[briankirby]

I went through a similar search for a cheap homemade espresso and ended up landing on the 3-cup Moka pot. It's not exactly espresso, but I find it's good enough for me, especially if I put it into a cappuccino or something else.

[js2]

My wife makes her coffee in an moka pot. IMO it's fine for cafe cubano or maybe a latte, but I'd never drink it straight. It's much too bitter and lacks the natural sweetness and full body of a proper espresso shot. So while you can make passable espresso-type drinks with it, it's not really espresso.

[PascLeRasc]

Can I ask what grind you're using? I'm a big fan of the bitterness of what my moka pot produces, though I agree that it's not "espresso" per se. It's fantastic for mixing with vanilla ice cream or mixed drinks.

[js2]

Espresso grind (fine). Just slightly finer than I grind for using in an Aeropress. To give an idea, my grinder scale is 1-34. I use 1 for Turkish, she likes 5 in the Moka, I use 6 in my Aeropress. Drip is ~12. French press is ~18.