CoffeeForums Coffee Facts

Q: Anyone tried this? I recently saw it in a Williams-Sonoma and it looked like it might actually work. I know it's not a real Espresso maker but I'm not the type to ever shell out the money for one and I've found the Chepo units too messy and hard to clean. http://www.bialetticafe.com/pinfo-12_bialetti-mukka-express.html

A: I have one. It does what they claim it will do. My one complaint with it is that it is sometimes difficult to screw the upper and lower halves of the unit together tight enough to prevent leakage at the gasket. When you do get it together tight enough it is sometimes difficult to get it apart. This problem occurs because it is large and curved. I think there would be no problem if the Mukka was faceted like the typical Bialetti. However, I have only had this problem occasionally; the Mukka works fine most of the timeYea, I know. I'm on the right page and knew it's the milking version. Not a bad drink from my Bialetti, really, but neither is a mess to clean up behind an espresso machine such a bother I'd forgo that for first choice. Mukka Express is absolutely not a great product... It's difficult to clean, big and makes watered cappuccino with big bubbles... nothing to compare with a traditional espresso machine. I don't know if it's the absolute best method, but this is what I think of as complementing a regular moka pot for cappuccino/latte. http://www.zaccardis.com/stove-top-cappuccino-steamer.html It doesn't froth as powerfully as a Silvia, but it works. there's a better picture of one here: http://1st-line.com/machines/home_mod/eg/50.htm the difference between the two, if any, is just the paint on the outside. Both would be made by Cogen-Progetti. there is also the kind of frother that relies on a kind of plunger in hot milk to create the aeration effect, like this model at Fantes: http://www.fantes.com/images/5461frothers.jpg I have no idea how well this second kind of frother works.