Bialetti Dealers in Toronto?

[echolock]

I'm looking to buy a Bialetti Brikka stovetop espresso maker and I'm wondering if anyone can recommend a store that might carry this or other Bialetti products.

Thanks!

[cheesymama]

Faema in Sherway Gardens carries Bialetti, so I would think any of their stores would carry them. I've also seen some Bialetti products at the Bay, but not much of a selection.

[js288uk]

Cook's store on Danforth

[millygirl]

William Ashley's on Bloor

[mightycheesehead]

I bought my Bialetti Musa from Consiglio's on St. Clair West. They had a pretty wide selection of Bialetti products. You might want to take a walk in the neighbourhood, I remember that there were a number of other grocery stores that also carried a selection of Bialetti products.

[obstructionist]

Rustic Bakery. You can get a great espresso there too.

[bytepusher]

You mean The Cook's Place at Logan and Danforth. They definitely carry some Bialetti products, in particular I'm certain they have several sizes of the Moka, and I'm pretty sure they also have the Mukka. I'd be willing to bet that many of the places that carry Bialetti in the city will only stock the classic Moka. Before you make a trip anywhere call first and make sure they have the brikka model.

[LTL]

Seems like there are a lot of sources around the city, which is great. Any approximation on prices? I'm looking for a 1 or 3-cup model. Also, is there a huge difference in espresso quality between Bialetti and more generic brands?

[Paulustrious]

Caynes: http://www.cayneshousewares.com/search.php?mode=search&page=1

Most Italian supermarkets. I know Colangelos stock them> Don't know the address but it is here: http://maps.google.com/?ie=UTF8&h...

[ibraineater]

Faema at Dupont and Christie has them in abundance. Oddly enough, I've also seen them at Honest Ed's of all places.

[millygirl]

This post is 2 years old. I'm just sayin'.......

[jayt90]

Costco has the Bialetti Dama at $35.99. I don't know if that is a good price, but it produces a great mug or two every morning, maybe a bit better than Aeropress because the brewing temperature is higher and faster.

[SNACKeR]

That is an excellent price - most places are closer to $50, and some much more (e.g. Cook's Place)

[jayt90]

The warehouse club is clearing the Bialetti Dama at $20.

[LTL]

I tried looking for this at the Costco by Hwy 7 and 400, but was unsuccessful. Which Costco did you see the Bialetti?

[jayt90]

Ajax has a few dozen

[bytepusher]

Doh, I saw Mar 08 and didn't even process the 2008 part...I hate when that happens

[jayt90]

No matter. The Bialetti stovetop is a great product, and worth reviving.
I know people who have gone through several Espresso machines (they do have a life span) while their Bialetti is always there, in reserve.

[tarteaucitron]

And I actually managed to break my Bialetti recently. But that simply prompted me to go get a another one right away!

[LTL]

Absolutely. As you'll see if you scroll above, I was in fact the one who revived this thread. I don't understand why people generally immediately shoot down responses to threads that weren't started within the last week or two. The topics aren't always outdated, this one for example. At the same time, when someone asks for info, e.g. Niagara-on-the-Lake recs or ideas for a birthday dinner, people just respond with a terse "use the search function". If we aren't allowed to contribute to said existing threads, the search function is rendered useless. This mini rant is not aimed directly at millygirl BTW - many posters here do this and it always confounds me.

Anyway, thanks for all the info and sources for Bialetti. Going to have to hunt one down now! Costco or Cook's Place seem like the best bet for me for now. Will report back about availability and prices once I make my way there.

[millygirl]

My thought was that the orginal poster has by now most likely found what he/she was looking for. I would have thought (incorrectly I guess) that if someone is in the market now, they would post a new thread. Obviously I was wrong and if you can't beat 'em, join 'em.

So.....I was just in The Inspired Cook on Queen Street, near Woodbine, not an hour ago and noticed that they have a very good selection of Bialetti.

[SNACKeR]

I bought a Brikka after using a $10 basic stove top coffee maker from Kitchen Stuff Plus, thinking it would be a step up. I have to say, after using the Brikka for 6 months the coffee is not better than the Kitchen Stuff Plus one in any discernible way, except for slightly more "crema" (which doesn't last long and does not contribute to the flavour since it is not real crema).

[LTL]

Good to know. I have a pretty generic one and am considering upgrading to Bialetti.

[Paulustrious]

One advantage of the Bialetti is that replacement parts are available for it. It is fairly easy to buy the filter and 'rubber' washer which do fail with time. The pot can get very hot as it boils dry and this eventually causes the gasket to fail.

Italian supermarkets (like Colangelos mentioned above) stock these parts as their customers may use these machines every day as opposed to using them at dinner parties.

I have a suspicion that some of the other manufacturers are 'gasket compatible'.

[SNACKeR]

Funnily enough, my cheapo $10 one came with a spare gasket, but I haven't needed it so far after a year of heavy use. In addition to not letting the pot stay on the stove longer than necessary, it is important to loosen the top as soon as the machine cools down a bit, i.e., do not store it tightly fastened. Same goes for blenders.

[LTL]

Before I heard about Bialetti, I purchased from Winners a 3-cup model made by a company named Palm and it also came with a spare gasket. I've been making espresso approximately three times a week for the last few weeks and the Palm works fine. Only time will tell how it holds up, but I will get a Bialetti if my Palm proves faulty.

[Paulustrious]

Highland farms had gaskets by a company called Aurora, but they are a different size to the Bialetti ones.

[LTL]

Wanted to post a quick update. I managed to track down a Bialetti Moki at Faema Cafe. My 3-cup model cost $29.95; they also had 1-cup ($26.95) and 5-cup ($32.95) models available. I noticed they also had Brikka models which were much pricier (forget the exact amount).