I got this Femoka many years ago from e-bay many years ago. Got it quite cheap (50 or less) since it is missing two portafilters. Shortly after acquiring the it, my husband developed congestive heart failure requiring a mitral valve replacement. The Femoka was put aside and forgotten about for the next 6-7 years. I was doing some spring cleaning in the basement and came across it again.

This appears to be a percolator - similar to an electric moka pot in operation but with multiple porta filters and a steam wand. I have not yet tested it -still needs to be cleaned up first. I know next to nothing about Femoka but seem to recall they were carried in higher end department stores like Bergdorf Goodman - maybe early 80's? The power cord appears to be of that general era.

I would love to learn more about Femoka. Guessing this is really more of a novelty than a serious 'espresso/moka' machine...nevertheless it appears to be quite well made and durable. If anyone has experience with this unusual contraption please chime in. Feel free to share pictures of you own one.

First time I see it. Beautiful, thank you for sharing it.

Moka 1 Cup wrote:First time I see it. Beautiful, thank you for sharing it.

I will update here once I've had a chance to fire it up.

another_jim wrote:You may have a treasure. I remember David Ross and Roger Barret talking about these on alt.coffee. They thought it made better demi-tasse coffee than a regular Mocha pot, since it emulated the old prelever espresso machines by having very a lomg tube to the group that cooled down the water, and gave a smoother coffee.

It's also a great party machine; since you can make shots for everyone in short order. Also, how many people can brag about having six group espresso machines?

Thanks for sharing. I was afraid this it might just be one of those novelty things that looks better than the coffee it makes! Sounds like it might be right up my alley since I love brewing with a moka pot (grew up using them). Have you ever used a Femoka?

They seem to have only been produced for a short while in limited number. There is a Facebook page dedicated to Femoka machines:
https://www.facebook.com/FemokaParis
The author appears to either be originally involved in producing Femoka machines and is currenly offerring some for sale -having an atelier/small workshop. This confirms my impression that the Femoka were produced in small number - at least for the oversease market. The page includes a list of tips for using the Femoka which I found usefull since mine didn't come with instructions or other info.

I actually had visions of using the Femoka at dinner parties when I first moved out here. After a few years I realized neither espresso style drinks nor dinner parties are that popular. Most people prefer meeting for dinner at the local Bob Evans followed by a syrupy concoction from Starbucks.

Made in France - I believe for both domestic (French) and export. I believe they were carried by Bergdorf-Goodman and maybe a few other high end department stores. From what I seen available second hand production numbers seem small and hand built with models ranging from single, double, and five portafilters. All appear to come with steam wands.

The aforementioned Femoka Facebook page (mostly in French with the odd English posts) suggests that either production or rebuilds are still occasionally being offered. I will probably drop them a line in the near future.

Just did a test run with water only - filled only ~2/3 capicity. Machine comes up to pressure but has several valve leaks - mostly at the dials above each portafilter but hard to keep track of with so many heads! Leaks were not catastrophic but enough to accumulate a decent amount of water as pressure started to come up. My husband said it probably needs new gaskets plus some o-rings.

Despite the leaks I am very tempted to try brewing some coffee -albeit with a coarser grind and lowered expectations given the leaks.

My only quibble -and this is with electric plug in style moka pots in general - is that I miss having an on and off switch. There was someething slightly unnerving about pulling the plug with the power unning through the small pond of accumulated water

Fired up the Femoka for a test brew despite not having yet replaced the seals.

I used a decaf - the lovely Colombia Jairo Arcila Natural Decaf from Sagebrush Unroasted as my test coffee. My reason for the using this coffee is twofold. First being decaf, it allows me to drink several shots without going over my caffeine allowance. Second, this is a very atypical decaf in that does not taste like a decaf, being full of rich chocolate covered strawberry notes with a nice tart acidic rasberry & underripe strawberry backbone - with a very deep poweful body. I figured this would be the perfect coffee to use in the event the resulting shot ends up being an Americano due to the addition of extra water from any leaks.

I filled three portafilters (the machine came with two missing) with coffee - finely ground but not quite 'espresso' grind. I filled each portafilter but did not tamp the coffee down. After adding preboiled water to the chamber I plugged the Femoka in and waited.

The Femoka was ready to brew in about a minute - the pressure gage is a really nice feature to have - and very easy to read. I decided to do successive shots rather than trying to brew simultanously. All portafilters worked but had pretty decent leaks which trickled directly into the coffee.

The first portafilter produced a very watery shot, in part probably becuase I turned the knob full blast rather than slowly releasing. I ended up dumping the cup as between my poor technique and the water from the leak, the resulting brew was as much water as coffee.

The second portafilter's shot was stronger becuase I turned the knob more slowly....but still rather watery due to leaking water ending up in the cup.

The third portfiler produced a stronger almost passable shot, marred only by water leaking directly into the cup. Nevertheless it was quaffable enough for a few sips, surprisingly full flavored and decent bodied all things considered. Since at this point a good portion of the water in the chamber had been used up, I am wondering that contributed to the increased brewing strength? Or perhaps it was my turning the knob much more slowly, releasing the water at a slower rate?

Now I am really inspired to replace the seals and get going. The third shot - while watery - had surprising body and strength that suggests the Femoka might give my beloved moka pots (eveny my tiny 1 cup model) a run for the money in terms of quality brews.

Wonderful thing! Column style, designed like first espresso machines by Bezzera... I believe it has no pressurestat and heating water constantly, just releasing steam from the top valve. I can't see safety components as well, so keep eye on it!
What a beauty, thanks for sharing!

Your observations match mine with regard to design and lack safety type pressure release. I confess this makes brewing a tad more adventerous shall we say. Fortunately the pressure valve is large and easy to read. Still I find myself inclined to rush, more worried about excess pressure build up rather than shot quality. Having said that, so far the pressure has never reached the red zone despite the machine's rapid heating capability.

As an aside, I would love to see some of those early Bezzera espresso machines. I am rather new to column style electric machines but loving the quick heating capabilities and very steady water delivery. Quite a change from my stove top moka pots to say the least!

I am still trying to find seals and other parts to fix the leaks. Might try and implement temporary stop gaps in the meantime so I can play around with it. Beautifully made machine, a real delight to use even in its slightly dilapited state.