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In this guide
The Moka Express is the octagonal aluminium pot Bialetti has made since 1933, and the six-cup version is £37.50 at John Lewis, shown as in stock online with free returns. It brews on a gas or electric hob; an induction hob needs a separate plate.
One pass makes roughly a quarter of a litre, the hob decides whether you also need the £25.00 plate, and the gasket the manual says to replace at least yearly is an £8.00 kit. Someone still has to stand at the hob until the upper chamber fills.
Our verdict
Buy the six-cup Moka Express for pod-free strong stovetop coffee if you cook on a gas or electric hob; induction needs a £25.00 plate, which brings the cost to £62.50, and true espresso needs a different machine.
- A good fit for
- A kitchen with a gas or electric hob that brews for two or more at once, wants strong coffee without pods or paper, and will hand rinse the pot and replace a gasket yearly.
- We would skip it if
- An induction-only hob without a plate, a one-cup morning (the 3-cup size fits better), or a drinker who wants true espresso, steamed milk, or a machine that brews without anyone at the hob.
Reasons to consider it
- Six-cup size yields about 250 to 270 ml in one stovetop pass, enough for two mugs of strong coffee or three small cups
- No pods, paper filters or electricity: the parts are an aluminium boiler, a funnel, a filter plate and a gasket
- John Lewis sells the pot at £37.50 with free returns, and the gasket-and-filter kit for it at £8.00
The compromises
- Aluminium wants hand washing with water only: no detergent, no dishwasher, and dry parts before reassembly
- Induction-only kitchens must add a separate plate at £25.00, or buy Bialetti's induction-ready Moka at £66.00 for six cups
- Someone has to stay at the hob: the manual says not to leave it unattended and to keep the heat off its highest setting
What we have not verified: Bialetti publishes no dimensions for the six-cup beyond a 21.6 cm height on John Lewis, and the capacity changes by page: 250 ml in John Lewis's specification, 300 ml on its gasket-kit listing, 9.1 oz (about 270 ml) in Bialetti's size table. Fit on a small hob is unconfirmed.
The things in this guide
A closer look at the products, who they may suit, and what to check before buying.
Moka Express · 6 cup
About 250 to 270 ml of strong coffee from a hob, with no pods or paper and an £8.00 gasket kit as the only named repeat cost.
Before you buy: Hand wash only, gas or electric unless you add a £25.00 plate, and someone has to watch the pot.
Price checked 16 October 2026. Retailer prices can change.Six cups is a quarter of a litre, not six mugs
Bialetti measures moka capacity in espresso-sized servings of about 2 oz, not mugs. The maker's size guide reads 1 cup = 2 oz, 3 cup = 4.4 oz, 6 cup = 9.1 oz, 9 cup = 14.2 oz, 12 cup = 22 oz, 18 cup = 27.3 oz, which puts the six-cup at roughly 270 ml. John Lewis's specification says 250 ml and its gasket-kit listing says 300 ml, so the pot is a quarter of a litre give or take; buy by the size table and treat it as a two-mug pot.
That yield is why six cups is the household size and the three-cup (4.4 oz) is the solo one. Two people who each want a mug at breakfast fit the six-cup. A single drinker will pour half of it away or reheat the rest, and stovetop coffee does not improve on the second pass.
Gas and electric yes, induction only with a plate
Bialetti lists the Moka Express body as aluminium and the handle and knob as thermoplastic, compatible with gas and electric hobs, and suitable for induction only with its own plate. John Lewis sells a 13 cm Bialetti plate at £25.00, in stock, and its listing adds two conditions: use a small induction ring wider than the 130 mm base of the plate, and keep the hob's Flex function and Flex zones off. The listing does not name the Moka Express, so check the pot's base against the plate.
The other induction route is Bialetti's bi-layer Moka Induction, which John Lewis lists at £66.00 for the six-cup size; the Moka Express at £37.50 plus the plate comes to £62.50, so the plate is the cheaper way in. The manual tightens the burner rules: on gas the flame stays within the base, on electric or ceramic glass use a medium setting rather than the highest, and do not leave the pot unattended, because it builds pressure.
Running costs after the pot
Nothing here needs pods or paper. The repeating part is the gasket, and the manual says to replace a worn one, recommending at least once a year. John Lewis lists the six-cup kit of three gaskets and a filter at £8.00. That is also a delivery lever: a lone £37.50 pot sits under John Lewis's free Click & Collect line of £40 and its free delivery line of £50, but pot plus kit makes £45.50 and clears the collection threshold.
Warranty follows the maker's manual rather than a UK page: 24 months from purchase, claimed through the dealer or Bialetti Industrie Spa with proof of purchase, with plate, funnel, gasket and handle excluded unless defective from manufacture. Keep the John Lewis order record. John Lewis accepts returns within 30 days of receipt, and returns of small items to its shops are free.
Where a capsule machine or a pour-over wins
The Moka brews with pressure, but there is no pump, no steam wand and no dial. Someone chasing true espresso, steamed milk, or coffee from a button should look at a pump or capsule machine instead. Nespresso's UK page sells the Essenza Mini in black through a subscription, from £69.00, against £37.50 for the pot, and the machine then needs a pod in every cup.
Pour-over and press are the other roads. A cone or a press asks for a kettle and attention per cup; the Moka asks for a hob and one pot to watch, then hands over a quarter of a litre at once. Skip it on an induction-only hob without a plate, in a one-cup household, and in any kitchen where nobody will stand at the hob until the upper chamber fills.
How we put this together
Built from the product pages and listings below, without test scores or results we have not measured. Specifications and prices change, so check the original page for the exact model, current price, delivery, and returns.
- John Lewis: Bialetti Moka Express Hob Espresso Coffee Maker, 6 Cup (opens in a new tab)
- Bialetti: Moka Pot product page (US store, size guide) (opens in a new tab)
- Bialetti: Moka Express instruction manual (PDF, multi-language) (opens in a new tab)
- Bialetti: Moka Express technical features (international English page) (opens in a new tab)
- John Lewis: Bialetti Moka Express Replacement Gaskets and Filter, 6 Cup (opens in a new tab)
- John Lewis: Bialetti Coffee Maker Induction Hob Plate Adapter, 13cm (opens in a new tab)
- John Lewis: Bialetti Moka Induction Stove-top Espresso Coffee Maker, Black (opens in a new tab)
- Nespresso UK: Essenza Mini, Matt Black (C30) (opens in a new tab)
