Bialetti
 

Mate mine says ( and does ) you have to "cook" it for a while, after its all come up the spout in to the top

Is he right?


- i only realised ( being a tight arse ) a while ago that you HAVE to fill the container to the brim, and compact it, to get proper coffee taste.

That makes it 30 pence a cup, same as any these nespresso etc

Your mate couldn't be more wrong. You're supposed to take the cafetiere off the heat source as soon as the top part is half-full with coffee, which would normally be just before you start hearing gurgling noises (the latent heat in the base will be enough to finish the job). This is for the same reason other coffee-makers use water just below boiling point (around 93c is supposed to be ideal, I think), because higher temps destroy a lot of the aromatic compounds that give the coffee its flavour.

ps
I come from a family that's used these for decades.

Me too. Great bits of kit. Good compromise if you don't mind not having a machine do it for you.

I was at Mt Vesuvius a couple of years ago and had a coffee with the tour guides in their little hut, they each had one of these and didn't cook it as you say, your mate is so wrong. I bought my own from a little shop in Sorrento:thumb:

A waste of £15 million, get rid in January.

Probably just a lazy c***t

I have three (in different sizes) so clearly know best.
Water up to the marker level, take it off the heat as soon as it starts bubbling.

Always tamp down the coffee.

I got two now , both same size 6 cup I think
One is the enameled variety with glass top , and a gift.Looked lovely but not long in the enamel started coming off ..So iv scraped all paint off.

My original ones been demoted , to the boat