Imusa 3 Cup Stovetop Espresso Maker with Heart Shaped Knob, Silver

I picked up this IMUSA 3-cup moka pot as my first step into stovetop espresso, and it has been a great experience. It's very straightforward to use: fill the bottom, add your grounds, twist it together, and in a few minutes, you've got flavorful coffee that tastes way better than what I was getting from a standard drip machine. One of the things I appreciate most is that it doesn't leak or sputter everywhere like some cheaper stovetop brewers. Everything operates smoothly, and cleanup is quick. The size is perfect for one or two small servings, and the aluminum heats evenly. This thing is affordable, reliable, and genuinely good coffee —albeit with a little more work. Moka pots aren't fast and require time and a little more care. For what it's worth, I find myself using this on the weekends and a French press during the week.

This little coffee pot is capable of brewing delicious coffee with a little work and patience you will have a great little coffee maker I have used these for 20+ years I am happy to share what works for me because the directions are vague in places. However there are things that you need to do first before using it to brew your coffee I will explain why. Now If you are not willing to take the time because your lazy, and/or ask for a golden goose during a factory tour whining when factory owner says no your not going to like this coffee maker do yourself a favor give it away as a gift. If you have arthritis or your hands hurt I have arthritis and carpal tunnel just have someone help or just take your time this is not a race. When I pulled this one out of the box I noticed aluminum dust and debris inside and that the threads are a little rough this is to be expected it is not coated this is a cast aluminum aka Pot metal. For many years before the plug and play instant gratification nonsense came about everything you can think of cookware wise was made like this and it was excellent it lasted forever. So I am going to walk you through what I did to make this a good little coffee maker and how to maintain it. First use warm not hot water and normal dishwashing soap along with a non abrasive dishwashing sponge or cotton washcloth or soft bristle nylon brush . Do not use acidic, aggressive, or caustic cleaners its not neccessary and you will ruin your coffee maker. So begin to thoroughly wash/rinse everything inside and out including funnel until all dirt and debris are cleaned out and dry everything with a cotton cloth. Fill the coffee maker with water as the directions specify to the valve and assemble do not add coffee. Now when you assemble the top to the base do not over tighten dont forget your gasket sometimes they fall out just place it back in place. Hold the top and base when tightening not the handle or you will break your handle. As you feel the base make contact with the silicone gasket in the top just tighten snug to seal not over tight this will help seat your gasket. If in doubt about how tight turn until top makes contact with bottom turn until it snugs about a half of an inch extra tighten you don't want to bind your silicone gasket. Place on a burner with the handle away from the burner so it doesn't melt turning heat to medium high while waiting for it to finish the brewing process watch the little brass safety valve it will probably steam a little this is completely normal your valve is working fine. If it leaks between the top and base while percolating remove from heat, allow to cool and tighten a little more when you refill it this sometimes happens dont give up. Pour off the water and allow it to cool this is your first heat cycle a very important part of breaking in your new coffee maker. Absolutely do not cool it off under a faucet with water I know its tempting yet just patiently wait for it to cool on its own down to room temperature for everything to expand contact properly. When it has completely cooled off pull it completely apart again. Looking inside you might see more little black spots or loose debris this is normal rinse and wash them out again as described above. Wipe dry the outside and inside dry with a cotton cloth this prevents water spots and helps loosen any debris. Fill with water to valve again tighten snug not too tight and place it on a burner on medium heat allowing it to run water through watch the pressure relief when finished pour it out allow to completely cool to room temperature completing your second heat cycle. When cool disassemble your coffee maker notice how it comes apart your gasket in the top should seat nicely with the bottom and you shouldn't have any cast debris they should be gone it should look nice and clean inside. Now I will tell you what I do for a delicious cup of espresso. Fill with water using cool or cold filtered water up to the valve, drop in the funnel, add coffee level with the top of funnel loosely no need to tamp, screw on top notice how nicely it seats after all that work, place on burner on medium heat, listening for it to percolate its done when the top is about 3/4 full usually, and pour your espresso into a cup enjoy. It should taste amazing if its too strong or too weak adjust your coffee amount or heating temperature. When finished rinse thoroughly and wipe dry. If you place it in the dishwasher I don't recommend that I made that mistake. Hard water spots happen don't worry about them. With proper cleaning and care this should last for many years. I use these at home, shop, traveling, and they are wonderful on a camping stove. If you notice any yuck on the bottom from a burner or if coffee maker gets nasty dirty inside/outside I clean these with non abrasive white shop hand cleaner buffing it in until dirt is loose, wipe off excess cleaner, wash as described above, and cycle water through it. I have many of these in different sizes all plain aluminum like this. I have polished the outsides of these and and top inside to a beautiful shine with aluminum polish using the same procedure as you do with silverware when I encounter hard water or high mineral water. I have sanded the rough cast inside surface of the base smooth and polished the inside to a mirror shine for fun and easy cleaning. I have busted off or melted off the handles and replaced them with different designs of my own creation. I have Heliarc welded these if they get a seep in the bottom or if the lid hinge breaks/cracks. With care you should be able to pass this on to your children or someone close to you who loves delicious espresso. Hopefully this was helpful for you and you enjoy your espresso maker. If you have any questions just ask me and I will share what has worked for me. Good luck and importantly have fun.

I bought this because I wanted to make a Cuban coffee after seeing it in a movie and figured it would be like all my other "I want to try it" ideas (one and done), but this has become a part of my morning routine (and I'm not even a big coffee drinker!). First - this makes ESPRESSO SHOTS, so if you are looking for a coffee maker to make a regular cup of coffee - you are in the WRONG PLACE (unless you prefer an Americano). If you buy a 3 "cup", it makes about 4 oz, not 18-24 oz. Second, it looks complicated, but it is not! It's almost as easy as making a cup of tea (it's the sugar "espuma" that's tough). It makes the perfect little (triple) shot of espresso. I love it so much I'm going to buy a couple more to litter at the houses of family members I stay at so I can make my little Cuban coffees everywhere I go! If you pair it with a coffee steamer/frother, it'll make the perfect latte or cappuccino without having to shell out for a complicated, expensive machine. Also, with this little pot, you use *regular* coffee - no need to buy espresso ground (of course, you can always grind it yourself, but again - you don't have to get it powder fine like you do for an espresso machine). And the price! DANG! I figured it was because it was aluminum so "cheap" but a) many places say the aluminum make a tastier cup than the stainless and b) it feels well made. For all those that complain about the handle melting - you need to put it on the edge so the pot is over the flame and the handle is not. If your handle is melting either your pot isn't positioned correctly, or your flame is too high.

A very nice entry level espresso maker and brews quite well. For the price I should give 5 stars, but... I tore it down wondering why it was so inexpensive and found why. I found several occlusions in the top casting that creates sealing issues with the gasket; needs extra tightening else leaks. The lower casting (boiler) is very thin (aluminum can pit through depending on water hardness) and won't last as long as thicker brand products. And lastly the filter wasn't thoroughly punched in a couple of holes and generally had too much flashing on the back side (harder to clean and more buildup). Technically it's roughly machined, but I was still impressed overall at the appearance and other design details that are improvements from the Italian cousins.

First off, this design has literally been around for a century and as such, there are few moving parts, very little complexity, and it doesn't require electricity. This makes it super easy to clean. Second, it is small. Unlike the one I remember my Grandmother using back in the day, this makes 3 cups of espresso, and espresso cups are small. I included a picture for scale. I used to have a regular drip coffee maker, then a smaller version of an espresso/cappuccino like you'd see in a fancy coffee shop, and then settled on a Keurig. That spanned about 30 years of my coffee making history. The Keurig is starting to have scaling problems despite every method I had tried to descale it, and before I bought another to replace it, I thought of getting something like Grandma had. I was skeptical that I was retiring a $100 appliance with a $6 one that could use regular coffee grounds. It's super simple. Unscrew the bottom and fill with water up to (but not covering) the safety valve. Place the funnel that holds the grounds in it and add 2-3 tsp of ground coffee. Screw the top on and put it on the stove. (I set it a little off-center so the handle doesn't get hot on my gas stove.) On medium heat it takes about 4 minutes for it to start brewing, and 30 seconds later you can hear it gurgling, which means it's done. If I'm in an espresso mood, I pour some into a little glass and metal cup. If I want Americano style coffee, I dump the entire contents into a coffee mug and add hot tap water to dilute it down to regular strong coffee. It's cheap to buy, cheap to operate, easy to clean, and easy to use. I no longer leave a Keurig plugged in all day on the chance that I may want a cup of coffee. I don't have to buy wasteful k-cups. I load this with water and grounds, put it under the fire, set the timer for 4 minutes, and go back to what I was doing. When the timer goes off I come back into the kitchen, watch for it to start brewing, and then turn it off a half minute later. Once it starts it brews quickly as the water only passes through the grounds once, unlike perked coffee. If you like a good cup of coffee at home, I suggest giving this a try! 16 months later, it's still going strong. It doesn't look as pretty anymore - a combination of daily use for over a year, as well as someone putting it in the dishwasher when I wasn't looking. But it still works great. If I want to speed it up, I let the sink hot water run until it gets piping hot and use that to fill it. With that step I can get the cook time to just under 3 minutes. If you work form home and often just want to make a single cup of espresso or coffee, this is a great way to do it.

This is my first time owning this kind of coffee maker. Know that for the price, it is not built durable, so treat it gently. 1. don't loosen or tighten the top by only holding the plastic handle or lid - hold the whole upper and lower unit, otherwise the handle and lid may break at the hinges some day. 2. don't over tighten it - just snug enough so it doesn't leak under pressure (think of a soda bottle - enough so it doesn't lose carbonation.) it is probably not high quality and durable aluminum, so over-tightening may wear out the threads and leave aluminum dust. Usage: -I set my timer for 4 minutes on the electric stove on high. a few seconds later it bubbles and steams and is done within a few more seconds, with maybe a spoon of water left inside. I don't want to let it dry out and overheat. -If you use gas, DO NOT let the handle be exposed over any flame, or it will melt off. (electric stoves do not have this issue.) -After every use, I remove the silicone gasket with a spoon and rinse all the parts. I don't want mold to form under the silicone. Conclusion: cheap and it works if you treat it gently. I bought another as a gift but they already have one so it'll be my backup or if I need to make more than one serving. UPDATE 2025.02.21: I watched some videos and my heat was too high, such that it spits out violently. I lowered the heat to 4 out of 10 and it comes out slower and smooth, like pouring tea in a cup, and it's richer. It takes twice as long but I'll try to play with it to trim that down a little. UPDATE 2025.05.13: To get rich, dark coffee, quickly, I now heat it on high for about 4 minutes (electric stove), then lower it to about 3.5 out of 10. Within seconds I can hear the boiling noises (or maybe it started for a few seconds already). I will now slide it off the hot red circle half way to control the amount of heat it will receive. Soon the coffee will start to trickle out very slowly and smoothly (about 4mm wide of dark coffee). If it spits, move it off right away until it calms down, then go back on the red circle a third of the way instead of halfway. I let it continue to trickle, and when it starts to stop trickling out, I'll move the pot halfway onto the hot red circle again to give it some heat and it'll trickle out slowly again. If it starts to spit at all, remember to move it off. I may do this 2-3 times. Finally, at the very end, it may need to be placed fully on the red hot circle to squeeze out the last bit. It's like an art, so Godspeed!

It is good if you do not make espresso often or just wanna test it out. For true espresso drinkers, invest in a higher quality one

I had to order a replacement for the first order as it leaks terribly. The replacement came in two days. The silicone gasket is thicker and actually stay in place. Overall, it’s not bad if you want hot coffee. It’s a little bit faster than the Vietnamese cafe filter, but not as dark or strong. The Vietnamese filter (the one with the screw) is a very slow drip that the coffee is intended for use as ice coffee. the coffee grains goes into the coffee just like the Vietnamese filter. It is small and space saving just like it. No need for a big machine. I read some reviews and came across a review from a person name Cruz. He used 55mm paper filter to put above the coffee. I order 2.5” instead which is bigger than 55mm. I tried his method. The grains still go into the above compartment so I put the paper before putting on the silicone gasket. This holds the paper in place and does filter out the grains 100%. Not bad at all. Would recommend to use the paper with this and eliminate the grain taste.