RIP (Rest In Pot) Renato Bialetti
February 21, 2016 6:08 PM   Subscribe

There is surely no doubt that many, many coffee lovers here at Metafilter have used the classic Bialetti stove top espresso pot throughout the years. Heck, 200 million of them have been sold worldwide, including sales to, oh, I'd guess about 1 million Mefiers? So I think it's fitting that we honor the passing of Renato Bialetti, the businessman who brought the iconic appliance to the masses, and whose ashes have been placed, appropriately enough, in a replica of one of his famous pots. But let's also remember and pay our respects to Renato's papa Alfonso Bialetti who set the whole thing up in the first place, and who commissioned illustrator Paolo "Paul" Campani to create the little image of the mustachioed man (Renato himself!) who graces every Bialetti Moka pot. Mille grazie signori Bialetti!
posted by flapjax at midnite (42 comments total) 23 users marked this as a favorite
 
Normally the dot represents a stone or a moment of silence, but this is a bean ok?

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posted by Coaticass at 6:26 PM on February 21, 2016 [5 favorites]


I may have erred in stating that the little mustachioed man caricature on the pots represents Renato. According to the NYT article, it represents papa Alfonso. But elsewhere (at Wikipedia, for example) it's indicated that the caricature represents son Renato. Anyway, like father like son, I suppose...
posted by flapjax at midnite at 6:28 PM on February 21, 2016 [1 favorite]


to my favorite coffee maker’s maker, RIP.
posted by carlodio at 6:32 PM on February 21, 2016 [1 favorite]


☕️
posted by Rumple at 6:35 PM on February 21, 2016 [11 favorites]


That pot was crucial to my getting through my undergrad years.

!!!!!

(↑my brain at 3 AM the day a big paper was due)
posted by Halloween Jack at 6:38 PM on February 21, 2016


He's the kind who would be latte for his own funeral
posted by hal9k at 6:42 PM on February 21, 2016 [13 favorites]


hal9k, that is some black humor.
posted by flapjax at midnite at 6:44 PM on February 21, 2016 [9 favorites]


Not so much since he was cream-ated
posted by hal9k at 6:45 PM on February 21, 2016 [10 favorites]


He's the kind who would be latte for his own funeral

On the contrary, he made espresso arrangements.
posted by a lungful of dragon at 6:47 PM on February 21, 2016 [7 favorites]


☕️
posted by humanfont at 6:50 PM on February 21, 2016


☕️
posted by schmod at 6:52 PM on February 21, 2016


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Also now would be a good time to test the safety valve on your moka pot. Fill the reservoir with some water, bend a paperclip and push the valve from the inside while holding tilted over the sink. If water doesn't drip out, douse in vinegar and try again.
posted by damo at 6:55 PM on February 21, 2016 [7 favorites]


ah, a nice somewhat gritty light roast.
posted by casarkos at 7:09 PM on February 21, 2016 [1 favorite]


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posted by pjsky at 7:13 PM on February 21, 2016


Per the times, Mr. Bialetti did not invent the Moka. That honor goes to his father, Alfonso, who in 1933 came up with a coffee maker that would let Italians brew espresso at home.

But other sources say that Alfonso just bought the patent.
posted by kenko at 7:30 PM on February 21, 2016


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I bought one of those little pots at a second hand store right after I moved out of my folks home when I was 18. So urbane. The girls all loved it when I brewed a pot. "Care for another?" "Oh, indeed!"
posted by notyou at 7:39 PM on February 21, 2016


I brewed a pot this morning in his honor.

The picture of the Moka pot containing his ashes, being viewed reverentially, reminded me of a cross between Lenin's embalmed body and the dan in "A Christmas Story" weeping over the broken lamp.
posted by wenestvedt at 7:44 PM on February 21, 2016


I melted the plastic handle on mine (gas stove, flame too high) and haven't gotten around to getting a new one. I guess this is a good reason. Maybe this time I'll get the one with the electric heater in the bottom and take it to work.
posted by ctmf at 8:04 PM on February 21, 2016


I only ever use a stovetop espresso maker while camping, but that one little thing makes the whole endeavour civilized. I thank you, sir. My neighbours all jealous at the scent of freshly-ground espresso wafting through the woods thank you too.
posted by Capt. Renault at 8:06 PM on February 21, 2016


.

Respect. Though moka's not my ummm...

cup of aaa....

tea.
posted by evilDoug at 8:29 PM on February 21, 2016 [1 favorite]


I've had a cup of moka pot coffee every morning for at least 15 years now. I also sell them in my store. I can't speak to it objectively, but it is what coffee is supposed to taste like, to me.
posted by Stonestock Relentless at 8:38 PM on February 21, 2016


:::::: even it off with your finger; don't tamp.
pour almost boiling water into the base, right up to the valve
open the lid so you can see what's happening
put your burner on low
espresso comes out rich and dark...then turn off heat when it becomes blond
stop before you hear the gurgling!
::::::
posted by chococat at 10:19 PM on February 21, 2016 [5 favorites]


Grazie.

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posted by Mister Bijou at 10:32 PM on February 21, 2016


.

*points upward*
posted by Smart Dalek at 12:18 AM on February 22, 2016 [1 favorite]


.

even it off with your finger; don't tamp.
pour almost boiling water into the base, right up to the valve


- the coffee can be a little heap, no need to even off;
- the water level can be a little above the valve; and: cold is fine, too.

Also:
- keep the gas flame low (helps to avoid melting the handle)
- orthodoxy commands to never to wash the moka, only to rinse it with water; in my experience, this may be esthetically motivated, in order to get the classic burnt brown patina on your moka - it makes no difference to the taste of your coffee.

I've used this object every morning for nigh on twenty years now, and it never fails to delight, for its lightweight-yet-sturdy aluminium, the convenient akimbo stocking mode (filter crosswise on bottom, bottom onto opened top, so as to stow it away unsealed), the ingenious hexagonal design (my guess is to justify the spout, and facilitate efficient/precise casting?), and the little logo-guy to keep you company at breakfast... Thanks Alfonso/Renato!
posted by progosk at 12:48 AM on February 22, 2016 [5 favorites]


His other choice was to be buried beneath the grounds
posted by hal9k at 12:51 AM on February 22, 2016 [6 favorites]


As a coffee connoisseur, I just want to say I love this post. That is all.
posted by formless at 1:22 AM on February 22, 2016


hexagonal octagonal design, FTFM
posted by progosk at 2:14 AM on February 22, 2016


I've only just replaced mine after maybe twenty years, post a tragic melting incident; I've always considered the Bialetti the only tangible proof civilisation is still an active thing.
posted by specialbrew at 2:42 AM on February 22, 2016 [1 favorite]


When I drank coffee, the Bialetti Brikka was my beverage-preparation contraption of choice for many years (until I treated myself to a Gaggia machine), and was a cornerstone of my daily routine. It’s been a while since I had an espresso, but I’m craving one now… My thanks too to these excellent fellows, who brought a fine thing to the world.
posted by misteraitch at 3:15 AM on February 22, 2016


A couple of weeks ago, we stayed with some friends in the cold north of the UK.

The lady of the house is Spanish and she made a pot of Moka (each cup topped with hot milk) in the morning for us. The taste was sublime. In my imagination, I was immediately transported to a Paris cafe and vowed there and then to buy one.
posted by Myeral at 3:27 AM on February 22, 2016


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posted by oceanjesse at 4:10 AM on February 22, 2016


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posted by drinkcoffee at 4:38 AM on February 22, 2016 [2 favorites]


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posted by sammyo at 5:50 AM on February 22, 2016


☕️

I've probably had 1000 cups of moka
posted by rebent at 6:50 AM on February 22, 2016


I've always felt this little pot embodied the the ideal of coffee and civilization.
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posted by BlueHorse at 7:59 AM on February 22, 2016


I have to admit, when I looked at flapjax' 4th link, i started to snorting in laughter at the gigantic espresso pot, but then I saw the family looking sad and solemn, and then I felt guilty.
posted by bitteroldman at 9:28 AM on February 22, 2016 [1 favorite]


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posted by one weird trick at 12:48 PM on February 22, 2016


Grazie, signor Bialetti, for (IMHO) an iconic piece of technology that reminds me of all the coffee my folks brewed, especially for friends & family ...

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posted by milnews.ca at 1:36 PM on February 22, 2016


Just the day before he passed, I was in a Bialetti shop with my fiancée just to have a look (I think we total something like 6 or 7 coffee pots between two homes, all but maybe one or two are Bialetti -- which is probably below the average Italian household, mind you) and we were trying to find out what was the largest pot ever produced, since we both had childhood memories of HUGE coffee pots.

So, useless trivia, the largest Bialetti for sale is the 18er cups. But there is a semi-custom model available on special order for € 500 (funnel filter sold separately) which is a 50er and believe me -they had one in the shop window- it's HUGE.

A thing of beauty.
posted by _dario at 4:32 PM on February 22, 2016 [4 favorites]


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posted by andrewpcone at 4:33 PM on February 22, 2016


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posted by OmieWise at 4:54 PM on February 23, 2016


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