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Bialetti Brikka 4-Cup Stovetop Percolator | 
| Brand: Bialetti
Category: Kitchen
List Price: $59.99
Buy New: $49.99
You Save: $10.00 (17%)
Rating:  40 reviews
Sales Rank: 6161
Color: Aluminum
Autographed: No
Memorabilia: No
Number Of Items: 1
Batteries Included: No
Shipping Weight (lbs): 1.2
Dimensions (in): 4 x 7 x 8
Model: 06988
UPC: 076753069885
EAN: 0076753069885
ASIN: B0001DJT7G
Release Date: May 25, 2006
Availability: Usually ships in 24 hours
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| Features:
| • | Stovetop brewer makes 4 2-ounce cups of espresso in minutes | | • | Unique octagon shape. Aluminum Coffee Maker And Filter | | • | Dual-chamber design and pressurizing process for fast brewing | | • | Transparent lid allows for watching the coffee brew; hand wash | | • | Measures 4 by 7-1/2 inches |
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| Editorial Reviews:
Product Description
An innovation in stove top espresso makers from Bialetti. The new Brikka is specially designed with a patented and break-through Brikka System technology. Bialetti's Brikka is the only stovetop espresso maker on the market that produces the perfect "crema". This crema traps the fine aromatics and flavors that register on the palate adding a thick, richer texture to each cup of coffee. The Brikka is a 4-cup stove top espresso maker. Free CaffeSolo Moka Coffee with Purchase.
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| Customer Reviews: Read 35 more reviews...
 I love my Brikka! October 1, 2008
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
I got the 2-cup from Singapore and I loved it so much. We were drinking cafe latte (just Brikka coffee + milk) almost every day until we burnt the handle off! We were so careless! We had left the empty Brikka on the stove with the heat on and the handle melted. But otherwise with normal use I don't think you'll have any problems.
Brikka coffee is strong so 2-cup is really for 2 people. The only problem with Brikka is you can only buy replacement parts online and there's no free shipping. So I ended up paying $12+ for 2 gaskets and a filter plate which is crazy! Also, there's no replacement part for the handle so I don't know how to fix my Brikka!
daigoexpressed.net is a great resource for Brikka-related info.
We finally bought an espresso machine so I don't know if I'll buy another Brikka. It was great while it lasted though...
fantastic September 27, 2008
2 out of 2 found this review helpful
I have both the 4-cup and 2-cup Brikkas, and I use both regularly. The last time I checked online a few months ago, both were available in North America.
They both can make an equally delicious espresso with a nice crema on top. It doesn't matter which one you use in my experience. You just have to have faith and keep trying them before giving up.
They are both "high maintenance" coffee pots compared to regular espresso pots. You can't just dump water & coffee in them and leave them on the stove for 5 minutes while you do something else. Brikkas are like fine pieces of art that need to be handled and pampered in special ways. Everything is a delicate balance, and you have to baby sit them during the whole process. But once you get the knack of it, you will get consistent results...and trust me, it is worth the effort. Here are 5 tips:
1) Just before assembling your pot with coffee, make sure the valve is not stuck. Jiggle it up and down a few times.
2) Experiment with different types and brands of espresso coffee. Sometimes the grains may be too small (or too large). Unfortunately, you can't really tell just by looking at the grains. This is one reason why people give up on the Brikka too soon.
3) When the pot is on the stove, you have to keep an eye on the valve. If it is "stuck down" then the coffee will struggle too much to come up, and it will be over-brewed (has a burnt caramel smell and taste). If you feel it is "stuck" then immediately prop it up with a metal utensil (definitely not with your fingers). I rarely have to do this anymore with my pots. I always pre-jiggle the valve, and adding a drop of vegetable oil to a disassembled valve seems to have helped. But this is one reason why you have to keep an eye on your Brikka while it brews.
4) Also, I often pour the coffee before it has finished brewing. I'd say that when it is just over half brewed, that is when I pour it into the cup(s). Then I put it back on the hot stove for a few more seconds while the rest of the coffee comes up. Then I pour the rest of that into the cup(s). I seem to get more crema that way than just waiting for all the coffee to come up.
5) If you're adding milk to your espresso (cold or warm), I recommend pouring the milk into the cup(s) before the coffee. This seems to keep the amount of crema at its maximum when serving your cup. That is actually what you are showing off (the crema), so the last thing you wanna do is cover that crema with anything. I don't add sugar, but if I did, I probably would add it and stir it along with the milk. Again, you want to serve the coffee as soon as possible after pouring it so you and your guests can enjoy the maximum amount of crema.
All of this eventually becomes second nature to you once you get used to it.
Whenever guests come over now, they EXPECT me to use my Brikkas for them, otherwise they are insulted.
The coffee is just as good as any fancy $1000 machine could make and for a fraction of the cost, and a Brikka will outlast any expensive machine. And although a Brikka may be more complicated to use than a typical espresso pot, I don't think it is more complicated to use than a machine. For a cappuccino/latte, I use either a glass Bodem milk frother (for the microwave) or a metal Bialetti milk frother (on the stove-top).
I wouldn't recommend a Brikka for people with limited patience in the kitchen or a limited appreciation for a fine cup of espresso with crema.
You should note that the crema doesn't last too long, so the person waiting for his/her cup has to be ready to drink it soon after you pour it.
Also, the amount of coffee these pots produce is a lot lower than you would think for the physical sizes of the pots. This is my biggest complaint. Most would agree that the 2-cup Brikka barely makes 1.5 cups and the 4-cup Brikka barely makes 3 cups (I would say it only makes 2 cups!). So, I often have to use both pots at the same time depending how many people are over.
 Aluminum Nostalgia September 21, 2008
1 out of 2 found this review helpful
I think this is a little over rated. Just because something has been in use for 60 years and conjures up nostalgia, like the original Moka Express, doesn't make it great.
I can't seem to get over the fact that the Brikkas and Moka are aluminum. (Although aluminum is the most abundant metal on earth, it never appears in pure form because it is too reactive.) I swear it imparts a slight undesirable metalic taste to the coffee. I know aluminum cookware can leach trace amounts into food, so hot water should be obvious. I know bare aluminum forms an oxidized layer on it's surface after years of exposure to air; that could be why they say older, broken-in Mokas make the best coffee. Maybe the less scrubbing you do on these things the better. I would like to taste test from a stainless steal Bialetti coffee maker.
That said, the Brikka makes OK coffee. The explosiveness of it is kind of fun. I've experimented with different grinds, with different water levels and different roasts and beans. Does it produce adequate espresso, sudo-Espresso, crema? I shouldn't answer such subjective questions. All I know is I might have rather put the money to use buying a really good coffee maker: http://coffeegeek.com/proreviews/quickshot/technivorm
You definitely have to break-in the seal on this. The rubber used is very stiff and can dry out. Mine leaked once under high pressure so I started running hot tap water on the seal before screwing the base on to brew. This seemed to alleviate any leaking. I imagine after a lot of use the seal may become seated well and formed to the base - I wouldn't know because I have returned to drinking REAL coffee from a french press.
 Not worth the effort September 19, 2008
1 out of 3 found this review helpful
This is either the fussiest coffee maker in the universe, or I'm the stupidest person who has ever tried to make coffee with it. No matter what coffee I use, what temperature I use, how much or how little water or coffee I use, when I take it off the stove, etc., any "crema" that might briefly appear either gets blasted away by the pressure-induced spurts of steam that come from the stem of the coffee maker once the coffee has brewed, or gets boiled off because the maker has no way to stop heating itself. Plus, every pot of coffee I have made (20+ and still trying) has tasted terrible - burnt and bitter. Yuck.
cheap, fast, or good - may I have all three? August 31, 2008
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
Considering Bialetti's goal, to brew a real cup of espresso quickly easily and inexpensively using no more than your stovetop, it really would be no surprise if the Brikka failed on one count, or even two. But this thing really does work. Put coffee and water in proper places, set it on a hot plate, wait as it works up pressure and then jump up as soon as the espresso flows, pour into a cup and enjoy. It has never failed, and the cost/benefit ratio is incredible. I can't imagine having one of those complicated machines to make espresso, which to judge by reviews still fail to produce good espresso below the top price bracket. They must be a chore to clean, too - not the Brikka, which is easier to clean than a French Press.
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