The Great SCG Stovetop Espresso Video

[Keiniti]

Hi! Great video! Could you brew some coffee on Bialetti Brikka? There's a great discussion about this machine over the crema bacause of it's new valve system. I saw some videos showing a great nice and thick crema but I only get a thin one and then it disappeared. Thanxs!

[SeattleCoffeeGear]

@Keiniti Researching that product is on our to-do list; hoping to get to it soon. Thanks for the suggestion!! - Kat

[careydaniel]

please do turkish coffee :)!

[SeattleCoffeeGear]

@careydaniel We will! Just need to get some gear :) It's on the to-do list - Kat

[nigluschembri]

Does coffee from this taste as good as nespresso?

[SeattleCoffeeGear]

@nigluschembri Totally different prep types and the coffee tastes different. Both are good - Kat

[Beznet]

Hey Kat, here to bug you again haha. Okay so from what I'v read, you are actually suppose to put boiling water in the reservoir before you put it on the stove. The argument is that when you put cold water in it and leave it on the stove for so long, you actually end up burning the coffee by the time the water is at a boil.

Maybe ask Rade about it to see what he thinks about that idea.

[SeattleCoffeeGear]

@Beznet You know, I have never heard that or seen that done, and my previous roommate was Italian and she never prepared it that way. But we will give it a go to see if there's any difference in the end result when we do the sparkling water test :) - Kat

[spam22]

@Beznet I've found that the coffee tastes smoother if I heat the water up first. I used to use filtered water straight out of the fridge, but now I heat it up to somewhere above room temperature in the kettle before pouring it into the moka pot. If you heat it up too much, the water will heat up the pot to the point where it's too hot to handle.

[SeattleCoffeeGear]

@spam22 We just tested this (video later this week) but didn't notice any practical difference between regular tap water and pre-heated water. But perhaps our palettes aren't as fine tuned :) - Kat

[steveb1972]

Cheers Kat!

Yes, I've had the Bialetti one cup and my 6 cup for nearly 15 years, well used indeed! The Smart Cafe has become my main "Quick fix" method of choice though. It's insulated too to keep the coffee hot. Still need to fire up me espresso machine on a regular basis though ;-)

[SeattleCoffeeGear]

@steveb1972 Well, it's always great to be flexible!!! :) I haven't used the Smart Cafe, myself, but it sounds like it has staying power - Kat

[ferryengr]

Interesting. I used my trusty hex-shaped stovetop maker for years back in the early '80's, and on boating and camping trips since. Your brew looked much more watery and thin than what i usually achieved. Perhaps it is just the grainy YouTube video. I did pack the coffee compartment to a greater degree than you did in your demonstration - as I always drank mine with milk. "Chromed aluminum". My old stovetop is not chromed. That's a great improvement - for taste, if not health reasons.

[SeattleCoffeeGear]

@ferryengr Maybe we'll try 'updosing' on this during our next demo; the end result was definitely strong and I would have drank it as is (but I usually like my coffee really strong, in general). Thanks for sharing your experiences! - Kat

[diskusjon]

A video of how to make Turkish would be nice :)

[SeattleCoffeeGear]

@diskusjon I will ask Rade to see if he's game! :) - Kat

[steveb1972]

Thanks for that guys. For a quick cup I mainly use my Smart Cafe French press mug or my cute little one cup (espresso cup) Bialetti Moka pot! Love em! I'll Tweet a pic!

[SeattleCoffeeGear]

@steveb1972 Cool!!!! Your Moka looks well loved :) - Kat

[HappyTurtleKman]

Awesome vid Rade , one of these babies got me through college(melbourne cafe prices are notorious!:-)). still using the same stainless steel moka after 14 years only just replaced gasket 6 months ago.

one thing i think you forgot to mention that is important is do not tamp on these babies and dont be tempted to rush the process with anything more than low flame think of it as a cavemans synesso/slayer hahaha :-p

[SeattleCoffeeGear]

@HappyTurtleKman Wow! That is a seriously fierce gasket :) Thanks for reminding about the tamp since the seal actually does the tamping, adding more just messes things up. I love that comparison! :) - Kat

[ClassicsCafe]

Kat you did the stovetop video!!!! Yaaaay :)

Now the question: Is it worth it to buy a milk frother on the side to make a latte? Or, because it's not true espresso, will that not work? You said cafe au lait, so there's a bit of confusion there on what's what.

Also, are you guys selling that hot plate? Or is that just for store use?

[SeattleCoffeeGear]

@ClassicsCafe I know -- finally!!! At long last :) You could do that; while it's not traditional espresso, it's pretty darn strong. I have added just warm milk in the past but you could definitely do frothed milk from an auto frother, too, if you dig it. Not selling the hot plate -- it's just a Waring, did a nice job :) - Kat

[Jamz006]

You guys need to check out the Bacchi stovetop espresso machine. It's an engineering masterpiece, nothing like you'd expect. It achieves 9bar of pressure using an internal piston. Google it!

[SeattleCoffeeGear]

@Jamz006 We'll do it! - Kat

[jdharding2]

It kinda reminds me of a siphon or vaccuum coffee maker, which also uses steam power. The water goes up through the coffee, but the difference is the coffee then goes back down to the bottom carafe, whereas the stovetop espresso pot pushes up through the grounds into the upper carafe, and stays there. Also, the strength of the coffee is probably pretty different. I'm sure the stovetop espresso maker produces a lot stronger java.

[SeattleCoffeeGear]

@jdharding2 Yeah, that's next up, and the secondary reason I wanted the hotplate -- Bodum has a vacuum pot which is Rade's next experimentation/demonstration (he hasn't used one before, either). - Kat

[Palshoej]

I miss Bunny :(

[ehgz1]

@Palshoej - Oh Pah-lease - Rade is HOT and YUMMY!

[SeattleCoffeeGear]

@ehgz1 Hahahahaha -- I will definitely have to pass this along to him ;) - Kat

[gabeslover]

Great video guys!! Definitely didn't know about the sparkling water factor. I have a Bialetti Moka 6 cup and I have yet to produce crema, even with fresh roast & grind. Thanks!

[SeattleCoffeeGear]

@gabeslover Me neither! We're going to test it on out ourselves, too; let us know how you go - Kat

[MrShaunDupont]

Really greate video.. I have been affraid of buying a stove top espresso maker earlier, but now I am definitely considering getting me one of those :) for like "large amounts of espresso/strong coffee" Thumps up :) love your vids. Huge fan from Denmark :)

MrShaun

[SeattleCoffeeGear]

@MrShaunDupont Thanks! Yeah, they're a great option for really strong coffee and flexible/easy to use. Let us know how it goes when you pick one up! Would love to hear :) - Kat

[klarinetta]

Personally I find stove top espresso coffee(all Bialetti models except the Brikka which is another story) to be more closer to drip strength coffee than to espresso. The Brikka on the other hand makes a bit more bodied coffee and it's much easier to use it without burning the coffee as you take it of the stove as soon as the tap pops up and delivers some "fake" crema.

[SeattleCoffeeGear]

@klarinetta I think it's really a hybrid, myself; much, much stronger than drip coffee but with a different flavor from espresso. - Kat