This Stunning Espresso Machine Is the Size of a Moka Pot and Inspired by a Jet Engine

When I was asked to test the 9Barista espresso machine, I couldn’t wrap my head around why a brewer that looked like a modern moka pot would cost $740 or more. After testing the 9Barista Pro espresso machine for a couple of months, I realized the company’s claim of making true espresso on your stovetop is even more impressive than the fact that the 9Barista successfully launched on Kickstarter. The British-made manual brewer is a meditation on simplicity, if you call a system that fits in one hand and uses the same principles as a jet engine “simple.” 

9Barista espresso vs. moka pot coffee

Moka pots are a classic stovetop method of making strong coffee that resembles espresso. These metal brewers are beloved for the simple three-piece construction invented by Bialetti in 1933. Cold or hot water is filled in the bottom chamber. Semi-fine coffee grounds (between fine espresso and drip coffee) fill a brewing basket placed on top of the water reservoir. A funnel feeds steaming, boiling water through the grounds into the top chamber, where the coffee collects.

The original Bialetti Moka Pot is made from aluminum, and some models are made from stainless steel. Standard moka pot sizes range from one cup to 12 cups, with each “cup” measured in diminutive 2-ounce servings rather than the US standard of 8 ounces per cup.

The manual brewer is akin to a French press in the deep-roasted flavor it produces, but the moka pot yields a more concentrated coffee. You might make a bit of crema, depending on the coffee beans. A moka pot doesn’t make true espresso, however, because it can’t generate the high pressure needed to extract the coffee at espresso-level concentrations. The 9Barista espresso machine solves this issue.

The 9Barista resembles the Bialetti original because its stainless steel system still breaks into three parts and uses stovetop heat to force steam and boiling water through the beans. What sets the 9Barista apart from a moka pot is its twin-boiler system: one boiler builds nine bars of pressure, and a second regulates the temperature to 93 degrees Fahrenheit, producing a true crema-topped espresso extraction. Moka pots are said to use one or two bars of pressure. The clever design requires fine espresso grounds that you tamp into a basket attached beneath the top reservoir. The three parts are easily screwed together and then placed on your stovetop. Use a hot plate on electric stovetops to help distribute heat.    

What it’s like to make espresso on the stovetop with the 9Barista

Key takeaways: 

• The 9Barista machine uses 18 grams of beans and 120 milliliters (mg) of water to produce a 1- to 1.5-ounce shot of espresso.
• Aim for 3 to 6 minutes on the stovetop heat, and don’t leave it on longer than 8 minutes to avoid overheating the metal and burning the beans.
• A full cleaning-and-drying cycle between shots takes 5 to 6 minutes — faster if you rinse thoroughly under cool water or don’t mind breaking it down while still warm.
• The prep-to-pour time on a single shot is no more than 10 to 11 minutes.
• Running the body under cold water also helps the release valve screw open more easily.
• The hot plate itself changes color with use: gunmetal to copper and (eventually) back to light silver. This is an expected part of the process, though it may look slightly alarming to the uninitiated.

I followed the directions: 18 grams of espresso beans to 120 milliliters of water per shot. While results will vary depending on your beans, grind and timing, I found the machine produced 1 ounce (36 grams) to 1.5 ounces (43 grams) of espresso. The instructions also recommend 25 to 30 seconds for the full extraction, which is a rather standard goal for most machines. Helpful benchmarks for espresso shots: Anything extracted under 20 seconds will likely taste thin and sour, while more than 30 seconds will taste bitter. The goal is to find a combination that brings out the flavors you prefer. 

Heat is a new variable with the 9Barista espresso machine. When I first used the brewer, the stovetop temperature seemed like the biggest factor to dial in, especially since “medium-high heat” is, at best, a vague guideline. I recognize that the directions can only offer imprecise tips for heating your device at home, since every stove and burner behaves differently. It’s a frustrating but real variable when your stovetop becomes part of the heating system rather than a self-contained internal system. For many espresso machines, temperature control is a major selling point. Here, you’re building it yourself, burner by burner.

On the first try, I panicked that the grounds were sitting on the heat for too long — plus, I was impatient — so I cranked the stovetop to 80% power. Even the internet was perplexed when I asked how a shot could pull too quickly (less than 20 seconds) and still taste bitter. Before touching the grind or the quantities, turning the heat down to 65% (6.5 out of 10 was the sweet spot) made a huge difference in flavor. Patience is indeed a virtue. Preheating the heat transfer plate while prepping the grounds also cut down on wait time and reduced how long the fresh grounds sat exposed to heat. Some reviewers online preheat the water chamber while prepping the puck separately. I prefer to turn on the whole unit at once so I can monitor the full process.

Once the plate is preheated, the directions call for 120 grams (120ml) of filtered water. There is a fill line for anyone who doesn’t want to measure. In practice, the taste didn’t vary much if I used a few milliliters less. However, I found that even 125ml of water caused the reservoir to overflow when I turned on the group head. The built-in portafilter beneath the coffee reservoir provides a sturdy, level base for tamping. A metal basket cap with an O-ring keeps the grounds in place when you inevitably flip the portafilter upside down to lock the separate components together.

Once the water starts to gurgle, it’s showtime: Steam expels from a boiler pipe for about 30 seconds before espresso accumulates in the open funnel. My early shots tended to pull shorter — around 20 seconds — and still tasted decent with a good crema.

Disassembling and cleaning the brewer gets easier with practice. The cooldown before depressurization, rinsing and drying the filter basket is what eats the time. Rinsing the group head and steel water chamber under cold water helped cool the components. I also waited to detach the group head and water reservoir, first refilling with cold water and letting it sit while I emptied the used grounds from the portafilter. The metal basket cap stays hot to the touch, so handle it carefully. I kept a thick oven mitt handy to avoid getting burned by steam from the release valve when I wanted to pull a second shot right away. A traditional moka pot makes more coffee in one go, so adjust if you’re used to that system.

Final thoughts on the 9Barista 

Across dozens of logged pulls, three variables kept moving at once — heat, grind and pull time — which makes any single result hard to isolate, but some patterns held up across all of my tests.

On the process itself

Heat was the dominant, hardest-to-control variable when I first used the espresso machine. Because the 9Barista relies on the stovetop rather than an internal heating system, results varied wildly by burner. The front burner took 8 to 10 minutes to boil, while the back burner boiled in under 3 minutes, both at the 6.5 heat setting. Same machine, same grind philosophy, very different extractions. 

The pressure release valve is a bit hard to grab and pull to depressurize, but the water chamber will unscrew either way if you also have trouble pulling the tiny lever outward. Considering the usual trial and error of grinding and tamping, plus those minor concerns, that’s really it in terms of challenges with the brewer. 

The hot plate system might give some people pause if they have an electric stovetop that’s prone to heat marks. This isn’t the machine’s fault. Many of my metal pans leave small traces on the stovetop at high heat, but keep that in mind if you’re a renter who wants to leave no trace. I kept half-expecting something to go wrong while the plate cycled from gunmetal to copper to silver. But this is a natural part of the heating process.

On build and usability

The 9Barista stainless steel design feels substantial in the hand, which is satisfying and suggests it’s built to last. The 9Barista espresso maker also comes with a five-year warranty, lifetime customer support, and replacement parts. While I haven’t tested the ease of a warranty claim, the time frame is well beyond most electric espresso machines. I also appreciate how the design provides a stable surface for level tamping. A traditional espresso machine uses the long portafilter handle to stabilize the basket. The difference is small but appreciated. That said, many people will appreciate this compact machine’s mobility and ease of use.

I also value 9Barista’s use of stainless steel over plastic components. Plastic often makes up water reservoirs and appears in most components of a single-serve pod coffee maker, including the espresso capsules. Plastic might be unavoidable, but anyone looking to reduce further exposure can breathe a bit easier with the 9Barista espresso machine.

Who the 9Barista is for

The 9Barista espresso machine is ideal for a household with one or two coffee drinkers who want a portable, sturdy, largely plastic-free espresso brewer. As a New Yorker, I love that this stovetop brewer takes up little space on the counter or in the cupboard. I keep reaching for the 9Barista more than I expected because it’s simple and delivers satisfying results.

As a former skeptic, I find the 9Barista an enticing option for smaller households or anyone who appreciates the ritual of espresso while camping outdoors. The 9Barista would be ideal for my van-life friends who weatherize their campers for winter excursions and want the comforts of home on the road. (This is a weighty machine, however, so the “every ounce counts” folks would never.) You might also see the 9Barista on the counter at your buddy’s place, the one who won’t stop talking about the sound quality of their Audio-Technica record player and bespoke speaker system. In other words, this is an investment piece that speaks of craftsmanship and innovation.

If paying north of $700 for a manual espresso maker just ain’t happening, the first-gen 9Barista MK1 is significantly cheaper at $540.