Espresso Machines

Stovetop espresso makers produce an espresso with an extraction ratio similar to that of a conventional espresso machine. The bottom chamber contains the water. The middle chamber is a filterbasket and sits within the bottom chamber holding the ground coffee. The top chamber, with a metal filter, screws onto the bottom chamber. When the pot is heated on a stove, the pressure from the steam in the bottom chamber forces the water through a tube into the filter-basket, through the ground coffee, the metal filter, and it then funnels into the top chamber where the coffee is then ready to serve. Depending on bean variety and grind selection, stovetop espresso makers can create the same foam emulsion known as crema that conventional espresso machines can. They are commonly found in Italy, Spain and Portugal, and are known colloquially as moka pots, after an early trademark. They are also known as a macchinetta, Italian for “little machine”. They are also referred to as Spanish coffee makers, or cafeteras in Spanish.

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