The Stove stop espresso maker was invented in 1933 by Italian engineer Alfonso Bialetti. In principle it brews coffee by passing boiling water pressurized by steam through ground coffee.

How to use your stove top espresso maker

1. Grind your coffee medium to fine (It should be slightly coarser than espresso)
2. Fill the bottom chamber with water up to the valve. We recommend filling the bottom chamber with water one minute off the boil
3. Fill the filter basket with the ground coffee and level it off. Preferably do not compress (tamp) the grounds in the basket.
4. Assemble the espresso maker. We use a kitchen towel when assembling to hold the already warm bottom chamber.
5. Place on a medium heat.
6. When sufficient pressure has built up, it will force the water through the grounds and out the top. You can lift the lid to observe.
7. When the colour of the liquid turns light and you start hearing a gurgling sound, remove from the heat.

BACKYARD BREW’S BREWING ADVICE

• If you do not own a grinder, it is best to purchase ground coffee suitable for use in a stove top espresso maker.
• Whilst tamping your coffee for espresso extraction is essential, the opposite is true for the stove top espresso maker.
• An uneven tamp can cause channeling. Channeling occurs where the water passes through gaps or “channels” in the ground coffee bed, rather than saturating the puck evenly. This causes under-extraction.
• Using filter ground coffee is too coarse and you will under extract resulting in a sour cup lacking sweetness and balance.
• Using coffee ground too fine you run the risk of over extraction resulting in a bitter, dry and astringent coffee.
• You can add water ideally one minute off the boil to make a cafe americano. Add just enough water to bring the intensity down if you feel the coffee is too strong.
• Clean your stove top espresso maker once cooled, ideally rinse with warm water and wipe dry. We do not advise washing them in a dishwasher or using soapy water after each use.