Bialetti Moka Mukka Express Coffee Maker, 2 cups,Small, Aluminum

The first one was a bust and very frustrating. I watched videos and asked questions but no luck. When they sent the replacement, I was ready to go and the first one came out perfect. My one tip is to heat up both the milk and water before putting them in. I do a minute in the microwave for each. If I use sugar free creamer, I heat that for 30 seconds. Stays hot a lot longer. I love the froth on the cappuccino option. I use this daily, and it is still in good shape six months later. Cleanup is not easy; it can get a film but doable. I hope they are not discontinuing because I would definitely buy this again in the future.

For too long I fiddled with my electric espresso machine and its milk steamer. You know the drill: brewing the espresso, steaming and frothing the milk, and trying to time it so that both the coffee and the milk would be ready at the same time. Results were uneven; I would be rewarded with a really good cappuccino maybe 40% of the time. With Bialetti's new stove-top machine, I can count on a perfect cappuccino EVERY time. It is such a pleasure to get the result which is promised. I should mention that the machine makes approximately 14 oz. of cappuccino, enough to make two servings. Personally, I use one of those mugs that looks more like a soup bowl and drink every ounce myself. So far, it seems to me that 2% milk makes the best product, by the way.Do have a look at the video before you decide to buy. Using the Mukka Express is not at all difficult, but you MUST read and follow the directions exactly. I was a bit skeptical when I read that the pot becomes "seasoned," making better cappuccino as time goes by . . . but it does! My only regret is that I waited months before buying. Is it worth the price? Definitely.

I am a big fan of Bialetti Moka Express, I have two pots at home (2 and 6 cup) and use them regularly. Unfortunately the Mukka Express cappuccino maker was a complete failure for me. I have read and adhered to the manufacturer’s instructions, watched the instructional DVD, and read countless product reviews with helpful advice to make sure I can get it to work – to no avail. I gave this pot several tries by adjusting the flame strength and diameter; cooking times; and the size of coffee grounds, but the result was hardly ever good and never consistent. Below are the issues I encountered.Some of the water always remained in the bottom chamber. As a result, you did not get two cappuccinos, you got one. Also, the cappuccino was more like coffee flavored milk, because the would-be coffee was made with only some water, while the rest of it just sat below. If I cooked it longer, the coffee would burn before all the water was used. If I cooked it on a higher flame – the pot would leak coffee from the sides and/or the coffee burned.The pot would leak coffee if the flame was too high (instructions recommend medium to high flame), or the coffee was too finely ground (instruction recommend espresso ground coffee) despite of having a spotless rim and securely screwed on top. What helped was using coarser ground coffee or reducing the flame. But when the flame was reduced too much, not enough foam was produced and the milk wasn’t hot enough. With the flame higher, the foam and milk temperature were fine, but the coffee leaked all over my stove. It was impossible to get it right.Another minor hassle was cleaning the unit – the valve had to be cleaned immediately or it would clog up with milk. The unit is heavy and bulky, not the easiest to handle (screw, unscrew, wash) for someone with small hands (referring to a 2-cup Mukka).When the unit works as designed (I only got a decent outcome once), the coffee is pretty good, but not great. The cappuccinos are (1) rather small, and (2) rather weak. You’re better off using a regular Moka Express to make espresso and add foamed milk separately – which is what I had been doing before getting this unit and have been doing again since returning it, which I did after one week of trying.I think part of the issue is the design of American cooking ranges. In Europe, ranges have much smaller burners with more closely spaced flames with lower sitting grates, so the flame is more direct. In the US the grates are higher and the burners are bigger with more sparsely located flames. I found that my Moka pots perform better on a small camping stove, so the same might be true for the Mukka Express. If you have a ceramic or electric stove, this machine might work just fine. Still, I’d say get a regular Moka Express and a milk frother for a fraction of a price, and enjoy simpler and better cappuccinos and lattes.

After James Hoffman featured this in an episode of his YouTube channel the prices for these skyrocketed. I was lucky, i feel like i got the last one for what they had selling.Anyway, this is an extremely fun little mocha pot. With regular milk it makes an amazingly pleasing foam for cappuccino and it also makes lattes. The difference is how the weighted streaming apparatus is set before being placed on the heat. It makes two small to medium cappuccinos or lattes (or one for me!). Cleanup isn't bad, but there are a few parts and it's not dishwasher safe, unless you don't care about the appearance of the aluminum. So if you're used to a traditional mocha pot, you'll know what to expect, with one extra piece to wash, the steaming head inside the top chamber. I really recommend it, if it's not too costly.