Milano Stovetop Espresso Maker review

(CNN) —  

If you’re looking to upgrade your morning cup of coffee — and don’t want a counter-hogging drip maker or a French press that can leave too many grounds floating around — it’s time you go the old route: a moka pot.

Full disclosure: We’re big fans of moka pots, having previously sung the praises of the Bellemain moka pot and touted how the (rather expensive) Alessi Pulcina moka pot produces the tastiest, most robust cups of at-home espresso.

Now we’re here to talk about the Milano Stovetop Espresso Maker ($27; stacksocial.com). While it doesn’t produce coffee as robust as the Alessi — it’s a bit less viscous, and just a shade off in terms of strength — you’d have to be a true coffee snob to really tell the difference. At a fraction of the price, the Milano still produces coffee that’s brimming with flavor. Whether it was a dark roast for our morning cappuccino or a lighter roast for our afternoon jolt, the flavor was beyond what most drip (or single-serve) coffees produce.

This 6-cup Milano moka pot will get you two decent-size coffees from one brew, or six small shots of espresso.

And, while moka pots like the cult-favorite Bialetti (and even the Alessi) feature handles a little too close to the body and therefore tend to get a little too hot, the MIlano is built so that the handle sticks out farther from the body, so there’s no waiting from the time it finishes brewing to being able to pour yourself a cup.

You can nab the Milano Stovetop Espresso Maker for $27 at stacksocial.com. Better yet, use code MILANO3 at checkout to get an additional $3 off.