Upon moving to Rome two weeks ago, we were immediately faced with several daunting tasks: figuring out the Roman bus system, getting an Italian phone, finding a place to live, starting Italian lessons, etc. So what did we do on our very first weekend here? We addressed the most pressing matter of all: getting a stovetop espresso maker and the coffee to go with it. We hopped on a bus, missed our stop, ended up on a freeway, dashed across various underpasses, found another bus going back and finally made it to the mall (where, yes, we also found a new cell phone and sampled some gelato–it was a multi-purpose shopping trip). But we accomplished our main objective: purchasing a 1-cup Bialetti Moka Express for me (yield: 2 oz; it’s actually 1 shot) and a 3-cup/shot version for my husband (yield: 6.5 oz.), and some Illy coffee.
We returned home, rinsed the Bialettis, let them dry, made a maiden batch of espresso in each (which we then threw out since the first brew is meant only to season the pot, not to drink–you are actually supposed to make 2-3 such brews, but we were too impatient). Finally, we were ready to make espresso we could actually drink, by: 1) filling the bottom of the Bialetti with water* to a point just under the valve, placing the funnel inside, gently filling the receptacle with coffee grounds (without tamping down), screwing the receptacle/top on, and bringing the water in the espresso maker to a boil on the stovetop.
The boiling water gets pulled up through the coffee grounds and into the receptacle, and is accompanied by a wondrous gurgling sound. When that ceases, the espresso is ready; you can open the lid to check if you are not sure. Below, some freshly made espresso in the Moka Express, and the resulting cup of espresso with a dash of cream (that one was my husband’s–I usually make a home-made latte with a single shot of espresso and a lot of milk). Mmm mmm good.
*If you have “hard” (ie mineral-rich) water, you may want to use filtered or bottled water instead, or the minerals will build up inside the espresso maker.
Perennial Pastimes 
When my friend Paola came to visit me last fall, she brought one of these coffee makers and Italian coffee with her. 🙂
I should introduce you. She lives north of Rome in Grosseto.
Baci,
Leah
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You saved our lives! We arrived in the Spoleto apartment to find many features needing instructions for us Americans. One of them … the espresso pot! We followed your directions to the letter for a delicious start to the morning. (And eventually we got the hang of lighting the stove, too.) So. Thank you! Linda and Paul
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So glad to have helped! Perfect timing…. Enjoy your trip!
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It was truly wonderful. Continuing with the food theme, we had the best food of our lives,spread over 3 weeks and 5 venues. Reasonably priced. A gift.
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Sounds heavenly!
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I, too, like a latte milk in my espresso.
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