Making Excellent Coffee at Home using a Stovetop Espresso

A Stovetop Espresso (sometimes called a Cafetiere) can be an excellent way to prepare coffee (though it actually does not, in fact, make espresso). Keys to achieving a good coffee using a Stovepot Espresso are:

• using high quality, fresh coffee with the appropriate grind
• pre-heating the water
• removing the pot from the heat at the right moment
• using clean equipment.

You’ll need a Stovetop espresso maker, an electric kettle or other device to boil water in, coffee,  a heat source (electric or gas stove),  and cups.

Step 1. - Preheat the water

Bring water to the boil and remove it from the heat. It is incredibly important to pre-heat the water. If you don’t do this, the entire Stovetop will get very hot and will result in two things happening. First – you will cook the coffee, which will result in a bitter and thin brew. Second – your coffee will develop a harsh, metallic flavour.

Step 2. - Add the water to the stovetop base and fill the basket

Add the hot water to the indicator line inside the base of the stovetop. Place the basket inside the stovetop base and fill the basket with the correctly ground coffee and tamp down firmly. Remove any loose grains around the edge. Screw the top on the base, avoiding over tightening.

Step 3. - Place stovetop on heat

Use a moderate heat, either gas or electric, making sure that the handle is not being subjected to heat or it will be damaged. Within moments some coffee should begin to emerge and will begin to come out in a stream. Once this stream becomes steady, the stovetop should be removed from the heat source. The idea is to get a relatively small amount of coffee which has very concentrated and rich flavours.

Step 4. - Prepare to enjoy!

Wait until there is no more coffee coming out, then pour into cups and enjoy.