Bellman SS Stove Top Espresso/Cappuccino Maker

At first I just wanted to have a stove top milk steamer. When I found out that this product also makes espresso I was sold. The product is built well and does what it is made for. There is a slight learning curve to get the right espresso and steam pressure. The nice thing is that you can tweak the pressure of the espresso and steamer. I would give this product 5 stars, however there are three slight flaws: 1. the length of the espresso spout needs to be 1 inch longer because when the pot is on the center of a gas burner I can barely place a mug under it to catch the drip. To account for this, I use a tall mug that allows the spout to fit within the rim, this is important because the espresso often sputters. 2. the main spindle (that functions to deliver the steam and tighten the lid) goes straight through the middle of the espresso basket, this makes packing the espresso tedious, the company should provide a doughnut like packer with the device. 3. The base is quite narrow, on a gas burner a medium to high flame licks up the side of the base. This is a problem because it reduces the heating efficiency and because the handle and knobs are made of plastic there is the potential to melt the parts and you can also burn your hand. to account for this I center the pot over the flame and keep the flame around medium.

If you like tinkering and make espresso occasionally this is a great product.

I found this item at a thrift store but wouldn't hesitate to purchase a new one at full price should the need arise. Until I found the worn box with the weird-looking coffee apparatus inside, I had never even heard of such a thing!

This unit is simple to use and clean with a little bit of research and common sense. The main thing to remember is that this is a pressurized vessel that must be handled with the same level of care you would give a pressure cooker. Other than that, it is sturdily built and has an automatic pressure release valve should you wait too long to open up the coffee or frother valves. Additionally, it would take a great deal of negligence to allow this thing to boil dry, as a lot of water is left in the reservoir even after brewing and frothing a full load of drinks. And, like another reviewer mentioned, a home-made stem cap works wonders in simplifying the loading/tamping process (I smiled in kinship when reading that comment thanks!) For me, I like to use a narrow spray bottle cap. A cut section of a large gauge straw will work too!

The coffee or espresso (depends on when you turn the coffee flow on/off) is fantastic, but the real clincher for me was the milk steamer/frother. LOVE IT and will use it to steam milk for hot chocolate too. I have a collection of presses, drip cups, percolators and moka pots, and this is by far my favorite. For regular coffee I use a large porcelain drip cup over an insulated thermal carafe. I suppose my goal is to have my coffee anywhere, anytime regardless of power and heat source. This baby is coming camping with me next summer!!! Ha ha my hubby and friends are quite pleased about that :-)

BTW I also wasn't pleased with the base's narrow bottom on my big gas stove burners, so I always use a cast-iron trivet to evenly disperse the heat. Lodge sells one here on Amazon.com that works excellently for very little money. Also, I use a large stainless steel frothing cup to catch the coffee, which I them distribute to waiting cups while the pressure builds up for steaming/frothing the milk. With my setup, the steamer knob gets a little hot so I'm careful with that. No problems with melting though the knobs are tough!!! After I'm done, I remove the unit from the stove, set it on a dishcloth on my heat-safe countertop, and open up the coffee and steamer valves. This clears them out very well and safely depressurizes the unit for cleaning or another go-around. Every few weeks, I run it through an espresso/steamer cycle using just water for a good steam flush.

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We with my wife both love good coffee. We buy only gourmet brands and grind beans shortly before brew. Over years we went through several coffee makers. The coffee was never bad, but I was still craving for having at home machine reasonably priced and able to reproduce the best espresso Italian coffee. Started to google and found this one. I use this machine on daily basis, several months already and will never look back. The coffee is delicious and thanks to fact that machine is fully manual, I can make adjustments to what the final product will be. Frothing milk/cream works extremely well too. By adjusting waiting time for proper pressure/temperature amount to built up, the best results can be achieved easily. One warning only this machine is for mature persons only. All warnings about not opening under pressure should be taken very seriously. Unscrew the main cover only when both valves are open and they show no presence of pressure inside.

P.S.1 This machine is not getting clogged under proper operation. However, when not properly managed, coffee grounds can sneak through and clog dispensing valve. The blow back using bike pump will clear valve on first blow.

P.S.2 The little improvement I am using: before filling up the coffee basket with ground coffee, I put a little (home made) cap on center tube. This makes filling the basket a real snap. Users having this machine already, will know very well what tube I am talking about.

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I had one of these for many years and in my last move it disappeared. I was looking for it for a long time on line and finally came across it here and ordered. I am as happy with this as I was with my old one. Makes the best Cappuccino, closest to a Cafe` kind as you're gonna get.

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Like some others have said, this one takes a bit of practice.

1--Do not start the heating with the espresso spigot open as the instructions say. The espresso comes out too soon and you get tepid (not even warm) and weak espresso that way. I am still perfecting it, but it seems to work to keep the value closed until you hear the water inside the machine starting to burble.

2--I have been surprised that the water left in the machine after making espresso/cappuccino is tainted with the coffee grounds (looks like weak coffee). I had expected the machine to not let the coffee grounds interact with the water in the machine (aside from the water that brews the espresso, of course). Doesn't seem to cause a problem as long as you clean the machine soon after use.

3--The grind of the coffee really affects the results--a finer grind (though not powdery) makes much better espresso. And I agree with the comments that the machine should come with a custom tamper to pack the coffee with. Ideally it would look just like the reducer plate (the piece you use if you want smaller quantities of espresso) but without the brew holes.

After a few tries and a little experimentation, it seems to work well overall. Stove-top is the only way to go for off-grid living!