Nitpick: Espresso actually means ‘squeezed’ (i.e. it’s brewed under pressure).
Please let this be a whoosh. Please.
They seemed relatively common in Hungary–that’s where I first came across them–but it’s possible I had an anomalous experience. All three flats I rented there had moka pots included in the kitchen. I’ve never been happy with the coffee they produce. It doesn’t really make anything resembling espresso to me, and the coffee it does make, well, I’d rather just have a French pressed coffee.
And now you’ve got the perfect excuse: research!