An Ideal Espresso Coffee to Brew the Prefect Morning Cup

By Harley Peterson

A cup of aromatic espresso in the morning is an age-old tradition in Italy, which started in the 1900's. It is in this period when they started growing their own coffee beans around the mountainsides. Espresso is generally thought to have originated in Ethiopia from where it was brought down to the Arabian Gulf. It was Arabs who first started trading coffee in Europe. With the invention of stove top coffee maker, espresso went on to become a popular luxury that was available in the home.

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.

The founder of stovetop coffee maker is Alfonso Bialetti who started his career making home goods in stainless steal. He designed the fabulous espresso maker in the year 1918. He came up with this marvelous idea after witnessing a simple boiler vessel type clothes washing machine. On observing the suction method in washing clothes Bialetti was inspired to develop this simple coffee maker.

One of the places in the world which has good source of aluminum is Italy and this material was used by Bialetti to make the stovetop espresso maker. Many models failed to provide the desired results. In 1933 all technical issues were eliminated and the first stove top espresso maker was available to the people. An octagon shaped silver finish coffee maker which occupies most homes in Italy is very delicately designed to serve the purpose.

Alfonso Bialetti claimed his stove top coffee pots as "in casa un espresso come al bar" which means 'an espresso at home just like having a coffee bar.' In the initial stages, Bailetti would sell around 10,000 units annually. However, after the Second World War when his son, Renato Bailetti joined the family business, the sales of the coffee maker really took off.

After the Second World War Bialetti's son, Renato Bialetti joined the business. He launched a massive marketing campaign and with intense focus on production and advertising, he managed to increase the sales to 1,000 units per day. Thus, the stove top coffee maker became iconic in Italy and made its way in every Italian household. Its innovative eight-sided design and the rich aroma which was derived from it made it very popular among the Italians.

With the success of stove top coffee makers in Italy, many other people stated copying its design and manufactured their own editions of espresso makers. To keep up with this change, Renato Bialetti started imprinting the company mascot on the coffee maker in order to make it unique. It is a caricature of his father Alfonso Bialetti - little man with a moustache.

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. - 33381

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