I bought this three years ago. I have used it once or twice daily since, and it is as good as new. What other coffee maker can you get for less than £20 which makes very good coffee and doesn't go wrong?!
My advice is this: take a little care to clean old grinds off the rubber seal. This is not difficult to do, but it makes the seal last much longer. My seal will need replacing in the next six months I should think, which is not bad going really, and will cost just £4 delivered.
I also can say that this CAN be used on an induction hob (indeed, mine always has been). The footprint is too small for the hob to recognise that there is an item on the hob, so a very simple and quick trick is required: place a steel item (I use the lid of a small saucepan) over the hob, turn on, and then slide the Bialetti on, pushing off the lid. Easy! I suspect part of the reason that my Bialetti is as good as new is that the induction hob does not create excess heat to go up the sides and heat up the handle, and if you use gas you should be careful about this - a smaller flame would be better (and doesn't really take longer, because so much of the larger flame is lost heat).
My parents-in-law have a leading brand espresso machine, it cost six times what this did, it takes up worktop space, they are tied into one particular company's coffee (which is not fair trade) and it will go wrong before this one does. It makes lovely coffee, slightly stronger coffee than my Bialetti, a proper espresso while this is more like 3/4 strength, but I prefer this, which still makes a very passable espresso and is ideal with a little extra hot water for an Americano. This '2 cup' machine makes ONE double shot coffee. If you want to share coffee with friends, you need the 4 cup, which makes 2 double shot coffees. I also have one of those.
Finally, there is some talk of what speed to make the coffee - what level to dial up on the hob. Someone else said that they thought that a more gentle heat, taking longer, led to a smoother coffee with more oils. I have experimented with this, and find no difference between a medium-low heat (4 on my hob) and a medium highish heat (6 on my hob). However, I suspect they are right about very high heats making harsher tasting coffee (7 upwards), but I doubt it is because the water is hotter, because I think the water would be the same temperature due to the physics of this - but it would be forced through faster, and that might make the difference they have noticed. Nice and gently also has an added advantage - there will likely be some water in the screw threads from cleaning it out (I use mine so regularly I just clean it out immediately prior to using it). If you heat it very harshly, this water will also get to boiling point, it is forced out of the screw and runs sizzling down the side of the base, leaving water marks. If you use a gentler setting, this doesn't happen.
Sorry for the long geeky review, but as you can tell, this is one of my favourite kitchen items, and everyone tells me how much they like the look of it and the coffee it makes.
| Brand | Bialetti |
|---|---|
| Model Number | 1698 |
| Colour | Silver |
| Product Dimensions | 7 x 6 x 12.8 cm; 330 g |
| Volume Capacity | 0.1 litres |
| Noise Level | 44 dB |
| Special Features | Jug |
| Item Weight | 330 g |
