Bellman Coffee Maker & Steamer Guide
Oh Bellmans. What's not to love?
They last you a lifetime, are super low-maintenance and inexpensive to fix. Change a gasket here and there and voilà... good as new!
Bellmans are fun to toy around with for both home and professional baristas, and are absolutely one of a kind. You can (and should) bring them with you on camping trips and/or when you travel abroad because you can rest assured that you'll be sipping on deliciously comforting espresso, cappuccino, and/or hot chocolate wherever your adventurous heart takes you.
Today, we take a look at 2 Bellman models : CX-25, CX 25S
BELLMAN STOVETOP ESPRESSO COFFEE MAKER - CX-25
We begin with the original Bellman. Yes, that's right, the OG.
This unique espresso stove top coffee maker is built with heavy 18/8 stainless steel, a handy safety-valve and heat resistant Bakelite.
It comes with a clever little filter which can be adjusted or removed to prepare 3, 6 or 9 espresso cups at a time. The espresso is prepared by forcing steam and hot water under the pressure of boiling water, through medium-roast coffee grounds, extracting all of their pure flavours and aromas.
Important tips:
1. You'll need a Stove-top espresso grind which is not too fine. It situates itself right between your standard fine espresso grind and drip grinds.
2. Avoid tamping the coffee. This will create too much pressure and is totally unnecessary. Simply fill to top.
3. Add a bit less water than suggested by the Bellman's interior notches (3-6-9). You'll still get enough steam & water for your espresso, but with far less wait time.
4. To know when your coffee is almost ready, leave the espresso tap slightly open while heating, and place a small stainless steel recipient underneath it. When you notice a few drops of espresso come out, shut the tap completely, wait about 30 seconds before reopening it. Your espresso will run and once done, move on to your frother!
5. You will get so much steam out of this bad boy you won’t know what to do with it! That being said, frothing the right texture of milk takes technique. Just like a real Barista, you'll have to adjust your steam wand height and position in order to achieve your desired texture.
Before inserting the wand in your milk, purge it by letting some steam come out. This will avoid accidentally sucking milk into the wand during the initial frothing phase.
Next, keep the wand closer to the surface in order to introduce more air if you're looking for a frothier cappuccino-like result.
Conversely, dip the wand further into the milk and slightly tilt your frothing jug in order to attain a whirlwind like motion. This will help you achieve micro-bubbles, a.k.a latte milk.
BELLMAN STOVETOP MILK FROTHER / STEAMER CX-25S
Last but not least, this is one of the most sought-after Bellman models; the CX-25S.
The ultimate frothing device, it is designed for those seeking adequate steam pressure in order to efficiently froth their milk to the desired texture.
Make no mistake, this sleek Bellman is the crème de la crème of steamers.
YOU MAY ALSO LIKE..
-Freshly roasted TERRA Espresso blends
-Vegan & Organic TERRA Hot Chocolates