Moka Express 1/2 Cups Stovetop Espresso Maker. The perfect gift! Made in Italy

I stumbled upon this coffee maker while I was shopping around for a new stovetop moka pot. Anyone familiar with the coffee that comes out of a traditional moka pot should enjoy the coffee that this thing produces, only in a more convenient and familiar 'shot' form. ...and of course there is an almost comical amount of crema produced...which can be good or bad depending on your preference. It is perfect for those mornings before work when I need a little pick-me-up, but don't want to commit to a full pot. For somewhat of an impulse buy, I am very pleased with it. I can get a great shot of espresso without having to commit to a full-blown espresso machine. Here is a quick assessment:Pros:- Fast! Water heats up within about 1 minute and produces a shot quickly after. One and done!- Comes with both single and double shot portafilters, but I doubt the single shot will ever get used. :)- Easy to clean. The maker is elegent in its simplicity. Just wipe or rinse and it's ready to go.- Light and Portable. Can use it pretty much anywhere with a burner, such as a hotel room or friend's house.- Appears to be well made. Most of the construction is stainless steel, but the valve/portafilter handles are plastic. The protective covering seems to be rubber, as is the gasket of course.- Easy to use. There instructions come in English and Italian. The steps are fairly straightforward and don't leave much room for error. Basically, Close valve, load water, open valve (lets the water flow into the boiler), close valve, load portafilter, put on stove. When it's done, simply release the valve slowly release pressure.Cons:- Takes a little trial and error with grind and tamping to get an extract within 30 seconds. That's probably typical with most espresso makers though.- Valve assembly is functional but seems a little flimsy. IT has worked perfectly fine so far, but I'm guessing if something does snap off, it would be the valve handle.- Not a 'set it and forget it' maker. i.e. Don't load it up and go wandering off to the shower. It makes coffee quickly and should probably be watched carefully.- Water tank holds just enough water for a double shot. If you want an Americano or something like that, you'd need to put the kettle on. I don't imagine it would do a corto/ristretto shot very well either. If you don't mind the 1~2oz limitation, you're good.- Pricey. You can get a perfectly nice aluminum moka pot for $20-$30 and stainless one for $50-$60. For how simple it is, the $100 spend is slightly outside my comfort zone. I'm happy with it though, so I can't really complain too much.Bottom line: It doesn't do much, but what it does do, it does very well. If you are looking for an alternative to standard stovetop makers and want to have a nice conversation piece at dinner parties, I would recommend this whole-heartedly.

We were on a trip to Italy recently and a couple of our friends in Trieste and Brescia there had this coffee maker. Its the only stovetop coffee maker that really makes espresso with the layer of top foam, just like you'd find in an Italian coffee bar. We have an induction stove at home and bought the model that works on induction. We've been making coffee for 2 weeks with it, and its wonderful, our old Mokka coffee maker has been sitting on the shelf unused since we got the Kamira.Its important to follow the instructions and do the quick cleaning/water round before making the coffee. Once you get some practice its very quick to use, and just as fast as the Mokka. My wife heats milk in the microwave and then makes a Kamira double espresso shot straight into the milk, and finally stirs in a small spoonful of honey. The result is a delicious latte with a bit of foam. I just have the straight espresso. Its also nice that you cup automatically gets warmed in the process.The only downside is if you have guest over and want to make a lot of espressos, then you may be better off using a large-sized Mokka.This is an excellent alternative to an expensive countertop espresso machine.

this makes a great cup of espresso. it looks good, takes up less space than a keurig, and makes espresso. it is amazing when it wants to work correctly. half of the time, it doesn't work correctly. the water is supposed to filter down when you move the handle down but sometimes the water won't go down. it's like there's a clog or air bubble that is preventing it from going down. we've had to improvise by swirling it, adding heat to allow the air bubbles to bubble out etc. major inconvenience as we do spend more time than necessary trouble shooting/fixing the problem when we should be just enjoying our morning cup of coffee.