Bialetti Venus Moka Pot Review
Table of contents
Not recommended
Pros
- Sleek modern design
Cons
- Struggles to produce good coffee
- Difficult to clean
- Lots of usability issues
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Taste
We had constant issues with channelling during brewing, which affected the flavour. This could be due to many factors — including the manufacturing quality of the filter or funnel, or the rate at which the water flows through the coffee during brewing. The taste was metallic, as well as bitter and astringent.
The poor taste can also be attributed to the water-to-coffee ratio of the Venus. There may be too much space for water in comparison to the maximum amount of coffee that can be put in the funnel — over-extracting the coffee in the process.
Reducing the amount of water in the lower chamber is a possible solution, but users shouldn't have to worry about this every time they make a coffee.
Usability and cleaning
Un-cleanable groove
Like the Bialetti Kitty and Musa, the Venus has this bizarre design feature which makes this moka pot impossible to clean properly. Old grounds and stale coffee in this crevice can't be removed with rinsing alone, and will inevitably ruin any other future brews.
The upper chamber is also tall and thin, so getting a sponge inside is difficult. All-in-all, this model is very hard to clean and maintain.
Hot lid
The metal lip for opening the lid gets quite hot but not so much that it'll burn your thumb — although it could if you accidentally left it on the hob for too long.
Other minor usability issues
- The lid flaps open slightly when pouring the last drips out. It doesn't affect that taste or cause spilling, but it just looks clumsy.
- There's no indicator line showing how far to fill the lower chamber, unlike the Bialetti Moka Express for example. In this case, you should always fill to under the safety valve.
Good usability features
The handle is comfortable to hold, but that's about it!
Aesthetics
Like Bialetti's other stainless steel models, the Venus is a great example of beautiful sleek design. The shape of the handle looks slightly out of place compared to the rest of the body, but overall, it can be an attractive addition to any kitchen shelf.
Sustainability and repairability
Most Bialetti moka pots are designed with easy-to-source replacement parts. You won't need to discard the entire pot if the gasket or funnel wears out.
The only component that requires regular replacement is the gasket, which you can purchase directly from Bialetti, online, or even from your local shop.
