141–150 of 178 posts
I know they say Aeropress switched to a better thermoplastic but I always worry about micro plastics with mine, but it is so damn easy to use though.
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I'm not sure about the details. IMHO a contributing factor is that they're a company historically centered around manufacturing nearly indestructible appliances (even the newer mokas, however flimsier, don't break easily); once the market was saturated with the flagship product, there's only so much profit they could squeeze out of selling accessories and the like.
I don't know if this is the ideal takeaway. Otherwise, we should all prioritize making our products flimsier and more expensive. I think it's just a straightforward failure of creativity — or, even more plainly, a failure to understand their customer. They had a great product, which led to a loyal following — why not expand into adjacent markets? The cruel irony is that their product was related to something that's e…
That's an "is-ought" gap if I've ever seen one, sadly.
Are there any advantages to the aluminium version of a moka pot aside from tradition/aesthetics? I switched to one of the (Bialetti-made) stainless steel ones ("Venus" shape) because at one point I lived somewhere with an induction hob. I immaculately saw that the stainless version was considerably easier to clean. Cleaning, afterall, is half the job of using one of these. Visually, I prefer the aluminium shape of co…
Incredible scans! > Removing used coffee immediately after brewing and storing the AeroPress with the seal pushed all the way through the chamber (as shown) can help minimize wear by reducing compression to extend the gasket’s life. But, that's not what's shown. Pushing the gasket all the way through isn't possible unless the filter head is removed.
Proper storage is just pulling the plunger out entirely. Every few years, soaking the rubber seal in mineral oil overnight then cleaning will restore flexibility (otherwise it shrinks over time, reducing the quality of the seal). Unrelated: using paper filters is less eco-responsible than the gold foil filter, but makes for better coffee.
It's also healthier, because metal filters make for oily coffee.
Interesting images and a very well put together page. But a little off topic, I was struck by this: > With the powerful 1200 W heating element A typical European kettle is at least 1800 W, comfortably less than the power deliverable from a 10 A, 230 V circuit. A typical UK kettle would be more like 3000 W, such as this one (it seems that all the kettles on that website are 3 kW): https://www.argos.co.uk/product/93631…
It's probably a wide safety margin, you should be able to run an electric oven, a hob, and a kettle at the same time on a single fuse group nowadays. Or a kitchen should have separate groups.
This site is probably one of the most clever bits of advertising since the Will It Blend folks at Blendtec
Europeans (and other countries with ~230V household sockets) would consider this quite poor performance for a kettle. 3000 W kettles are not uncommon here in the UK!
Earlier quoted context omitted.
I'm not sure about the details. IMHO a contributing factor is that they're a company historically centered around manufacturing nearly indestructible appliances (even the newer mokas, however flimsier, don't break easily); once the market was saturated with the flagship product, there's only so much profit they could squeeze out of selling accessories and the like.
I don't know if this is the ideal takeaway. Otherwise, we should all prioritize making our products flimsier and more expensive. I think it's just a straightforward failure of creativity — or, even more plainly, a failure to understand their customer. They had a great product, which led to a loyal following — why not expand into adjacent markets? The cruel irony is that their product was related to something that's e…
The point about the newer Bialettis being cheaper is absolutely true. My mother has an old (>10 years) Moka that feels heavy and sturdy. A couple of years ago, after accidentally leaving it on the stove for too long, the bottom chamber and the filter basket got a permanent burnt coffee taste, and we bought a new one to replace it. That one was lighter and came with a significant thinner filter basket, which I also at…
Earlier quoted context omitted.
Bialetti has been on its last leg since 2015. They're drowning in debt and (in the best case scenario) are headed toward restructuring soon; in any case their future's not looking bright.
Any insights into what went wrong?
For one thing, things like Aeropress, Nespresso/Keurig, and cheaper/better home espresso and bean-to-cup coffee machines came along. People don't necessarily need to muck around with a Moka pot to make quality coffee at home any more.
And if you really do want a Moka pot, there's a lot of cheaper Chinese competitors now that look the part and actually have reasonable quality.