Did you know this classic piece of Italian design was inspired by a washing machine?
The story begins in 1918 when Alfonso Bialetti returned home to Italy from France, where he had been working in the aluminum industry for 10 years, and set up a workshop making metal household goods. Near his factory, Bialetti watched women washing their clothes in a sealed boiler with a small central pipe. The pipe drew the soapy water from the bottom of the boiler and spread it over the wet laundry. He then decided to try and adapt this idea to make a coffee machine that would allow Italians to have real espresso in their homes.
The Moka Express was eventually released in 1933, and the design has hardly changed since. Some say don’t clean it too thoroughly, as previous brews taint the sides, adding flavour and depth. But we’ll leave that decision up to you!
Brew at Home - Moka Pot from Common Coffee on Vimeo.
A special thanks to Tom (TR Music), for the awesome music and Josh Davie for his editing skills. Both Josh and Tom are part of our #WworkingTtogether campaign –, every time you buy coffee online you’ll have the option to support them or one of our hospitality customers.
