowed steam to escape, and one review claim he got a used one with grinds from the previous user still in the unit. So I think at this time I will pass on that unit only because I don't want to risk breaking my glass top if the thing by some chance happens to explode at some point down the road.

[Too Tall]

Thanks Froze for the good words. I try not to think about it too much once I've found something I like.

[rwsaunders]

Froze...these machines are made in Fort Wayne and a local shop here in Pittsburgh. Not for home use in terms of cost, but awesome to see in action.

Beautiful under-counter commercial coffee equipment | Modbar

[Too Tall]

Froze...these machines are made in Fort Wayne and a local shop here in Pittsburgh. Not for home use in terms of cost, but awesome to see in action.

Beautiful under-counter commercial coffee equipment | Modbar

Gorgeous installations.

[rwsaunders]

...typo. Should read a local shop in Pittsburgh has one. For fun you can set the temps in degrees Kelvin.

[j44ke]

With aluminum Moka pots, you are not supposed to use detergents or scrubbing abrasives of any sort. As long as nothing is growing in the pot, the coffee oils help protect the aluminum. Old pots should be recycled as they start to degrade, and their aluminum starts to leach into the coffee.

The Ilsa stainless pots we have say made in Italy. We just rinse them out in hot water and when making coffee, heat them slowly and the coffee that comes out of them is at least equal to any aluminum Moka pot I've had. My suspicion is that with any of these stove top pots, the caffeine percentage is higher. One cup and I'm ready to paint the house.

I am still tempted by the Kamira doohickey.

[froze]

Froze...these machines are made in Fort Wayne and a local shop here in Pittsburgh. Not for home use in terms of cost, but awesome to see in action.

Beautiful under-counter commercial coffee equipment | Modbar

Made in Fort Wayne? I didn't know that! but man they're expensive! just over $6,000 for a pour over?! yikes!

One thing about Moka pots that I learned while reading on the internet. I said in my earlier post that the AL version holds the oil because AL is porus and this is how all the old school Italian people do it, they just rinse it out leaving the oil on the inside of the pot, much like a person would do with a cast iron pan, and it's how I do my Moka pot because for some odd reason I prefer the old school way. However after reading some more on that it appears that people in America likes their stuff . spotless clean, and therefore Americans like the stainless steel version better because they can get it spotless, and throwing it in the dishwasher won't harm it like it will do to a AL Moka pot. Americans also don't like their coffee with some of the stronger texture that a well used oil stained AL moka pot will have, so again the stainless pots are what Americans prefer. This preferred bitter, what I call stronger, taste is the same reason Italians, and myself, prefer dark roasted coffee instead of medium like most Americans.

This Moka pot is similar to a cast iron pan thing is why when you buy a new Moka pot your should run at least 2 "practice" runs to get that oil to begin to penetrate the AL, and just like pre seasoning a cast iron pan you are pre seasoning the pot; this is why all I do, and Italians too, is rinse the pot out leaving it stained inside. You can read about it here: Cleaning and caring for your moka pot - Yuppiechef

[jclay]

This one has a pressure control valve so that the entire mass of grounds is subjected to a uniformly higher pressure than applied by regular moka pots.

Bialetti : brikka

I recently fell off the no-coffee wagon. Life, and early morning drives, are just too difficult without it. I might have to give the Brikka a try.

[mwynne]

Froze...these machines are made in Fort Wayne and a local shop here in Pittsburgh. Not for home use in terms of cost, but awesome to see in action.

Beautiful under-counter commercial coffee equipment | Modbar

A great shop (Cafe Moro) in Pullman, WA had one of those until pretty recently - super gorgeous, but sounds like they ran into some issues with the equipment (not sure what) and the owner ditched the set up.

[j44ke]

Made in Fort Wayne? I didn't know that! but man they're expensive! just over $6,000 for a pour over?! yikes!

One thing about Moka pots that I learned while reading on the internet. I said in my earlier post that the AL version holds the oil because AL is porus and this is how all the old school Italian people do it, they just rinse it out leaving the oil on the inside of the pot, much like a person would do with a cast iron pan, and it's how I do my Moka pot because for some odd reason I prefer the old school way. However after reading some more on that it appears that people in America likes their stuff . spotless clean, and therefore Americans like the stainless steel version better because they can get it spotless, and throwing it in the dishwasher won't harm it like it will do to a AL Moka pot. Americans also don't like their coffee with some of the stronger texture that a well used oil stained AL moka pot will have, so again the stainless pots are what Americans prefer. This preferred bitter, what I call stronger, taste is the same reason Italians, and myself, prefer dark roasted coffee instead of medium like most Americans.

This Moka pot is similar to a cast iron pan thing is why when you buy a new Moka pot your should run at least 2 "practice" runs to get that oil to begin to penetrate the AL, and just like pre seasoning a cast iron pan you are pre seasoning the pot; this is why all I do, and Italians too, is rinse the pot out leaving it stained inside. You can read about it here: Cleaning and caring for your moka pot - Yuppiechef

What do you do with Italian-Americans though? Maybe they use half aluminum half stainless steel espresso pots? Or are they somehow lost in the vacuous space of neither nor? Sheesh.

[froze]

Made in Fort Wayne? I didn't know that! but man they're expensive! just over $6,000 for a pour over?! yikes!

One thing about Moka pots that I learned while reading on the internet. I said in my earlier post that the AL version holds the oil because AL is porus and this is how all the old school Italian people do it, they just rinse it out leaving the oil on the inside of the pot, much like a person would do with a cast iron pan, and it's how I do my Moka pot because for some odd reason I prefer the old school way. However after reading some more on that it appears that people in America likes their stuff . spotless clean, and therefore Americans like the stainless steel version better because they can get it spotless, and throwing it in the dishwasher won't harm it like it will do to a AL Moka pot. Americans also don't like their coffee with some of the stronger texture that a well used oil stained AL moka pot will have, so again the stainless pots are what Americans prefer. This preferred bitter, what I call stronger, taste is the same reason Italians, and myself, prefer dark roasted coffee instead of medium like most Americans.

This Moka pot is similar to a cast iron pan thing is why when you buy a new Moka pot your should run at least 2 "practice" runs to get that oil to begin to penetrate the AL, and just like pre seasoning a cast iron pan you are pre seasoning the pot; this is why all I do, and Italians too, is rinse the pot out leaving it stained inside. You can read about it here: Cleaning and caring for your moka pot - Yuppiechef

Silly me I already said all of that in my first post!

[froze]

What do you do with Italian-Americans though? Maybe they use half aluminum half stainless steel espresso pots? Or are they somehow lost in the vacuous space of neither nor? Sheesh.

I think over time being exposed to the American way of doing things their culture, as does other cultures, get lost or diluted as time goes on. So they begin to think more like Americans and get the weaker tasting stuff. It's like back in the cowboy days of cattle and sheep herding there were people that ran in those lines of work that came fresh from whatever european country they came from, a lot of Turkish people found themselves doing that kind of work, and they made the coffee for the crew, and since they didn't have their Cezve coffee pots with them they did the next best thing and made what became known as cowboy coffee. To see how Turkish coffee is made read this: Learn How To Make Turkish Coffee with Step-by-Step Photos Then compare that to the cowboy way read this: How Do You Make Cowboy Coffee? - Driftaway Coffee Note, that the cowboy way says to sprinkle cold water on top to get the coffee grounds floating on top to sink, back in the cowboy days they did not do that, take that step out and it's the same method as the Turkish coffee. Now I have tried to make Turkish coffee several times and for some reason, even after following the instructions to the letter and using slightly different directions I found on the internet, failed miserably! The coffee tasted so bad I had to throw it out each time. Not sure what I'm doing wrong, so I'll just stay with the easy methods I already have.

[j44ke]

So becoming an American is to become a diluted form of some other culture. Great. Thanks for sharing.