bonVIVOIntenca Stovetop Espresso Maker - Luxurious, Stainless Steel Italian Coffee Maker for Camping or Home Use - Makes 6 Cups of Full-Bodied Coffee - Black, 10oz

I've been using this for several months now and feel like it will likely be here when I'm making coffee for my grandchildren fifty years from now. It's very sturdy, has 3 easy-to-clean parts, it looks quite spiffy, and it functions exactly as one would like: you fill the base with water, put it on the stove, and stop when the little burbles and sputters stop. Note that (like all Mokapot-style makers) this is not going to produce any "crema" or be an alternate for those insanely expensive espresso machines. It makes great-tasting strong coffee in under 5 mins, is compact, simple-to-use, and very durable. I held off for a long time looking for a stainless-steel option and am glad I waited to get this one. The filter/funnel inner part is aluminum; however, since the water rises up through the base to the top, I don't feel there's any worry about aluminum entering the coffee...the liquid coffee only touches stainless steel.

Coffee grounds go in cup, hot water goes in base (up to just below the release valve), top part screws on, boil pot on stove until it starts sputtering, then remove and cool base with running cold water. Pour out your fresh coffee, dismantle the pot, wash out every part with water, then dry every part thoroughly with a clean, dry cotton towel. Reassemble the pot, leaving the top part slightly loose to allow any remaining moisture to escape.I've followed the above steps every time I've used it and it's still working great after months of use. Some slight discoloration has occurred on the base from heat, but that's normal. Makes a great cup of strong coffee. Somewhere between regular coffee and espresso in strength. Can be readily used if you want to make a nice flavored coffee for a loved one.

Let me start out by saying the Bontato Company is interested in customer satisfaction. I believe that you can have confidence that if you buy one of these or any of their other products, you can count on the quality to be there.That being said, the first one of these I bought was amuck; not sure what, but it didn't work right. But the company was on the spot ready to make it right. The second one I received works perfectly. I have a gas stove with a tiny simmer burner. I can fill it with cold water and put it on that burner at maybe half throttle and within 3 or 4 minutes, coffee is flowing into the upper chamber. It works perfectly.Using that small of a burner, the handle is still cool enough that I can pick it up to pour. If you have a larger gas burner, you may have to use a hot pad or something to pick it up at first. I believe that would be true of any type handle when you have direct heat from a gas fire going up the side. I don’t think you would have any trouble with an electric stove. This handle feels very solid and ought to give years of service.The base is heavy duty. The whole thing shines. It’s easy to clean up. I make myself one big cup / cappuccino, and by the time I am done and come back to it, the base is almost too warm on bottom to grab and loosen. I use a hot pad to get it started and then I’m good. Incidentally, if you need to get it off quicker and it's too hot, there is no reason why you can't put the base under your kitchen faucet and run a little cool water over it to help cool it down.I take the time to dry it off after cleaning to help keep it looking nice and shiny. I would certainly recommend this espresso maker. For me, it’s actually kind of fun using it. You almost feel proud of it. It beats pushing a button on some electronic gadget that is likely to break in 6 months.

This attractive shining stove-top espresso pot has a wonderful handle that helps you tighten and unscrew the pot! ( I read that some other pots are disappointing because the handles “can’t take the heat” and are too weak to use to screw the pot tightly shut. Some specifically say, “Do not use handle to tighten.”). Glad I got this one with the great handle. This pot makes a concentrated six cups/six shot-strength liquid extract from the espresso—a VERY strong (bitter) latte. So.. add hot water and make 2 to six cups with the concentrated brewed espresso or cofefe. Add half and half to a large coffee mug with your sugar (or whatever — to your taste). The pot should be carefully watched — or maybe you could set a timer—but watch and listen so that as soon as pot makes a gurgling sound, take the pot from the stove and pour it into your cup or tea pot or coffee carafe immediately. Otherwise, if the pot is left too long on heat, it sends a burnt tasting flavor into the espresso or coffee. If you get it just right, it has a wonderful butternut flavor and fragrance. Note: I bought Bullet Proof Mentalist Espresso and used with this pot, and it gave me inconceivably long lasting energy throughout a long day. Making a latte like this is cheaper than the cost of “drive-thru” latte. Someone said to blend espresso in a blender with all your almond milk, cream, coconut milk/flavors, and it’s just like what you buy at the coffee shops! I tried it and agree. I was so happy to get this espresso pot to get the benefits (of desperately needed energy!!) and yet save so much (desperately needed money) that I was spending at that coffee shop!I tried heating on lower heat and my impression is the burnt taste is easier to avoid that way. The sudden point at which it burns doesn’t come so “suddenly”. Others say, turn it up to hottest for best results, but perhaps each pot has a different “best technique” for its unique properties.