The Bialetti Moka Express

The Bialetti Moka Express
Alfonso Bialetti
1933

There’s something about coffee that makes it more than the sum total of its parts, something about the process of making it that is as enjoyable as drinking it. Not that I smoke but I could imagine it being akin to the rolling of a cigarette. Before Aeropress, Bailetti’s Moka Pot was the best way to get a quick hit of strong espresso like coffee at home and there is something about it that endures beyond trend. The levelling of the coffee grounds, the satisfying noise it makes as you screw it together and last but not least, the gurgling noise that signifies it is ready.

Patented in 1933 by the inventor, Luigi De Ponti for Alfonso Bialetti the Moka pot was similar in design to silver coffee services found in well to do homes across Italy at the time but its inner workings took their cue from a more humble place, the washing machine. Coffee had been popularised across Italy in the early 20^th century due to the rise of the coffee shop and most Italians were keen to get the same intense flavours at home as they had become used to in the bars. It was in the early 1930’s that Italy was focused on moving into the era of modernity and making Aluminium the national metal. It was this stove-top coffee machine that married two recent discoveries, caffeine and aluminium and brought them in to homes almost everywhere.

This iconic design is displayed in the Design Museum and The Science Museum, amongst others around the world. The distinctive, perfectly balanced octagonal shape allows it to diffuse heat perfectly, contributing to the taste and aroma. Its characteristic angular Bakelite handle isn’t perfectly ergonomic but does the job of keeping your knuckles far enough away from the heat of the coffee collector. There other ways, even better ways to make your morning brew but none quite as satisfying as this one, none that embody the same essence of timeless Italian design.