Customer service is thriving — at least all the way across the country. Here’s what happened: I love my Mukka Express stovetop cappuccino maker from Italian company Bialetti for my first cup of morning coffee. In fact, I’ve got two of them so I can mix and match parts and not wait to brew a second pot. They’re simple coffee makers that depend on steam, pressure and correct assembling, so when one of the valves — the critical part of Mukka Expresses — stopped working, I went to the Web site, http://www.bialetti.it/uk/index.asp, and ordered a replacement. It got to my house quickly but it didn’t work. Since I had two Mukkas, I checked every part combination to make sure it was the new valve that was faulty and not another part or user error, and it seemed to be the new valve that was the problem. So I e-mailed customer service and within an hour — literally one hour — got a reply from Karen Wilson of Bialetti customer relations with Bradshaw International, a cookware-distributor in California. She kindly offered advice and a free replacement, which came a few days later and worked perfectly. I got better and quicker help from her in California that I have from retailers less than a mile from my house. But it’s good to know that courtesy and helpfulness are still around if you know where to look. So I’m back to two pots of Mukka a day — with a much more pleasant outlook.
Coffee with Cathy
Pour a cup & take a break
Coffee with Cathy 
You … have … two of these things.
Hmmm.
Well, dearest husband, here’s the thing: I got a good two-for-one deal on them on eBay. They’re brother and sister and needed a good home! How could I break up a matched set?
Well, gosh, when you put it that way. Thank goodness they weren’t triplets.
I knew you’d see it my way, sweetie.
I have a question – how did you know that the valve was broken? I also have a Mukka pot and it suddenly stopped working yesterday. I’ve been doing test runs with it just with water – the water starts to come out of the valve at the beginning but then stops, and steam starts coming out of the side release valve instead. (On the base of the pot.) I’m not sure whether I should buy another valve or if I should just save my money and need to buy another pot completely. Do you have any advice/suggestions? Thanks so much for your help.
Best,
South
Hmm, South, sounds as if you’ve got a clogged valve somewhere. Turn your valve upside and let water run into the middle of it. A stream of water should shoot out of that little hole that’s now at the very top of the valve (it’s on the bottom when the valve is turned right side up). If you’re not geting that stream of water, it’s clogged. Thread some stiff wire through that hole several times and see if that helps. Also, the screen at the bottom of the top half of the Mukka might be clogged. Remove the gasket and then take the screen out and clean it and around it with a bottle brush. Also, make sure the basket where you put the coffee isn’t clogged. Take another piece of wire and poke through all the little holes you can reach. And remember not to overfill the basket with coffee — sometimes that clogs things up. If you do all of these things and nothing works, then I’d try a new valve since that’s the part that actually does the work — the Mukka coffee pot itself is only a vessel. Hope that helps!
Thanks for your help Shoalswriter! You were right about the valve being clogged.. I eventually managed to unclog it by soaking it in vinegar. My coffee didn’t taste quite the same this morning but it frothed up wonderfully. I’m so glad I don’t have to buy any new parts!