A few years back, I had a fun roommate who had a stove top espresso maker, and enlightened me to the awesomeness of this mysterious, yet simple, device. You simply put the espresso grounds in the middle part, fill up the bottom compartment with water, and put it on the stove top, until all the espresso boils up into the top compartment to make your shot of espresso.

We also figured out how to make awesome lattes with it. After we made our shot of espresso, we would mix a small mugful/cupful of flavored coffee creamer with some water, and put it in the microwave for about 45 seconds to a minute. Then we would pour the creamer concoction, along with the espresso, into our travel mugs, and bam, we had awesome flavored lattes.

And the best part? They’re super cheap. Like this makes a shot of espresso, and only costs $10. AJ and I have one that makes 3 cups, which was still a steal at $25. And if you REALLY love espresso, or have a lot of coffee drinkers in your family, they also have one at Bed, Bath, and Beyond that makes a ridiculous 9 shots of espresso, for $40. And with the latte-making abilities, it’s a great alternative to spending hundreds of dollars at Starbucks every year.

(However, don’t leave it unattended on the hot stove, because it doesn’t whistle like a kettle when it’s all done. And if it’s left on the hot stove too long, the handle has been known to melt off, which is no bueno.)

There is only one downside. And this is where I will suggest you glance back up at the title. You see, I had a hard time finding it because of how many different names it has.

For example, my roommate had only ever called it a ‘Cuban Coffee Maker.’ So I thought that was what it was called. But when I told my mom of it’s awesomeness, her response was “Oh, you mean a Puerto Rican Coffee Maker?”

So then I went to Bed, Bath and Beyond to find myself one, but the associate helping me had no idea what I was talking about. Somewhere in the conversation I mentioned putting it on the stove, and then the lightbulb clicked. She chuckled, and said, “Ooooooh, did you mean the Italian Espresso Maker?” I said “No, I don’t think so,” but what do you know, the brand they had was Italian.

In any case, all of it’s names, made it really annoying to try and find. So, people of the world, I say we all just agree to call it a Stove Top Espresso Maker, and stop worrying about which country it ‘belongs’ to, therefore eliminating confusions for future generations.

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