IMUSA USA B120-42V Aluminum Espresso Stovetop Coffeemaker 3-Cup, Silver (Pack of 1)

Better Late than Never (or, A Late Start is Better than No Start)
Warning…Rambling review by an old geezer…read only if you have too much time on your hands, lol…Turned 77 this Christmas and just recently discovered the joys of Moka. I love strong coffee…drink my coffee black, my espresso straight, and enjoy fooling with my Aeropress…and was totally blasé about moka pots. Weirdly, a scene with a moka pot in an action K-flick (making espresso outdoors with a small camp stove) piqued my curiousity, and thus began my odyssey into the world of moka pots. Thank you Netflix movie Ballerina…lots of John Wick style revenge action by the petite protagonist, and if you like strong kick a– female leads, this is a good one! Check out the opening scene to see if it’s your cup of tea, err espresso lol. After researching and watching way too many YouTube videos, I looked to Amazon for something cheap to fool around with. And here we are with the subject of this review: the 3-CUP IMUSA MOKA POT.The key word is “cheap” as I only wanted to test the waters. Incredibly, I snagged this Imusa for less than a Starbucks flat white…a fraction of the $30 for a Bialleti. Surely a moka pot for less than $5 must be poor quality right? Wrongo! What I got was solid, nice build quality, highly polished, equal in appearance to pictures of Bialleti…and proved every bit as functional. It even has a real silicone gasket, unlike Bialleti’s rubber gasket that always hardens and cracks, as revealed in many videos. Imusa made it right and gives us a louder bang for our buck. In one “Top 10 for 2023” list on YouTube, Imusa was #1 and the original granddaddy, Bialleti Moka Express was #8. $5 vs $30…go figure.With clear ideas of what I wanted, I invested the good part of a morning brewing 12 test pots to decide on the brewing process for me. The constants were the coffee (Lavazza Italiano), the grind (mid-fine), water quantity (touching the relief valve), and the heat (medium, then off after 1st drops). I must confess having a strong bias for generations-proven traditions over new techniques. So instead of coffee experts like James Hoffman, I trusted hosts who learned moka from their mothers or grandmothers. I also wanted to learn about Cuban coffee. Cubans adopted the moka pot (cafetera) as their own to make cafecito, their own sweet version of espresso (imo, the best dessert coffee hands down). Cafe Cubano is a big reason why Miami makes the list of top 10 coffee cities in the US.After my tests, I decided to use the classic methods that have worked for generations of Italian and Cuban families…including a couple of steps that many consider disputable (even wrong).Going against common advice, I pack my grounds. Unlike the classic Itallian method, Cuban families have packed their grounds for generations. Don’t think “tamping” which is typically 30 lbs pressure for espresso…think “squishing.” As one Cuban host said “We like it strong and dark, so we fill it to the top and squish it down, and fill it some more.” Using a 54mm dosing funnel, I overfill a couple extra spoons, stir with a WDT tool, then pack (squish) it down to the top of the funnel. I consistently get a creamier, smoother, overall better coffee…that’s a little bit closer to true espresso…with no increase in bitterness using proper heat management (keep it to a dribble). For me, packing the grounds is a must and no one will convince me that loose is better.Following (blindly?) coffee guru Mr. Hoffman, many have been jumping on the bandwagon and preaching as gospel to use preheated water…based on some “theory” that using room temp water will “overheat” the coffee grounds while the water heats up, resulting in a bitter brew. Huhh? Coffee is roasted between 180 to 250°C (356 to 482°F) for up to 20 minutes. Is it even rational to believe that a few short minutes in the low temperature of the moka pot while the water is heating up (less than 100°C) will overheat the grounds enough to alter the extraction? Doesn’t that just mess with your common sense? After four test pots, my palate couldn’t detect any difference. I believe that the palates of those preaching this would also not be able to taste a difference. In fact, one host admitted he couldn’t taste a difference, but just recommends preheated water to speed-up the brewing, lol. It’s an EXTRA (and unnecessary) step folks. Stay off the bandwagon and just do as generations of families across Italy and Cuba have done and still do…just fill your pot with tap water (filtered if your tap is bad). I’m blessed to live in a city with tap water from deep underground basalt aquifers that annual independent testing (Purdex) prove purer than every bottled water tested, including big names like Aquafina, Crystal Geyser, Dasani, Fiji, Pure Life, and others.Do I regret ignoring moka pots till now? Yes. But as my headline suggests, I’m thankful and delighted to be starting now. If you’re sitting on the fence, take a leap of faith and jump into the world of moka…start enjoying a different style of coffee. The price of admission is just one Starbucks drink. My $5 Imusa is as solid as they come and I don’t feel a need to upgrade (spend more). I look forward to brewing gallons of joy before I’m done, one demitasse at a time. I can’t wait for my moka pot get that used patina like those dull, well-seasoned ones in the videos. And like the millions of moka pots drying on sinks across Italy and Cuba, my moka pot will also never be touched by dish soap. Lol… ツ

Inexpensive and easy to use. Works great for iced coffees too!
If you’ve never used an espresso (moka) pot before, it’s easy to use and makes great, super-strong espresso, just like the shots you get from Starbucks. This little pot works just great, so why pay more for an Italian pot or some super-expensive machine that does exactly the same thing?All espresso pots operate pretty much the same. There are 3 pieces included. The base is heavy cast aluminum with a pressure safety valve (the little brass bit you see in the pic). This is filled with water, right up to but not over the brass valve. The second piece is the coffee filter. You can’t see it in the pic but it looks like a funnel met and fell in love with a strainer, and had this filter as the baby. You fill the open top of the filter with coffee (it doesn’t need to be espresso grind) and gently drop it into the base. The top of the coffee and filter will be flush with the top of the screw threads of the base. Try not to get coffee in the threads of the screw part, that will affect the seal. The third part is the coffee pot itself with the handle. It holds the brewed coffee. The lid is hinged, and when you open it, you’ll see the tube that the coffee comes up through and into the pot. If you flip it upside down, you’ll see a filter built into the bottom of the pot to strain the coffee from the grounds and a silicone or rubber ring around the inside of the screw threads, that helps seal the pot and bring it up to pressure.As I said, even the expensive Italian versions work the same. When you place the filled pot on your gas burner, make sure that your flame doesn’t lick up the sides of the pot. Match the flame to the size of the bottom. Common sense, but some people have melted off the handle apparently. Mine has never even gotten hot. If you have an electric stove like me, set it slightly off to the side of the burner, not right in the center, just to make it easier to pick up. I crank mine up to high. After a minute or so, you’ll hear a lot of hissing. What’s happening is that the water in the base is beginning to boil, creating pressure. That’s why there is a safety valve. If the pressure is too high in the base (due to over-filling), the safety valve will give way first, releasing any pressure. No worries though, it’s really very safe! If you see excess steam coming from the screw threads, and it doesn’t stop soon, you just didn’t tighten it enough. Once the pressure has built up enough, it forces the boiling water up through the funnel and filter, and through the coffee grounds at high pressure. The brewed coffee (minus the grounds) is forced up through the tube and into the top pot. You’ll hear a lot of hissing and loud bubbling, that’s the sound of the coffee percolating through the tube. Once the sound starts to die down, take the pot off the burner and set it on a hot pad. That’s it! Clean up is easy too. The base doesn’t need it, and the filter and pot clean up quickly with a bit of soapy water. Let dry and reassemble.I use mine to make cafe Americano and iced coffees. For Americano, just add boiling water to taste. The straight up espresso is WAY too strong for this sissy. For iced coffees, I make a mocha syrup, mix it with the espresso and put it in a glass bottle in the fridge for iced coffee on demand. I keep mine for no longer than a week. To make the mocha syrup, use a microwaveable glass or ceramic bowl or mug. Mix 2 tablespoons of unsweetened cocoa powder and 2 tablespoons of sugar in the bowl. Add several tablespoons of cold water to mix into a thin paste. Microwave for 1 1/2 – 2 minutes. I usually pour the hot coffee into the bowl, stir well, let it cool and pour it into a bottle (I really don’t recommend plastic). Then when you want an iced coffee, add a few tablespoons of your mix to a glass of cold water, add sweetener of choice, cinnamon or vanilla (etc.) if desired, and then your dairy/flavored creamer/etc. These are really good and you’ll save a lot of money. Enjoy!

I had an IMUSA 12-cup percolator for the longest time, but needed to downsize. I bought a 6-cup one of a different brand at my local shop and it got really nasty after around 2-3 months. I threw it out and bought this IMUSA 6-cup one and it has been great! Easy to clean and it doesn’t deteriorate like other cheaper brands. It’s not the prettiest or fanciest but… it works for its main purpose: making coffee/expresso.

Muito bom, mas ficou muito pequeno para o fogão, tem que fazer uma adaptação.