I had 4 Bialettis in Nairobi to accommodate large dinner parties. I would stop in Rome during my homeleave to the States to go Standa to buy the spare parts. I still have 2 Bialettis in New York
This is a big question. I don't know the answer. Do you have an idea?
As I wrote, I try to see the big picture, and I know these kinds of takeovers and mergers are part of the evolution of economies. And, of course, Bialetti (or whatever company) has a right to survive and make a profit. But I also see why it's disappointing to see a national champion taken over by another company.
Bialetti is really losing money? That seems impossible. Are those "pod-based machines" the ones with the little capsules that you slip in the top? I had one of those. It was a souvenir AS Roma coffee maker. But it was impossible to find the right-sized capsules.
Your description of the Moka ritual in the morning is spot on. I don't know if I'm more addicted to the smell or the taste. Combined with frothy foam for my cappuccino, I can't imagine starting a morning any other way. However, I have a small Moka machine made by Pedrini and a larger one by Tagnana. Both work great. (I destroyed my Bialetti this winter when I forgot it was brewing an espresso while I was writing and the handle melted off.)
So how do you like American coffee? I can't drink it. I will not drink any coffee in which I need two hands to hold it.
Yeah, apparently the company is nearly €100 million in debt.
You can fix a melted handle on a Moka pot, FYI: see the photo in the article.
No, I can't stomach American coffee any more. It tastes like wet paper to me.
Anyone reading this who's interested in a well-traveled American's view on travel around Italy and further abroad, check out John's blog (the link is in the comment above).
I love my Moka pot but kind of set it aside for a French press. You've inspired me to dig it out and use it again. I like the ritual you describe - so sensual and satisfying! And thank you for including a photo of Mocha!
My Moka pot has been shelved since a got an induction range; aluminum won’t heat up on it. But there is an adaptive plate I can get, and Eric, you persuaded me to get one!
Ok, I really don't know where to begin here. Suffice it to say I've been enjoying the smell of coffee for almost 50 years and the taste for about 34. I've personally used over 30 moke, at least half of which were (and probably still are) Bialetti and I'm almost perfectly bilingual (English-Italian and Moka-Pod). Enough on credentials. I've been making my espressi at home with a Nespresso machine (I'm on my fourth machine) for over 15 years for one and one reason only: the coffee tastes and smells better. The only people who can argue with me are a) those who own a Bialetti Kaliffa with the Brikka system and ONLY use that to make their coffee, or b) people who don't like espresso from the "bar".
I'll happy grant you that a coffee from the bar tastes different than the one I make at home with my Moka. But there's no reason I can't like both, the same way I can like the steak or the Cacio e Pepe from Da Teo as well as the versions I make at home.
Uh, yeah, no. Taste is not a personal thing. That's the second definition of taste (the noun), as per The Oxford Dictionary:
taste /terst/
noun
1. the sensation of flavour perceived in the mouth and throat on contact with a substance.
"the wine had a fruity taste"
2. a person's liking for particular flavours.
"this pudding is too sweet for my taste"
Just like "fruity" in this case is objective, "better" is also objective. Regardless, when we're talking food and drink, shouldn't "better" be what we always strive for, independent of other things like ritual, cost and environmental ramifications? And only THEN (once we've taken care of flavour and smell) can we add the "value" of a ritual. Otherwise, you could "do the ritual" and just boil water, or Nescafé crystals, or flour, or any other grain-like substance and still have the experience. Personally, it bothers me that the importance of ritual supersedes the senses in modern times (you can argue using a moka is a sensory experience as well, but two of the senses - taste and smell - are definitely more complex and better with certain pods or at the bar or with the Bialetti Kaliffa). This happens paradoxically as we "lose" rituals to time. It's like "vintage" clothing... it's actually just old, recycled things people wore in the past made to look good and priced 10x. And like the Fiat launch of the new "500" when this new car has nothing to do with the original. We've all become a bit mannerist, that's all I'm saying.
And when it comes to the whole environmental thing, things aren't as simple as they seem:
There's no doubt that tastes and preference depend on previous experiences (e.g., I don't enjoy Vodka because of a bad experience in college), genetics (e.g., some people can't tolerate cilantro), upbringing (e.g. people who don't learn to like peanut butter in youth rarely grow to like it as an adult), etc. I agree there are objective measures for how sweet or sour or salty something is, and we can generally say some things are well made and others not. But there is no objective way to rank how tasty or beautiful or pleasurable things are -- and thank goodness (the world would be boring if everyone liked the same exact things equally).
Regarding the environmental impact of coffee pods, I know they've improved a lot (as the article says and as I've written about previously) so it's not as one-sided as it was a decade ago. But it would be impossible to argue that used coffee grinds have a larger environmental impact than used coffee grinds plus some plastic or aluminum. The article compares them to drip filters, which include a mono-use filter. But the Moka uses the same metal filter for its lifetime.
Yeah, but it also mentions the ground coffee is responsible for most of the carbon footprint, and pods use much less coffee on average, even less than a small moka (and small Mocha uses even less!). And that's before we take into account the amount of water used with each. My Italian side doesn't agree with the first paragraph of your last reply. My Canadian side does. No idea what my Montenegrin side says but, yeah, sure.
I had 4 Bialettis in Nairobi to accommodate large dinner parties. I would stop in Rome during my homeleave to the States to go Standa to buy the spare parts. I still have 2 Bialettis in New York
Seeing a Moka pot in someone's kitchen has almost become a litmus test that'll determine whether I'll like someone or not.
Tragic. When does something get designated a National Treasure? And what should that mean?
This is a big question. I don't know the answer. Do you have an idea?
As I wrote, I try to see the big picture, and I know these kinds of takeovers and mergers are part of the evolution of economies. And, of course, Bialetti (or whatever company) has a right to survive and make a profit. But I also see why it's disappointing to see a national champion taken over by another company.
First the Duolingo Owl throws over all the human translators for AI, and now this. Dammit.
Bialetti is really losing money? That seems impossible. Are those "pod-based machines" the ones with the little capsules that you slip in the top? I had one of those. It was a souvenir AS Roma coffee maker. But it was impossible to find the right-sized capsules.
Your description of the Moka ritual in the morning is spot on. I don't know if I'm more addicted to the smell or the taste. Combined with frothy foam for my cappuccino, I can't imagine starting a morning any other way. However, I have a small Moka machine made by Pedrini and a larger one by Tagnana. Both work great. (I destroyed my Bialetti this winter when I forgot it was brewing an espresso while I was writing and the handle melted off.)
So how do you like American coffee? I can't drink it. I will not drink any coffee in which I need two hands to hold it.
Great blog.
John Henderson
Dog-Eared Passport, www.johnhendersontravel.com
Thanks, John!
Yeah, apparently the company is nearly €100 million in debt.
You can fix a melted handle on a Moka pot, FYI: see the photo in the article.
No, I can't stomach American coffee any more. It tastes like wet paper to me.
Anyone reading this who's interested in a well-traveled American's view on travel around Italy and further abroad, check out John's blog (the link is in the comment above).
I love my Moka pot but kind of set it aside for a French press. You've inspired me to dig it out and use it again. I like the ritual you describe - so sensual and satisfying! And thank you for including a photo of Mocha!
Mocha always steals the show!
I'm glad I inspired you to give the Moka pot another try! Let me know how it goes.
You just inspired me to break kout my Moka pot. Wish I had a larger one......since I enjoy a large cup of caffe. BTW Love the Mocha and Moka picture.
This makes me happy!
My Moka pot has been shelved since a got an induction range; aluminum won’t heat up on it. But there is an adaptive plate I can get, and Eric, you persuaded me to get one!
Hey to Mocha!
If that doesn't work, they make special Moka pots for induction ranges. They cost a little more, but I think they are the same in other ways.
Regardless, raise your cup to me and Mocha the first time you have Moka coffee using your new stove!
Ok, I really don't know where to begin here. Suffice it to say I've been enjoying the smell of coffee for almost 50 years and the taste for about 34. I've personally used over 30 moke, at least half of which were (and probably still are) Bialetti and I'm almost perfectly bilingual (English-Italian and Moka-Pod). Enough on credentials. I've been making my espressi at home with a Nespresso machine (I'm on my fourth machine) for over 15 years for one and one reason only: the coffee tastes and smells better. The only people who can argue with me are a) those who own a Bialetti Kaliffa with the Brikka system and ONLY use that to make their coffee, or b) people who don't like espresso from the "bar".
Taste is a personal thing ...
I'll happy grant you that a coffee from the bar tastes different than the one I make at home with my Moka. But there's no reason I can't like both, the same way I can like the steak or the Cacio e Pepe from Da Teo as well as the versions I make at home.
Uh, yeah, no. Taste is not a personal thing. That's the second definition of taste (the noun), as per The Oxford Dictionary:
taste /terst/
noun
1. the sensation of flavour perceived in the mouth and throat on contact with a substance.
"the wine had a fruity taste"
2. a person's liking for particular flavours.
"this pudding is too sweet for my taste"
Just like "fruity" in this case is objective, "better" is also objective. Regardless, when we're talking food and drink, shouldn't "better" be what we always strive for, independent of other things like ritual, cost and environmental ramifications? And only THEN (once we've taken care of flavour and smell) can we add the "value" of a ritual. Otherwise, you could "do the ritual" and just boil water, or Nescafé crystals, or flour, or any other grain-like substance and still have the experience. Personally, it bothers me that the importance of ritual supersedes the senses in modern times (you can argue using a moka is a sensory experience as well, but two of the senses - taste and smell - are definitely more complex and better with certain pods or at the bar or with the Bialetti Kaliffa). This happens paradoxically as we "lose" rituals to time. It's like "vintage" clothing... it's actually just old, recycled things people wore in the past made to look good and priced 10x. And like the Fiat launch of the new "500" when this new car has nothing to do with the original. We've all become a bit mannerist, that's all I'm saying.
And when it comes to the whole environmental thing, things aren't as simple as they seem:
https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-64293750
There's no doubt that tastes and preference depend on previous experiences (e.g., I don't enjoy Vodka because of a bad experience in college), genetics (e.g., some people can't tolerate cilantro), upbringing (e.g. people who don't learn to like peanut butter in youth rarely grow to like it as an adult), etc. I agree there are objective measures for how sweet or sour or salty something is, and we can generally say some things are well made and others not. But there is no objective way to rank how tasty or beautiful or pleasurable things are -- and thank goodness (the world would be boring if everyone liked the same exact things equally).
Regarding the environmental impact of coffee pods, I know they've improved a lot (as the article says and as I've written about previously) so it's not as one-sided as it was a decade ago. But it would be impossible to argue that used coffee grinds have a larger environmental impact than used coffee grinds plus some plastic or aluminum. The article compares them to drip filters, which include a mono-use filter. But the Moka uses the same metal filter for its lifetime.
Yeah, but it also mentions the ground coffee is responsible for most of the carbon footprint, and pods use much less coffee on average, even less than a small moka (and small Mocha uses even less!). And that's before we take into account the amount of water used with each. My Italian side doesn't agree with the first paragraph of your last reply. My Canadian side does. No idea what my Montenegrin side says but, yeah, sure.
As Walt Whitman said, We all contain multitudes!
We love our Moka! It’s the tradition and simplicity of it that makes it a great cup of coffee
As a Moka (and Mocha) lover, what do you think about the company ending up in Chinese hands?
Not sure the Italians will embrace this product going forward. It will likely become less expensive though. Going to be interesting.
I grew up with four Moka pots and I still use one that used to be my nonna's!