I purchased this stove-top espresso maker while visiting New Zealand earlier this year. I  wrote a post at that time titled, Love my stove top espresso machine.

I enjoy getting up very early every morning to write. It’s a time when I can sit quietly with a cup of coffee and my journal. This morning I thought about my espresso maker. I’d used it quite often when I first arrived home from New Zealand, but had relied on my electric coffee maker more recently. I was out of espresso grind coffee this morning,  but wondered if I could use regular grind instead. Here’s what happened.

First I separated the lower section of the coffee maker and poured in filtered water to just below the pressure valve, which you can see slightly above the water line.

Next I placed the basket into the lower section and added two tablespoons of regular grind coffee, as seen below. Coffee should not touch the water.

Next I securely reattached the lower section to the top section of the espresso maker and placed it on the stove burner. I like to use a lower temperature setting.

While the coffee heated, I poured almond milk into my bright orange coffee cup.

As the water heated in the espresso maker, I could hear it begin to hiss and gurgle as the steam forced the hot water through the ground coffee. When the hissing stopped,  the coffee was ready. I let it sit for a few seconds then poured it into the mug. It was very hot, so I was careful not to burn my fingers.

When I finished this process, I had a delicious cup of coffee and I’d learned that regular grind coffee works just as well as the finer espresso grind. This means I can use regular grind decaf when I want a cup of coffee later in the day. This is also less expensive than the single serving pods I usually use. It’s a little more work, but worth it. So glad I remembered to use the stove top espresso maker.