The Brikka variant of the normal Bialetti makes a difference. There's a pressure-cooker style valve on the top stalk that increases the extraction pressure. You do get foam in the pot, but not a real crema. The taste is better, though.
You can also play around by pressing down the valve with a spoon or some such.
I bought a 2 cup Brikka last week as, now that I've perfected my recipe to get a good strong cup, a 4 cup Moka was just too much coffee and I was getting jittery in the morning!
I agree - the Brikka produces a different brew to a normal Moka. Thicker (that dreaded "mouthfeel" word that foodists and coffeeists use) and stronger, closer to an espresso than a Moka is, but still not an espresso. The foam dissipates after a couple of sips, but this is using Aldi espresso beans (£1.89 a bag!) which I bought to season the pot cheaply.
I got the recipe pretty spot on quickly for this. Measure the water to the top of the H2O ridge in the top chamber and pour it into the bottom chamber. Use 14 grams of ground coffee. Tap the funnel on the work surface to even out the grounds in the basket.
The 14 grams is interesting as it's close to the 16 grams I use in the 4 cup. The basket in the 2 cup Brikka is proportionally bigger than that in the 4 cup Moka, though. I might increase the dosage in the 4 cup Moka the next time I make coffee for me and Mrs Nerd.
Developed an obsession as a result of this topic?
Nah, I've been obsessive about Moka pots for a while. I just took the time to "perfect" the brewing recipe.