The Tradition of the Morning Espresso
Espresso, like any other variant of coffee, originates from the hillsides of Ethiopia. Later it became very popular in the Arabian Gulf. It was the Arabs who brought coffee to Europe through trade. By the end of seventeenth century, Italy started growing its own coffee beans on the mountainside and this started the culture of espresso coffee and with the invention of stove top coffee makers, espresso found its way in every household.
Espresso is the heart of Italian culture. With the introduction of several coffee bars, drinking coffee with friends and family become more of a tradition. Although, espresso was believed to be the beverage of the rich, the invention of stovetop coffee maker has made expresso an affordable beverage for every Italian household.
In 1918, Alfanso Bialetti started his own machine shop for manufacturing aluminum metal house wares. During this time, Bialetti noticed the laundry techniques used by the local Italian women. The wash was boiled in tubs or containers with a central pipe in the centre which extracted the soapy water up and reallocated it evenly over the laundry. Bialetti’s creative mind made him conclude that a stove top espresso maker could be styled and developed according this theory in order to produce real espresso coffee in any household
During this time, the Italians were trying to innovate new ways to brew coffee using pressure to extract coffee and the pressured machines dominated the households. It was only in 1933 after years of tinkering and resolving technical problems, Alfanso Bialetti invented the first stovetop espresso maker for espresso. It was made from cast aluminum which is similar to the expensive silver coffee service machines in rich Italian homes.
During the early years of his company the sales of stove top coffee maker would sum up to 10,000 units in a year. However, after the Second World War when Alfonso Bialetti’s son, Renato Bialetti took up the business, the sales reached newer heights. The founder claims that this coffee maker as ‘in casa un espresso come al bar’ which means that an espresso at home is just like having a coffee bar.
Renato Bialetti realized the prospects of the stovetop espresso maker and initiated a major nationwide promotion campaign. This increased the sales and production levels were raised to around 1,000 units every day. It became the market leader in Italy. Not only did this coffee maker produce “espresso type” of coffee, which the Italians liked very much, it also made it much faster than its competitors.
The stovetop espresso coffee maker had become customary in Italy and many competitors entered the market by developing similar style coffee machines. Renato then decided to give his fathers invention a unique and distinct logo of – A little man with a moustache. From that day onwards until today all of Bialetti products bear this logo as the symbol of originality.
Italians love their tradition of starting their morning with a good cup of espresso. According to them, a good expresso is the one, which hold sugar for a few seconds at the surface of the “crema”, or cream before it actually settles down. Therefore, if you really want to relish an authentic, aromatic essential shot of that espresso, you should just bring home a stove top coffee maker. It will be a worthwhile investment that will provide years of service.
True lovers of coffee understand that Stove Top Espresso Coffee Makers produce the best tasting, flavorsome coffee that is a pleasure to drink. A Bialetti Stove Top Coffee Maker is one of the best brands on the market.
