Brew superb smooth espresso without an actual espresso machine.

Bialetti is the original Italian maker of stove top espresso makers. We've all seen them somewhere. They come in loads of shapes, sizes and colours but they all work on the same principle. Most importantly, they are really easy to use and make great espresso available to everyone with a hob or hotplate.

There are a few do's and don'ts to get the best result and here's how we do it:

As always, the only way to produce fabulous coffee, however you brew it, is to use top quality, freshly roasted coffee. BlindMan Coffee will do the trick. 

Get the grind right. Never rely on supermarket coffee that says 'Suitable for all coffee makers" on the packet - because that's impossible and nonsense. When ordering from us we recommend you select "Aeropress Fine" as the grind as it's very slightly coarser than "Espresso". 

Make your espresso: Unscrew your Bialetti and tip out the 'basket' part that sits in the top of the lower water tank. Pour just boiled water into the lower water tank - to just below the safety valve you see one the side. BE CAREFUL from this point as this part will now be very hot - use a tea towel or similar to handle it. 

Using a teaspoon, add freshly ground coffee to the 'basket'. Be careful not to compact the coffee too much - just lightly push and press the coffee to the sides to fill any gaps. Carefully place the filled basket back into the top of the lower water tank (now filled with just boiled water to the pressure valve) and screw the top and bottom parts together again - just until you feel some resistance from the rubber seal. 

Place your Bialetti on a lowish hob setting - with the lid up so you can see what's happening. How quickly things start happening depends on how hot you have your hob. Keep it low so the delicious ground coffee isn't scalded and the hot water has plenty of time to extract the full flavours. Try to be patient! Beautiful golden caramel foam will start to emerge from the spout. Then dark flavour packed espresso. 

When the flow turns to a splurting - time's up and your espresso is ready to drink and enjoy. Coffee's up!