Before espresso machines arrived on every kitchen counter, there was the eight-sided aluminium pot on the hob. Water in the bottom, coffee in the funnel, and a gurgle a few minutes later. I went back to one for a month to see whether it still holds up.

It does, with a caveat. It does not make espresso. The pressure is far lower than a machine’s, so there is no crema and the texture is thinner. What it makes is strong, full-bodied coffee that is excellent with milk and very good on its own.

The secret is gentle heat. Start with hot water in the base, keep the flame low, and take the pot off the heat as soon as it begins to sputter. Do that, and the bitter, burnt taste people associate with these pots never appears.

At a fraction of a machine’s price, with nothing to break, it earns its place on the shelf.