One of the perks of having a husband who works around the clock as an anesthesiology resident is that he has become rather obsessed with coffee. Which means that every morning I have the laborious task of deciding if I want espresso, french press coffee, drip coffee or Italian coffee.
I like them all but some of my best Sunday mornings have entailed drinking a piping hot cup of Italian coffee. It has a strong, concentrated flavor, somewhere between drip and espresso. It’s simple, cheap and let’s face it — kind of glamorous.
The most popular vessel for making it is the $20 Bialetti Moka Express, a handy little gadget that is used in households all over Italy. (Its invention in 1933 is credited for bringing espresso coffee from the coffeehouse to the home. It is so significant, in fact, that its blueprints are on display in the London Design Museum.)
Just fill the lower chamber with water and put ground coffee inside of the filter. Place the moka pot on a hot stove until intense pressure inside the chamber starts funneling coffee through to the upper chamber.
When the upper chamber is full of deliciousness, the coffee is ready.
Pour it in a cup and you’re set with a very bold, smooth flavor. You can experiment with different coffee grounds to see which you prefer but I recommend the Lookout Joe variety.)
So, do you buy it? Or do you have another favorite brewing style?
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i’ve been trying different local coffee beans, too. i need to try lookout joes.
I really like Coffee Emporium roast too. If you find any other good ones let me know.
You have to watch the quality of the stove top espresso maker. If the gauge of metal is not strong and sturdy, you might as well use the light weight ones for Christmas tree ornaments which my family in Toronto does when gifted with low quality but well meaning cookware. Are we cookware snobs and Italian food snobs? Absolutely! Also, the Italian and Turkish espresso coffees are made to become espresso or Turkish coffee, the other stuff is made to satisfy the palate of trendy, “I drink espresso, ” wanna bees or newbies. Keep educating the masses Courtney, it is for their own ‘good’.
I’ve been drinking the La Terza which I pickup from Park+Vine.
OMG I want one of those stove top coffee makers!
How many cups does it make because I drink coffee by the pot on Sundays.
You can get a quality stove stop espresso maker for one, two, on up to 6-8. You really have to get the one or two cup for quality. Espresso is made for the individual, not the pot of coffee circle. I am Italian and am not shouting, we talk this way!
Do you take all of these pictures yourself? If so, you do tremendous work and should be quite proud. I think I may have my new favorite blog…just sayin’.
Why yes, thank you Randy. My h-band helps when I want shots of me doing something and he’s quite talented too. He’s also a good sport about it considering I lug a camera around everywhere I go and am always saying demanding things like “move that bowl over there.” The fact that you are paying me any attention whatsoever is a huge compliment.
I’ve enjoyed reading your blog. Most are full of garbage, but this is really interesting – and useful too! I particulary enjoyed the Stove Top Italian Coffee | Epiventures post. I’ll be back often, starting next Sunday. Kind regards, Lily.
I actually did comment in this stating that unless you are using parmiaggiano reggiano cheese, you are not using cheese. My stash comes from my family in Campotosto, Italy. They make it and they make ricotta. You have not eaten ricotta until you have seen the process and eaten it fresh. My son Ryan is a fan! Courtney we have homemade Prosciutto as well. Keep the Italian culinary education going. People think Olive Garden is Italian…
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