Bialetti Moka Pots

Alfonso Bialetti invented the moka pot in 1933, inspired by the way soap was washed in early washing machines — water heated below, forced through a filter above. The Moka Express he created has barely changed in 90 years. It is one of the best-selling household objects in history, found in an estimated 90% of Italian homes, and recognised as a design icon by museums worldwide. The little man with the moustache — L'omino con i baffi — has appeared on every Bialetti product since the 1950s, hand-drawn by Alfonso's son Renato who resembled the character himself. Bialetti continues to make all its classic moka pots in Italy, using the same aluminium casting process that gave the original its distinctive octagonal shape. The result is coffee that is stronger than filter, shorter than espresso, and entirely its own thing — the taste of an Italian morning, made anywhere.