Bialetti Brikka

Brikka is a moka pot with one extra valve: in the collector, a silicone membrane holds the coffee back until the pressure has built, then lets it through. It is designed to give a moka the crema it normally lacks: a fuller-bodied coffee, with a foam that lasts in the cup. The body is aluminium; the handle and knob are thermoplastic, and the handle does not get hot.

It brews almost like any moka, with two differences: the water is measured with the cup supplied rather than filled up to the valve, and the pot comes off the heat straight away, as soon as the foam has formed in the upper chamber. Pour so that coffee and foam are shared between the cups. After use, rinse it with water only, no detergent, and no dishwasher: it would damage the pot and change the taste of the coffee.

It works on gas and electric hobs; induction needs Bialetti's adapter, sold separately. It is for someone who already makes coffee with a moka and would like a cup closer to espresso without buying a machine; anyone with only induction, or who wants everything to go in the dishwasher, will be better off with a moka made for that.