Grinders that last
Hand and electric grinders for espresso, filter or both, chosen on blind tastings, what owners say after years and whether parts and repairs can be had. A good grinder matters more than the machine.
12 items
The moka pot
For anyone who loves the moka pot’s strong cup and wants it at its best, without turning it into an espresso machine. Chosen on side-by-side tests and on what owners say after years of use.
Prices from shops in Czechia.
Check your hob first. Aluminium pots, the classic Moka Express among them, don’t work on induction; the steel ones and the Moka Induction do.
Choosing the pot
For a first pot we’d go with the Moka Express, and several owners who’ve had both kinds find aluminium makes the smoother cup. Steel is for induction, or for a pot that stays shiny.
- Bialetti Moka Express stovetop espresso maker, 3 cups
The octagonal original: a test of twelve pots put its sweet, thick coffee first, and spare parts keep it going for decades. It’s aluminium, so not for induction.
CZK 499 kofio.cz - Bialetti New Brikka stovetop espresso maker, 2 cups
Its weighted valve holds the pressure back, then lets it go at once: a smaller, stronger cup with a layer of foam, strong enough for milk. It’s aluminium, so no induction.
CZK 699 grand-cafe.cz - Bialetti Moka Induction stovetop espresso maker, 4 cups, black
The classic’s aluminium brewing parts on a steel-clad boiler, so it works on induction. Its coffee is strong and a little bitter; a bit less coffee, or some milk, evens it out.
CZK 872 botacoffee.cz - Bialetti New Venus stainless steel stovetop espresso maker, 4 cups
The all-steel pot owners name first: it works on any hob, induction included, and stays shiny with ordinary washing. Its coffee divides people; some find it more bitter than aluminium’s.
CZK 729 prazena-coffee.cz - Alessi 9090 stovetop espresso maker, 3 cups
Richard Sapper’s 1979 design in heavy steel for any hob, and its coffee matched the best in a test of twelve pots. It clamps shut instead of screwing, and the spout doesn’t drip.
CZK 4,134 Out of stockchefshop.cz
Keeping it fresh
- Timemore Chestnut C3S Pro hand coffee grinder, black
Coffee ground just before brewing keeps the aroma that pre-ground has lost, and this hand grinder grinds evenly enough for a moka pot. To change the setting, you count clicks.
CZK 1,789 botacoffee.cz - Eureka Mignon Filtro coffee grinder, black
A moka pot wants a grind a little finer than for filter: fine enough to slow the water, not so fine the coffee turns bitter. This sturdy electric grinder does it fresh each morning.
CZK 4,479 gourmetkava.cz - Bialetti replacement gaskets and filter plate for Moka Express, 3 cups
A hardened gasket is the usual reason a moka pot leaks at the thread or tastes stale; a new one each year or so makes it brew like new. This set fits the 3-cup Moka Express.
CZK 120 kava-praha.cz
Milk and a cup
- Subminimal NanoFoamer Lithium handheld milk frother, black
Its fine mesh turns warm milk into silky foam close to a steam wand’s, so a moka pot’s strong coffee becomes a cappuccino or flat white. It doesn’t heat, so warm the milk first.
CZK 918 alternativebrewing.com.au - Severin SM 3585 Spuma 500 induction milk frother
It heats and froths the milk while the pot brews, and won the 2024 frother test published by the German consumer testers Stiftung Warentest. Firm foam: for cappuccino, not latte art.
CZK 1,954 datart.cz - Loveramics Egg espresso cup and saucer, 80 ml, Denim
Sized for the small, strong cup a moka pot pours, in thick café porcelain that keeps it hot. Its small handle takes two or three fingers.
CZK 379 kava.cz
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