The New Brikka: Triumph Or Travesty?

#Bialetti has re-engineered the new Brikka, a #coffeemaker similar to the Moka pot, that's designed to make concentrated coffee with a nice layer of mousse, like #espresso. I reviewed the original Brikka and found it sorely lacking. However, the valve system has since been redesigned from scratch. Does it work as advertised? I test it thoroughly in this product review, and pass judgement.

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Production Assistant: Leo Greene

Additional footage courtesy of:
cottonbro

Additional still courtesy of Kgbo

Music:
Kalimba Relaxation Music by Kevin MacLeod

Acid Trumpet by Kevin MacLeod

[michaelmora]

To get the perfect cream once it starts seeping out you have to remove it from the flame the mistake you keep making is that you keep it on flame any boils over

[hxrz]

Thanks for the video on how not to use the brikka; I find very useful for those who consider purchasing or cannot get good results. Maybe try the following: forget 4 cup, use 2 cup brikka only (I only have the old design, using it for >10y now). Grinds should be a little coarser than for actual espresso. 50ml water max, cold or hot doesn't matter much (maybe use boiling water in case of dark roasts to shorten the extraction time and avoid bitterness). High heat, remove from heat when it starts to flow; typical time <1min. That's all. Works with dark and light roasts alike, in my opinion, and gets you as close to espresso as possible without an actual portafilter machine.

[sevenseems]

i get wonderful crema and good extraction with great flavour with my brikka (standard). i narrowed it down to perfection. 120ml warm water, grinds at 3.0 setting with my Kinu M47 classic grinder, Lavazza coffee beans, grinded 1day+ before give better results in taste and a lot thicker crema which stays stable for 10+ minutes. topped up, lightly tapped on side to create slightly more dense coffee in chamber. on medium-low fire for a minute and half, and then to absolute lowest fire... it results in wonderful coffee.. closest to espresso as it gets. nothing what comes from standard moka pot even compares with that. it did took me 4-5 months of trial and countless errors to narrow all the process down to absolute perfection..

[Flyboisker]

"I didn't follow any of the instructions included with my Brikka and now I'm mad that the results aren't as advertised"

[TomFoolery]

I love my Brikka V1. It makes killer coffee once you dial in the grind size and temp. I have been using it daily for over 2 years and never had any clogging or issues. I also like the weighted valve as it is simple and just works. It also redirects the coffee straight down so you can brew with the lid up and not have coffee fly everywhere if it gets too hot (looks like the direction of the holes in the new model will also help with this). I am interested in the competition filters.

[Rekmeyata]

I had a standard Bialetta Moka pot, but it was highly inconsistent, and after owning it for about 8 years it broke. So being the idiot that I am I decided to try the Brikka model...oops, I didn't do anything stupid that time! The Brikka is now my favorite way of making coffee, and it's consistent and it makes it strong, it's the closest I've come to Italian espresso flavor without nearly the cost of an espresso machine. The crema produced by the Brikka is about half of what an espresso will have, but I think crema is overrated, but that's just me.

My puck comes out of the Brikka sufficiently wet all the way through with no dry areas, not sure why yours isn't, even my old Moka pot didn't have that issue.

I also found that using a true espresso grind my Brikka will make the best coffee than from coarser grinds, and it just so happens that Bialetta recommends that grind as well, they must know something about how to make coffee using their coffee makers.

I have several ways of making coffee, French Press, AeroPress, and Pour Over, and the Brikka Moka pot is by far my favorite method. I also make Turkish coffee, but that is a totally different tasting coffee if you're using traditional Turkish or Bosnian coffee.

[brianharder]

I would use a much finer grind setting. I can use a finer grind setting with the brikka than for my espresso machines. The fact that your puck is also so dry indicates the grind setting is too coarse. My pucks look identical to a normal espresso machine. As far as taste goes, the sweetness I can get out of the brikkas a touch sweeter than espresso but at the sacrifice of body. For the price it's a coffee making wonder of the world and in my opinion a significant improvement on the classic moka pot design.

[taejaskudva]

Did you ever try doing your regular method and grind size using the Brikka unmodified (left the silicone plug in)? Essentially, everything exactly the same except the pot?

[karigrandii]

Why are you burning your coffee? You are supposed to take it off the heat and put it under cold water immediatly after it starts ”bubbling”.. brikka makes amazing coffee btw

[tedrao]

My 2020 Brikka makes delicious espresso with lots of crema. I use a blade grinder and I shake while grinding to "just" coarser than espresso grind. I do have a "small" back burner on my stove that is the perfect size, so perhaps I'm just lucky with my heat source.

[قبيسالقبيس-تظ]

انا سعيد جدا بهذه الاداة التي احملها في رحلاتي الصغيرة والكبيرة واستغني عن اسعار القهوة الباهضة في المحلات واستمتع بالطعم الرائع بأقل تكلفة انا من السعودية🇸🇦🇸🇦

[captainbozo]

Your grind is way too coarse and you're leaving the pot on the hot plate for way longer than intended, essentially burning the coffee. No wonder you complain about the resulting coffee and the puck...

[pawballer]

Hello, I'm a coffe nub and I want to quit using capsules but without investing a lot of money.
I had an idea about Brika being a good machine, but after watching this video im not sure..
What should I opt?

[hanstiland]

The Brikka I have, doesn't have a silicon valve. Just the weight piece It is an old one and one of the first Brikka's I think. Should it have a silicon valve, or do the first gen Brikka's only have the weight piece that functions as a valve of some sort?

[edwinrivera]

It’s all about realistic expectation. In my opinion it still makes a decent cup of joe.

[RomaCusimano]

I love my Brikka! I get great foam everytime and didn't need to change anything from what I did with the standard Moka pot. I do use a very fine grind no matter what my brewing/coffee making. I highly recommend the Brikka. It is easy to use, no fuss no muss.

[everydaymilk_]

Does removing the silicon valve make the taste basically the same as a moka pot? Or does the taste differ at all? Also, I'm wondering if changing the heating temperature would help for better extraction? I haven't tried moka pot coffee, I only bought a brikka 2020 and was pretty satisfied with the tastes, so definitely will try this out to see the difference!

[leetrainer]

Did you try moving it off the heat like you do with the Moka express? The coffee I get from my brikka isn't as bad as yours.

[pierluigianapoleone]

Che tipo di caffè è adatto a brikka? Quello per moka o macchine da caffè? Grazie

[PosauneundPapier]

I gotta be honest, I love my Bialetti Brikka. The process I use has great extraction and nice foam. Although not actual espresso, it has a nice result for someone who can not afford a 'real' espresso machine. I've been using it for a year and still really like it. I think you set the bar a little high for such a cheap device