[Closed] stovetop coffee maker - is it wrong..

Be prepared to have your doors of perception opened by caffeine overdose.

Yeah you do realise you're supposed to add a little boiled water/milk to it??!!

What he said ^

I'm not (currently) using an espresso coffee in the machine, just some ground coffee I picked up in Spain, suppose that makes a difference.
Mind you, I normally drink a litre of cafetiere coffee every morning.

It's meant to be espresso. So you'd be drinkiing a whole mugful of espresso. If that's what you want to do to yourself, go ahead 🙂

I have a 6 cup that I use every morning before work. It doesn't quite fill a normal mug so that gets topped up with some cold water (because I don't like waiting for coffee)

The small one I have makes two big mugs of coffee when you dilute it with water / milk. It's probably comparable to that litre cafetiere.

I've got a 4 cup that i use to make one mug - albeit usually a large STW 'Not jumpy, not grumpy' mug.

I cut it with warmed milk to fill it, but I guess that's not the key point, the key point is that 4 espresso strength portions is my usual morning fix.

I do however want a Bialetti Brikka to add to my stable of 5 coffee making apparatii; it has a pressure valve in the spout so that the pressure in the boiling chamber has to reach Espresso pressure before it'll blow through. Makes better crema, according to the stuff I've read.

http://www.bialetti.com/coffee/stovetop/brikka-c-1_7_24.html

In answer to the original question: No. It's goooood. Add hot milk and get a nice, strong day-starting half-mug of coffee in you.

muddydwarf - Member
It makes lovely coffee, but only half a mug at a time so ive just ordered a 12 cup version so I can have a proper mug of coffee.

Of course you can, of course you can because that's how I would drink mine. Besides you are using Arabica beans so the caffeine level is not that strong by comparison to Robusta ...

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This makes a full mug. I use 75% the filter.

The idea of diluting it is anathama.

I get 2 mugs from our 9 cup bialetti, doesn't seem to be any different strength wise to the cafetiere.

I've used a 12 cup for years just to do one big mug. I gave up caffeine a few months ago but the other day fancied a coffee. Jesus wept it felt like the 90's again, I was flying!

I use a 4 serve one for 2 decent cups of coffee, reasonably diluted with milk and (snobs look away now) sometimes a dash of a syrup.

Mine is a 3 cup one. I recently bought a 6 for when my OH wants coffee too but I suspect there will be days when I use it just for me.

I've used a 12 cup for years just to do one big mug. I gave up caffeine a few months ago but the other day fancied a coffee. Jesus wept it felt like the 90's again, I was flying!

Part of me fancies giving up caffeine just for that feeling.

But then I'd have to give up caffeine and I'm fairly sure I'd lose my job if people ever saw me pre-caffeine.

I've got exactly the same on as gofasterstripes. Though, I thought you needed a heat spreader for a gas ring?

It's not my pic, soz.

Good one though, eh?

I gave up on my stove top, too much hassle. As a total philistine I mimic the effect by just putting lots (and lots) of coffee in the cafeteire. Caffeine? Yes. Awake? Oh Yes! So I'm no help to the OP, but sort of relevant.

I love my stove top, used it for years now. I like the routine of it - none of this pop a capsule, press a button nonsense.

Evening! Whoa you guys add water?! I put hot water in the cup to prewarm, throw out and pour the ready espresso in.

Stovetop is not espresso coffee, you need 9bar of pressure for that.

If it's not espresso, then just how strong is it? I'm tempted by the full mug approach but the thought of 6 shots of espresso makes me wince a bit. BUT IT TASTES SO GOOD!

Bialetti Brikka

They're nothing special and its more froth than crema - also noticeably bitter without being diluted

Part of me fancies giving up caffeine just for that feeling.

It was gooooooooood 😉 a few hours later it was bad, very very bad!

I've got exactly the same on as gofasterstripes. Though, I thought you needed a heat spreader for a gas ring?

I've not heard that I've before, what's the reasoning?

These days I just put recently boiled water and grounds in a mug, poke it a bit and add milk.

The hear spreader is probably to prevent melting or oxidation of the aluminium.

Try as i might i cant get good cofffee from my bialetti,

Singlespeeddan of this parish made me some with his moka pot - it was stonkingly good not sure if its operator error or the fact i was in hour 22 of a 24 hour race......

Im currently using a gsi 1 cup fo my morning cup and its making good coffee 🙂

Stovetop is not espresso coffee, you need 9bar of pressure for that.

True, but it doesn't mean it's weaker or got less caffeine in it.

Pre-wet the grounds, then put it on a super low heat so the water oozes slowly through.. it's very strong indeed. Different to espresso.. very flavoursome but more mellow tasting.

Stovetop is not espresso coffee, you need 9bar of pressure for that.

OP, that's a lot of coffee per hit, I used to have 2x 6 cup pots in the morning. 😯 I've now cut that down to 2x 1 cup pot and life is good.

Using the stove top is it considered bad form to put boiling water from the kettle in? Or should you put cold water in and wait?

I've not heard that I've before, what's the reasoning?

I've absolutely no idea. But my pot was a gift and the gifter also bought a heat spreader, a sort of formed aluminium(?) disc with holes in, as she (mistakenly) thought I had a gas hob. The blurb on the packaging said it was necessary for gas but not electric, but I don't remember what if any explanation was provided.

I'd put warm water in, not boiling.

But then you might have trouble, because it's the expansion of the cold air as it warms up that gets it going nice and slowly.. hmm..

Using the stove top is it considered bad form to put boiling water from the kettle in? Or should you put cold water in and wait?

It's what I do, saves a lot of time. It's probably angered the Java gods or something, but I can't tell any discernible difference in taste either way.

I'm a bit late to the thread...

I cut it with warmed milk

I'm sorry, what? We are still talking about coffee aren't we?

I've just got an Aerobie Aeropress since my stovetop went through the dishwasher and the aluminium didn't react too well to the tablets... It's ace and I thoroughly recommend it for home, work and camping use!

Slight highjack - but how many aeropress scoops are people putting if you're filling it entirely with water?

I basically follow this with an aeropress. [url= https://www.stumptowncoffee.com/brew-guides/aeropress ]https://www.stumptowncoffee.com/brew-guides/aeropress[/url]

If it's not espresso, then just how strong is it?

Espresso isn't especially strong, as the water's not in the coffee for long. Strong coffee - you want filter/drip.

I think you need the right sort of coffee for a moka pot, not all stuff seems to agree with it.

Slight highjack - but how many aeropress scoops are people putting if you're filling it entirely with water?

Depends how you like your coffee! The great thing about an aeropress is how repeatable it is, so you can tweak to your liking every variable then repeat it.

Anyhow, I grind pretty fine, then 2 scoops of beans and water to the number 3. That's the sweet spot for my tastes, but I will admit gives you a neither here-nor-there volume of coffee.

Interesting. I'm going low on scoops, thought it was lacking in oomph!

I basically follow this with an aeropress. https://www.stumptowncoffee.com/brew-guides/aeropress

Interesting, that would give a more bitter taste I imagine, though stronger coffee (for the volume of beans) as you're sitting the water quite a while.

The thing I like about the aeropress is you can make decent flavoured coffee with very little sitting about in the water, so it's not bitter at all, gives a very different taste which I like sometimes.

So I'm 2 scoops, number three water, stir for ten and get it plunged.

This isn't an efficient cup of coffee in terms of how much you need per cup, but I like the taste. Prefer a less fruity bean, but YMMV.

Espresso isn't especially strong, as the water's not in the coffee for long. Strong coffee - you want filter/drip.

Of course, there's a difference between strong in taste, and strong in caffeine.

With Aeropress, I follow the instructions and top up with hot water if I want a mugful.

19.5g, 200ml, 1min, inversion method for aeropress.

I'm like "WoW" at how much coffee you guys are using. There seems to be a lot of cramming into the small pods then ramming, and adding more!

Do yo float out of the house on a morning?

I use an espresso machine 3/4 times a week max, black or white depending on what my taste buds feel like.

I've a stove top and Gaggia too, mostly use the Gaggia..

Every morning I have one large mug (Came with an Easter egg in it) of coffee from the stove top 'expresso'.

Lavazza ground coffee pressed into fill the filter.
Hot/boiled water from the kettle and then on a moderate heat

No milk, no water, no sugar

I haven't died yet

yet... 😉

Anyway, stovetop to make a mug full with some milk in was brilliant in my 24hr racing days - really sorted me out after waking up.

And FWIW, I always use boiled water if possible - quicker and by my reckoning if anything it should give better coffee as you're heating the whole thing (including the ground coffee) for less time.

So are most people using their Aeropress to make a large quantity (i.e. mugful) of coffee, brewed for a while, and drinking it straight rather than a small shot and topping up with water?

Doesn't that defeat the point of an Aeropress?

Got a stovetop pot for my birthday. Makes lovely coffee but the thing dribbles when you pour. Most annoying in this day and age that we've not yet perfected the non drip pouring device.

Got a stovetop pot for my birthday. Makes lovely coffee but the thing dribbles when you pour. Most annoying in this day and age that we've not yet perfected the non drip pouring device.

I had an aeropress for work briefly but wisnae at all impressed, always tested sour, even with fresh coffee.

Lavazza ground coffee pressed into fill the filter.

You're not supposed to tamp it down. Not sure of the logic, something to do with pressure. Knowing you, it'll probably explode one day.

So are most people using their Aeropress to make a large quantity (i.e. mugful) of coffee, brewed for a while, and drinking it straight rather than a small shot and topping up with water?

No - my method above gives basically a slightly-long double espresso.

My OH prefers either a single scoop, no 1 water then top up with hot to make a cup, or single scoop and fill to no4 and press that through.

Its often quicker to ask on here than to google it but I have a stove top espresso thing but the gaps between the bars on my gas hob are just slightly too far apart to balance it over the burner. Any solutions?

Yes, you can buy a little metal reducer. google 'gas hob reducer' and plenty will come up.

Its often quicker to ask on here than to google it but I have a stove top espresso thing but the gaps between the bars on my gas hob are just slightly too far apart to balance it over the burner. Any solutions?

[url= http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B0001IX10M?psc=1&redirect=true&ref_=oh_aui_detailpage_o06_s00 ]http://www.amazon.co.uk[/url]

Its often quicker to ask on here than to google it but I have a stove top espresso thing but the gaps between the bars on my gas hob are just slightly too far apart to balance it over the burner. Any solutions?

Ah - that may answer an earlier question. See the comments about a heat spreader on the previous page. (And, Googling, it looks to be the case.)

Be honest now, Biatelli gets the coffee too hot doesn't it.

Perfect, thanks guys!

Yes indeed. Cougar, meet Rockhopper. He needs what you have and don't want.

In the stove top I never pad the coffee, simply scoop out one and a bit scoops. Gaggia I do though because it is an espresso machine.

Surely putting cold in, leaving it to very slowly heat (as in the lowest the gas will go, surely no STW has an electric hob - heathens) the coffee and allow the smell to fill the kitchen is the only way, the smell is part of the ritual isn't it?

I'm quite new to coffee, but I believe any milk or sugar just negates the flavours of the coffee so drinking it this way is essentially missing the point. If you are going to be obsessive over something at least do it properly, surely?

We had an [s]expresso[/s] espresso machine where I used to work.

People used to make a long coffee/americano by putting filter coffee, or pods, in and running it until the mug was full. Everyone was happy because even then it tasted better than instant.

The look of horror when I ran a shot of espresso and topped it up with hot water!

I had an aeropress for work briefly but wisnae at all impressed, always tested sour, even with fresh coffee.

Good thing about aeropress in work kitchen is that it makes no mess for colleagues to moan about.

Its often quicker to ask on here than to google it but I have a stove top espresso thing but the gaps between the bars on my gas hob are just slightly too far apart to balance it over the burner. Any solutions?

You want a trivet. Something like:

http://www.amazon.co.uk/GAS-COOKER-TRIVET-GASHEAD-KREUZ/dp/B0015LUTOA/ref=sr_1_1?s=kitchen&ie=UTF8&qid=1444213525&sr=1-1&keywords=gas+hob+trivet

I believe any milk or sugar just negates the flavours of the coffee so drinking it this way is essentially missing the point

I vehemently disagree with this. If you like black coffee, then fine, drink it, enjoy it.

But if you like a latte, then go ahead and drink them too. The quality of the coffee DOES strongly affect the flavour of the finished beverage, of course it does. As does the quality of the milk!

As for missing the point - the point of coffee, in case you lot have forgotten, is to drink something you like. And if that's lattes, then drink lattes.

There is no 'proper', that's just a term used by snobs to divide themselves between their perceived stratum and the oiks below. Why do they do that? Who knows, but perhaps it's something to do with needing to feel above the majority...

No - my method above gives basically a slightly-long double espresso.

I guess I wasn't including you in "most." You seem to be in some sort of halfway house - which is fair enough if it works for you.

My OH prefers either a single scoop, no 1 water then top up with hot to make a cup, or single scoop and fill to no4 and press that through.

These are two quite different ways of making coffee though. Second method seems to somewhat defeat the point of the Aeropress, though it'll still be "better" (less bitter) than brewed.

Have to agree with molgrips on this.

Yes indeed. Cougar, meet Rockhopper. He needs what you have and don't want.

Sadly, I may have thrown it out. I'll have a look, it's yours if it turns up (but I'm not hopeful).

Second method tastes a bit less "thin" (not the right word but best description I can think of) than the first IMO. As you say, less bitter than brewed. Though sometimes bitter is good!

TBH I don't tend to stick to one way of making a cup, I like that I can get a different beverage by treating the same basic ingredients in different ways (always black, no sugar for me though).

Different strokes for different folks, it's all good.

Agreed on all points. Sometimes bitter IS good, hence my quotes around "better" as defined as less bitter. Viva la difference and all that. More ways = more fun.

19.5g, 200ml, 1min, inversion method for aeropress.

Are there different sizes of aeropress? I don't measure but doesn't seem like it'd hold 200ml inverted. Haven't got mine here to check.