The Neapolitan Coffee Maker

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Check out our other Classics of Coffee videos: • Classics of Coffee
And our series on the Moka pot: • The Moka Pot Series
Image/video credits
Advertisements, catalogues and other archival images courtesy of Enrico Maltoni and Lucio Del Piccolo.
Enrico Maltoni’s website: www.espressomadeinitaly.com/
Lucio Del Piccolo’s website: caffettiere.blogspot.com/
Films Referenced:
Castellani, Renato, director. Questi Fantasmi. 1967.
De Filippo, Eduardo, director. Napoli milionaria. 1950.
De Filippo, Eduardo, director. Questi Fantasmi (TV Movie). 1962.
Mastrocinque, Camillo, director. La banda degli onesti. 1956.
Risi, Dino, director. Pane, Amore E... 1955.
Bibliography/References
- Bramah, Edward, and Joan Bramah. Coffee Makers: 300 Years of Art & Design. Quiller, 1995.
- Cocozza, Simona and Samantha Cito, directors. The Ritual and Sociability of Neapolitan Coffee Culture, Regiona Campania , cultura.regione.campania.it/e....
- Maltoni, Enrico, and Mauro Carli. Coffeemakers: Macchine Da Caffè. Coll. Enrico Maltoni Ed., 2013.
- Mani San Max, Isabelle. “Exploring the Cuccuma: A Traditional Neapolitan Coffee Pot.” Perfect Daily Grind, 15 Mar. 2021, perfectdailygrind.com/2021/03/exploring-the-cuccuma-a-traditional-neapolitan-coffee-pot/.
- Mazzoleni, Martina. “Neapolitan: How to Prepare Coffee with Cuccumella!” Caffè Ernani, 4 Aug. 2022, www.caffeernani.com/en/recipes/neapolitan-how-to-prepare-coffee-with-cuccumella/.
- “The Secret of a Neapolitan Coffee Maker.” Lavazza, Luigi Lavazza SPA, www.lavazza.co.uk/en/coffee-secrets/neapolitan-coffee-maker.
- Ukers, William Harrison. All about Coffee . New York Tea and Coffee Trade Journal Co., 1922, archive.org/details/allaboutcoffee00ukeruoft.
- “Upside-down Percolation.” Collezione Enrico Maltoni, TITANKA! Spa, www.espressomadeinitaly.com/en/history-gallery-upside-down-percolation.php.
Links:
Patreon: / jameshoffmann
Limited Edition Merch: geni.us/TensHundredsThousands
My Books:
How to Make The Best Coffee At Home: geni.us/howtomakethebestcoffee
The World Atlas of Coffee: geni.us/atlasofcoffee
The World Atlas of Coffee Audiobook: bit.ly/worldatlasofcoffeeaudio
The Best of Jimseven: geni.us/bestofjimseven
Find me here:
Instagram: / jimseven
Twitter: / jimseven
Things I use and like:
My video kit*: kit.co/jimseven/video-making-...
My current studio coffee kit*: kit.co/jimseven/studio-coffee...
My glasses: bit.ly/boldlondon
My hair product of choice: geni.us/forthehair
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[@dottorepootoogoo3052]

Jean-Louis Morize is not precisely the inventor of that principle, he just revisited the invention of Jean-Baptiste-Louis-Marie Sené, another french tinsmith from Paris who presented his invention 4 years earlier (in 1815, take a closer look at Ascenseur pour l’expresso, episode 3).

[@jameshoffmann]

Thank you! This blog is amazing - I have no idea how I'd never found it before. I appreciate the correction.

[@dottorepootoogoo3052]

@@jameshoffmann You're welcome. 😊

[@LuckyJim5050]

One of these posts may not be here for the coffee histrionics, see if you can find it hahahaha

[@aebisdecunter]

People back then had really long names. I wonder how they called others by their short name, while not naming all other Jean-Louis's in the process.

[@zanakil]

@@aebisdecunterthere is this tradition in France to name you kid after their grandparents, specially in nobility and bourgeoisie but also in common people. I have my first name then the first names of my two grandfathers.

[@chanparky1208]

That transition at the beginning🤌

[@hyperverbal]

SAME... It was hot ☕ segway

[@anna9072]

Superb. Came here to comment on that.

[@richardt8347]

Yep that made me smile

[@beeumble6450]

Satisfying, is a dull word to describe such an epic transition- but as they don’t yet have a word for this level of perfection, I suppose it will suffice.

[@tullyparker]

that was so good

[@michaeljeanrichard4]

we NEED an episode on arabic/turkish coffee, it's one of the original brew methods after the ethiopian style (for obvious reasons) and relatively unchanged for hundreds of years and super delicious. I'm lebanese so I make mine with a very dark roast, a little bit of sugar in the water, and boil the water with cardamom and cinnamon before adding the coffee to about 50-60 C water

[@skellingtonjack]

I second this! I've had Turkish coffee only once, but I would love to know more about the process and history.

[@YukonHawk1]

Boy that sounds like a great cup of coffee.

[@ids1024]

Spices like cardamom in coffee could be a video topic in itself. Common in a lot of countries but not so familiar to coffee drinkers in places like the US. (Though hazelnut flavored coffee is somewhat common.)

[@upendrar09]

An episode on South Indian filter coffee as well, please!

[@skellingtonjack]

@@upendrar09 I wish I could upvote this more! There is a whole world of coffee styles and preparations out there I'd love to see covered in the deep dives we see on James' channel.

[@barmalini]

Wow, that transition with catching the coffee maker is priceless, ten out of ten if I had the right to judge.

[@iletyoucallmestevesy]

This is the internet. We are all judge jury and executioner

[@DanielCooper1]

I would concur 100% - James' editor is top notch.

[@jordant.teeterson3100]

Well, you're in luck. Passing judgement is a time honored tradition and there is no license required.

[@dylanzrim3635]

@@jordant.teeterson3100they’re using the catholic/Christian iteration of right to judge which god is the only being with said right. (Unless they’re spreading the word of god, then it seems it’s ok for them to judge)

[@spaz_chicken]

I don't comment much, but I paused just to say how impressive that edit is.

[@fdeyso]

Thanks for resolving a family mistery. I’m Hungarian and my grandpa (who was deployed to Italy during WW2) kept talking about “nápolyi”/napolitaner coffee. To better understand why it was a mistery for us kids: nápolyi/napolitaner in Hungary means wafer with filling, like Loacker. So a napolitaner coffee without knowing of this brewer is meaningless/out of context. Also in a lot of families including ours, usually the younger ones were preparing the moka pot (filling with water and filling the basket with coffee and older ones were allowed to grind coffee, strictly with a blade grinder), so everytime we visited him he was saying he wanted a “nápolyi kávé” but his “mokapot” broke a long time ago and couldn’t get parts for it and this moka pot is different because you don’t have to flip it around. My dad kept telling him that kind of brewer doesn’t exist (in east europe until 1990 you could mainly buy bialetti/alessi recasts google “szarvasi kotyogós) and parts were only available for these. It was pre internet ~1992~97 and then i just stored this memory until i watched this video and it just started to make sense.

[@TooFarJohn]

These kind of beautiful stories are what makes the internet a wonderful place. Thanks for sharing.

[@MarcoMenozziPro]

Napolitaner wafers are so named because there are top-quality hazelnuts near Naples, in the province of Avellino whose name originates from the Latin name of the tree "corylus avellana."

[@fdeyso]

@@MarcoMenozziProthat makes sense, but at hungary napolitaner is with any filling: lemon, punch, chocolate,coconut, vanilla and anything you can imagine

[@wenchbyatt]

I looked up that "szarvasi kotyogos", and it looks like a moka pot with a porcelain upper chamber. It's really pretty, and I totally get how it may strike as a very nostalgic object

[@MarcoMenozziPro]

@@fdeyso Today all over Europe they are sold with any filling, but in 1898 the Austrian company Manner produced the first ones under the name Neapolitaner, on an industrial scale, using hazelnuts from Avellino.

[@mapatterson173]

This is the little coffee pot my mom would take out when serving "demitasse," as she called it. She would buy imported Italian coffee for it. This was only served with company, after the table was cleared and the talk would come out. Oddly, it was in Italian restaurants, when after dinner we would have "espresso." My father would show mw how to gently drop my sugar cube in to the cup and rub a bit of lemon rind on the rim. And then he’d let me have a sip from his little glass of anisette. I’m in my 60s now, and my father is long gone, but this episode brought back so many fond memories of good food and aromas and my father teaching me how to enjoy a lovely espresso. Good memories. Thank you.

[@YukonHawk1]

I am 61 and my mom would wake up at 5am and start the peculator on the stove along with bacon and eggs for my dad who worked outside in all kinds of weather starting at 6am. The smell of the coffee and food still to this day bring warm memories.

[@guidoferri8683]

Pouring anisette into coffee is a tradition of Marche region, especially of the city Ascoli Piceno, where it is still served in the historical Caffé Meletti

[@blakksheep736]

Im so happy.

[@illmaticat]

アニゼットをコーヒーに注ぐ慣習は日本にはありませんがとても素敵ですね

[@gemmacruz8529]

My grandmother used to make her coffee in that one. Haven't seen one since I was 15. The coffee smell in the whole house was amazing.❤

[@DroneCorpse]

😭😭

[@CrazyLinguiniLegs]

My mother fondly recalls the coffee aroma filling the house when her mother used a stovetop percolator.

[@mapatterson173]

We had one when I was growing up. Many happy memories. And it always poured true, unlike my mother’ teapots that were impossible to pour without dripping tea.

[@marcmonnerat4850]

Same for me. My grandmother was Italian. And in Switzerland, it was well known, though it slipped out of fashion during the 90s I guess.

[@maffa2849]

Thats because she didnt use the cuppetiello (

[@jasonlinn]

I'm so glad the Bripe is still in frame in the new studio

[@chriskleps7253]

He needs quick access for why he has those coffee cravings that can only be resolved with the bripe.

[@TRPLD]

This is beyond funny. My grandma (I am German, she was born 1928) had one of those when I was young. Normally she wouldn't use it (because it is a hassle) but on Sundays for Sunday coffee and cake "the Italian coffee brewer" came out of the cupboard and she made coffee for family/guests. I had completely forgotten about it, it was 30 years ago or so, but it all came back to me. Thank you!

[@HighKingTurgon]

Hoffmann: "coffee back then was a little weird" Also Hoffmann: "look at my bripe and ember mug" I love this channel, James.

[@seanoconnell6735]

Super glad I stumbled onto this video! My father spent 1961/62 in France and he kept a copper Neapolitan coffee maker that he got at that time. I never knew what it was but suspected some sort of coffee brewer. He passed away 2 years ago and it is one thing in his belongings that I wanted of his as I always remember seeing it in his things from my very earliest memories. Now I know what it is and how it works, I am going to see if his old coffee maker is actually in shape enough to use it today. Fingers crossed it works and I can keep and use it in his memory.

[@glorgau]

Nice! Keep and reuse old stuff not just more cheap chinese landfill material. Plus it will have a good story attached to it.

[@cutelittlemoose]

Just use darker roasts for it so you can actually use as intended… coarser grounds, even a good medium dark robusta (what was actually consumed most then) poured onto some whole milk in a cup and you are all set to relive a memory or few of his, albeit somewhere other than his residence at the time (milk to kill the bitterness if you can’t get a dark roast that isn’t bitter-they do exist, but they are not terribly common as both bean and method of roasting have to be precisely chosen to minimize bitterness while also making it suitable to grind coarsely enough for this pot or a moka pot)…

[@samuelsmith6281]

Please let us know the results! ☕

[@seanoconnell6735]

@@samuelsmith6281, well, I washed it out and gave it a go. I ground some grocery store purchased dark "French roast" bulk coffee that is roasted locally here in my area. Probably not the most super fresh, but I think probably better than bulk bagged. I ground it to the same consistency as I do for my French press setting on my cheap conical bur grinder. Next time I will try to go a bit more coarse. For my first attempt, though, I am utterly shocked!! I can fine tune my recipe to taste over time, but the simplicity and wonderful functionality of this pot is absolutely a joy. Contrary to what James' video showed with his pot, mine never spit/sputtered when it reached boil and when I flipped it over, not a single drop spilled out. I am just giddy with how cool this thing is and how well it works. Smiles all around. 🙂 EDIT: I used the same ratio as suggested........I brewed 500 ml using 45 g of coffee. The dark roast and that ratio makes a very bold coffee.......which I actually like. Cut it in with some whole milk as @cutelittlemoose suggested and I think this will now become a staple part of my coffee exploration!!

[@samuelsmith6281]

@@seanoconnell6735 that's fantastic news! May your father's pot do you many years of fine service. 😄☕

[@raspaccio]

Just a note from an Italian: my grandmother (who's from Tuscany, not at all near Napoli) refers to the Moka Pot as "macchinetta". Basically "the machine" is whatever tool they used to make coffee back in the day. Thanks for the video, truly fascinating.

[@mightyvikingjim]

My mom was born in Calabria, and we refer to the Moka Pot as a macchinetta too! We also call the pasta roller a macchinetta, so, you know, the machine is the machine you need at the time.

[@sonodiventataunalbero5576]

​@@mightyvikingjim I think the same in Ticino, wich isn't even Italy 😂

[@godisB2eenus]

I assume it's the same in the whole country (as it happens, I'm from Napoli, and we too call it macchinetta)

[@dinosilone7613]

In the Italian-American community in New York in the mid to late 20th Century, while I was growing up, both the Moka and the Napoletana were called, “La machinett’ “. But even more importantly, in one of the Sopranos episodes (21st Century), Edie Falco in her character of Carmela Soprano, also calls the Moka a “maghinett” … 😊

[@ivanomatrisciano3828]

Fun fact: automobiles are also commonly referred to as "macchine" meaning "machines". Sentences like "are you coming by car?" will translate to "vieni in macchina?" ("do you come by machine?") The correct way to say coffe pot would be "caffettiera", and the correct term for automobile is, well, "automobile"

[@vicoen]

James Hoffman: talks about 4 mins long Neopolitan monologue in a film Me : that’s ridiculously long! (While watching James’ 15 mins monologue) 😂❤ But seriously tho, I can listen to his coffee monologue for hours and hours

[@D0zer122]

Think I should do youtube videos just for the sake of doing monologues of the many ideas in my head

[@Rufnek2014]

I don't know what is is about James. So insanely easy to watch and learn from his video's. He can literally talk about dirt and I walk away feeling educated and relaxed. o.O

[@Imperial_Squid]

Me scrolling down to the comments: "haha that's so funny, I wonder how long I was watching before going to the comments" ... 14 minutes 30 seconds... Oops...

[@ek-nz]

Films were slower-moving in those days too.

[@Andythecreature]

the thing is, we're currently watching a piece dedicated to the device, while people back then just got an advertisement-like love letter to a thing that (i'm assuming) had little to do (if anything) with the story at hand, in the middle of their theater experience

[@DarioMarchetti]

As a Neapolitan, I wanna say thank you James, for spreading our coffee culture with so much kindness, curiosity and love, as with everything you do. Cuppetiello for life!

[@AllDogsAreGoodDogs]

I have one on order, and fwiw, I had two mastini. Fab dogs! Ciao!

[@HoNow222]

As an italian, your love and knowledge of italian culture (and cinema here) is so nice to watch :) Also that scene in Questi Fantasmi is one of the most loved by any italian actor and especially in Naples, if you want to show off as an actor you do that scene!

[@RiverWilliamson]

A four minute monologue is a huge flex. I capped out at about two minutes

[@HoNow222]

​@@RiverWilliamson It's a great piece of acting and theatre (and then cinema) classic history. Not for everyone I guess, if you are not italian

[@mr.skidmarks1034]

The editing in these vids dont get as much credit as much as it should get

[@cruachan1191]

Was going to say the same thing, beautifully shot and that opening of James catching the pot is fantastic.

[@dylanbeschoner]

From who, lol? There are comments exactly like yours on basically every video

[@mr.skidmarks1034]

@@dylanbeschoner from viewers and no not many ppl talk about editing on these vids as much as it deserves

[@johnimg]

@mrwhostheboss would be proud

[@dylanbeschoner]

@@mr.skidmarks1034 lol. I think James will be ok. Like I said. There are comments like yours on almost every video with dozens of likes, so I think it gets recognition

[@BeerOClock117]

That's cutaway at the end to the disaster of being too aggressive about boiling made me actually laugh out loud. I needed that. Great video as always!

[@HappyZappy]

Thank you for filming the boil over. The cello had a calming mood while you watch an over pressured vessel maybe become a rocket. Lol

[@christopherlamb9838]

I have had one of those for over 30 years, and it is very dear to my heart. Many, many years ago I was a student at the University of Urbino. We made coffee with mocha pots on tiny electric hot plates. We even cooked spaghetti on the same tiny hot plates. Being a tee drinker from the UK, I had an electric kettle, which massively accelerated the cooking process: We could pre-boil the water, and only needed to keep it boiling on the hot plates. I had some trousers that needed altering, and a good friend of mine took them home to his Mama in Calabria to be altered. Without saying anything, being half Swiss, I packed some Swiss chocolates into the trousers. When the altered trousers came back, in place of the chocolates was a Neapolitan coffee maker. Of course I should have known: my friend was a great fan of Eduardo de Filippo. Making coffee with it is a bit of fat, but lots of fun. To my taste it is quite different from mocha pot coffee. Is there not a quote from Eduardo de Filippo that coffee is a luxury, and that one should not economise on luxuries?

[@christopherlamb9838]

Your video inspired me to dig out the machine again, and load it with some Square Mile Chepsangor that I had knocking around. Given that I deliberately did not weigh the coffee (that would seem to be against the spirit of such a simple device), and did not change the settings on the grinder, I was very pleased with the results. To my taste closer to a Greek coffee than to mocha pot. It did take ages to percolate, next time around I will try a coarser grind.

[@tonypiz]

Never would I have expected to hear James talking about the "cuppetiello", but as a neapolitan guy I was nonetheless delighted.

[@HoNow222]

Lol me too, James mito

[@sympathetic_crustacean]

As a Neapolitan, isn't it also a bit irritating to see this machine evaluated according to whether it brews light-medium roast coffee well? The whole point of these machinette is to pair them with dark roasts!

[@HoNow222]

@@sympathetic_crustacean True. But people is used to see everithing in this field under the "specialty coffee" lens now

[@andersjjensen]

@@sympathetic_crustacean He's basically saving people the hassle of trying while providing a good history lesson. If you just want "the devils wakeup tar" you have a bog standard pour-over filter coffee machine, is perfectly content with stuff from the super market, and wouldn't give novel old methods a second glance, whereas people who are really into coffee might get the idea that "maybe we left something behind and the old method is actually better for my refined sense of taste" and go muck about with this one.

[@steveuihlein6027]

I have a version of this coffee maker that passed down from my grandparents to my mother and she in turn gave it to me. The pot is dented and worn and has a family history. I enjoy making a cup or 2 in it.

[@Call-me-Al]

That sounds so cool!

[@CuriouslySkeptical]

I’m right there with you! Until today I’ve never met anyone who knew what this machine was. I so love that James is talking about them! I’ll be thinking of you and James every time I dust mine off and give it a whirl.

[@TP1988]

Lovely. This all is lovely.

[@volkswagen4866]

While posted in the US Army 50 years ago in Germany and started using a single serve pour over and took to it. I vacationed down to Italy and fell in Love with the cafe culture. I brought back a Mocka and Neopolitan pot and have been using all three ever since. I've tried many of the new automated coffee makers but nothing beat the tried and true. Call me old fashion.

[@volkswagen4866]

@@dejuren1367 Sprichst du Deutsch?

[@marcvdm1111]

I have such a coffee maker at home, having surprisingly survived my student years and traveled with me to my current day. I did buy it in Italy, outside of it you cannot get it.I mostly never use it now, I will whip it out for a run again. In general (to my recollection) it makes a good tasting coffee, and is clearly easier to use as a moka pot, where I tend to burn the coffee because I forget it's on the stove. Talking about old coffee techniques, here in my country (NL) a common way way back was to make a coffee extract far too string to drink as is. The maker was a stone pot with a stone filter on top with tiny wholes, which took a long time to extract. The resulting coffee would be stored in the fridge, an amount of it would be mixed with near boiling water to make a cup of coffee. Very tasty. Thanks for all the videos James!

[@bdfathomthebowl]

My great-grandmother had a copper one with dark wood handles--simple, not at all ornate, but absolutely beautiful with old-world charm. The best part is that it was actually used, not just for display. My great-grandmother was born in Italy in 1898 and moved to America when she was a teenager--still had a thick Italian accent the day she died. I was actually confused about her coffee pot until I watched this video. I always thought it was a mocha pot and when coffee friends complained about mocha pots, I was confused because I loved this pot. When I tried a real mocha pot, I saw the difference; I just didn't know what to make of my great-grandmother's pot. I don't have a mocha pot and I know James has a method to make it good but I've always preferred this pot. Thanks James!

[@VesaevusX]

I bought a copper one as a decorative piece for my apartment last time I was in Naples. I used it once because I thought it would be fun and… became addicted. I now drink a cuccumella coffee almost every day. I agree with James on the fact that it's better with traditional Italian dark roasts. Here are some tips on its use that solve James Hoffman's major problems: 1. Press a bit harder when placing your coffee basket in the lower portion of the brewer. It'll remain affixed to it when you take it apart just before pouring. James is right in saying you should be gentle, but apply a little more pressure than he did or else you have to take it apart in two operations (and with gloves) liked in this video. 2. If the basket is slightly damp before putting your ground coffee in it then no coffee falls out, therefore fixing James' issue. 3. Don't be afraid of experimenting with putting more coffee in it than James did. I found that depending on the coffee, slightly more compact meant better extraction. Maybe that's just me though. 4. Use a cuppetiello. Yes, I know it makes no sense scientifically and you wouldn't be able to tell in a blind taste-test, but there's something to it I can't explain. The ethereal properties of the coffee remain inside. It's magic ✨ All in all, it's a wonderful little brewer that really conquered my heart in a way I wasn't expecting.

[@lasantuzza777]

this brought back memories. half of my family is from napoli, the other half from sicily. they loved these pots as well as moka of course. my family never had expensive espresso machines or anything like that simply because they couldn’t afford. but their caffè was still my favorite regardless. humble and made with love! ❤️

[@federicozucconi2937]

Beautiful video. As an Italian, I love the "napoletana" for the coffee taste, which never has that "burned" side, but also for the philosophy behind it... after water boils, just seat and wait taking the necessary time, possibly talking with people or reading something or whatever. So different from a Nespresso, 15 secs and it's done (and the Napoletana is far more sustainable...)! Mr. Hoffmann's complaints may be right but... they come from a person who knows too much. Nobody here weights coffee, nor would someone be concerned about the size of the holes. Just find your way and enjoy!

[@andrewsinclair5203]

Great video. Across here in Scotland you can buy these coffee brewers from Nardinis in Largs. Nardinis is more famous for their ice-cream (and rightly so!) but they are also very serious about coffee. Well worth a visit, if you are ever in this part of the world. (They serve the coffee to your table in the Neapolitan)

[@ImNotOld_ImVintage]

KZbin recommended this to me as I sit drinking my morning coffee. As a non-specialty coffee lover, this "machine" looks amazing to me. IMO the pour looked beautiful. It's weird that just seeing the beautiful color of it made me want coffee despite the fact that I was actually drinking coffee at the same time. I had never seen the channel before, but I really enjoyed the format, the information and the spot-on editing. Instant subscribe.

[@segamble1679]

@ImNotOld_ImVintage you're in for a real treat with this channel!

[@libaax1342]

James, the link between Paris and Naples is quite direct and strong, especially in the period of Morize. Starting w/ Charles of Bourbon (1737) then a brief interlude with a Bonaparte on the throne (early 1800s) and back with a Bourbon till 1861.

[@gulipicc]

It's amazing how I thought just yesterday if there was a video from a coffee creator about this coffee maker, and here it is! My father is actually from Napoli and during the first covid lockdown we had this every day, since we had the time to prepare it and enjoy it, and to this day this tastes a bit better than the usual moka to me. Cheers and happy holidays!

[@Systematicsphere]

Christmas. Holidays maybe for some. Many work. Christmas.

[@johnnyxmusic]

Very cool!

[@RiverWilliamson]

What a delightful memory. Thank you for sharing

[@dimaangert]

Interestingly, the term "macchinetta" just as it is, is used in Hebrew for "moka pot". I have bought a modern 2-cup stainless steel version of Napoletana, but probably used it just a couple of times. It now sits in the closet together with a tiny Hario vacuum syphon and a rare Yixing pottery coffee set (cups and Cezve-style brewer).

[@maxis5427]

In italian "Macchinetta" means "little/small machine" and it's how we refer to a lot of things: a moka could be referred as "La machinetta", it could be a car, a pasta maker. "Machinetta" it's whatever machine you're currently using with few exceptions for more modern machines like computers or smartphones. All the things I previously mentioned have a specific and more correct name but we use this slang/colloquial term pretty often and it's quite funny seeing it used outside the country.

[@radosawdudek4571]

You don't skip James' intros, you repeat them after you finish the video

[@lennyhankins698]

I recommend boiling water separately. Pour in to base and then flip. No fuss, no mess. I used mine daily for about a year or two. When i started Vanlife I switched to an Aeropress XL. But I will always have a softspot for my Nea. Way easier to use then a Moka and a smoother tasting cuppa to boot.☕️💜

[@RiverWilliamson]

I just got a Moka pot, so this could not be worse timing

[@lasantuzza777]

yes i do a similar method with my moka pot. boiling water in the bottom. it makes it less bitter

[@Mennguy]

If James was one of the voiceactors of headspace, I would instantly suscribe.

[@vita_pulchra_est]

14:36 i love this part when you made 'the mistake' beautiful with violins, slow zoom and extending the clip, just glorious

[@kayprins6779]

Very interesting :), I live in the north of Sweden and here the kokkaffe (boiled in the pot) is still VERY popular. Many cook it on open fires outdoors and many cook it indoors on a wood stove or just their normal one. You can buy it in every supermarket and in the smaller villages it is more prominent them pour over. it really surprised me when I moved here, it seemed that every time I was outdoors somebody sprouted a coffee kettle, kokkaffe and sausages from some hidden pocket, a campfire is made and "fika" was had, with boiled coffee and a sausage blacked on a pointed stick picked up from the ground and sharpened with a knife or axe

[@laurigardner6227]

This is also very true in Northern Finland as well. Making coffee in a coffee pot is the thing to do.

[@segamble1679]

But is it any good...????

[@kayprins6779]

if done wel, and a mesh is used then it is very pleasant. especially in the colder outdoors because the temperature is higher (100c, when it is brewed) it turns into a very nice cup of coffee. the grind is VERY coarse. Somehow doing it on a campfire adds something to the flavor, I am unsure if that is mental or actual smoke flavor @@segamble1679

[@RobinCafolla]

You should try traditional Ethiopian coffee making (usually done as part of a coffee ceremony). The coffee is delicious, but it does sound like how coffee was made in the late 1800s.

[@guillaumedep1]

I would like to see that, too, as well as Turkish/Greek coffee making.

[@logosvisuals]

Yes!! I would love to see a real dive into the origins of coffee.

[@gabrelas1998]

The quality of every video, the editing, voice overs and just James as a person just makes the viewers experience such a pleasure. Great video!

[@mariamcphail]

My mom was given one of these when she visited family in Calabria many years ago. She gave it to me a year or two ago and I wasn't sure how to use it. Her description just didn't make sense. Now here you are! Thank you for showing how to make Neapolitan coffee. I can now finally use the macchinetta!

[@Pxlpuck]

My boyfriend has a copper version of this thing in our kitchen as decor. I’ll try to make coffee with it tomorrow, I’ll keep you updated. Hoping i won’t create some kind of weapon to destroy our home 😂 Thank you for the video !

[@Pxlpuck]

I tried It was not a success Actually it was awful, I don’t know what caused it to be so gross 😷 I’ll keep my moka pot 🇮🇹

[@aiocafea]

@@Pxlpuck 2mo. later but try to make sure the copper didn't tarnish by cleaning it with lemon and salt, or with white vinegar other things may work, you just need to remember that different materiels may need different attention cheers!

[@dakshrajsharma8517]

Coffee maker history lessons: A James Hoffmann playlist

[@JimmyNewCakes]

You could legitimately put that playlist on quietly in the background of a coffee shop and lose all your customers to the corner that's playing in.

[@Kellen6795]

​@@JimmyNewCakesThat would be a coffee shop I'd sit in for hours just sipping a cup and listening to his voice

[@mariediamond9741]

Oh my!!! That came out every Sunday and holiday and whenever we had company when I was growing up! Thank you for the memories!

[@alex94lm10]

i'm from naples, I basically see very video of yours and I gotta say: hearing you speak neapolitan is a blessing. Thanks.

[@charlielewis3261]

That edit at 16 seconds is brilliant.

[@jonwesick2844]

A match cut!

[@charlielewis3261]

Thank you so much for the content, I always enjoy your videos.

[@charlielewis3261]

​@@jonwesick2844 thank you for the name, I feel a bit of a KZbin rabbit hole approaching as I look into more Match cut examples. 👍

[@daveh7720]

That intro montage was fantastic! Good catch at the end, too. As for Sophia Loren taking two minutes to explain how to make coffee, I'm not surprised they went that route. I have a friend who claims they'd happily watch her read a phone book.

[@johnnyxmusic]

Even phonetically. 😊

[@donnaclinton5578]

I learned to listen for the sound of the water just coming to the boil, from my grandmother, and to shut the heat off right away. Let it sit a second and then flip. My mom can’t do it, so she does like my great aunt did. Put the coffee holder in the section with the spout. Boil water separately and then pour over. We gave her a moka pot as a gift.

[@alakghosh]

That intro catch was just spectacular video editing!

[@stekarenhd6911]

That intro was sweet as all hell!

[@shaun7163]

I cant wait to see Scarlett Johansen spending 2 mins explaining how to use the AeroPress in a modern adaptation of a classic Italian film!

[@segamble1679]

Bahahahahahaha

[@MarcoVialeBakmaind]

Great video, I’m an Italian guy from Rome and I tell you this video is really nice! You did it good! All the Neapolitan names were so cute. But forgive me if I want to continue to believe that "a’ macchinetta" was invented in Naples. ❤

[@ChuckKolyvas]

My partner and I saw the Neapolitana in a French noir movie. Dunno what it was called sorry. When we saw one in a store in Tuscany we bought it. I spent a good couple weeks experimenting and came up with the following process: 25g beans (similar sized unit to the one you were using) #10 grind on our Barazza grindr Hot tap water (Melbourne water is delicious) Heat on stove to roughly 70°C Once inverted we bang it a couple times to start the flow and remove any air. It's also great when camping! Unwittingly, I mirrored the move to a moka pot. However, I find it takes longer with the moka as you have to spend more time in the kitchen monitoring it as opposed to the Neapolitana which you can move to the table while you wait. Partner however uses the Neapolitana religiously.

[@knst9514]

0:16 I laughed so hard, great cut😂

[@pimacanyon6208]

love these videos re history of coffee and coffee brewing! Keep em coming! Regarding the use of aluminum for this bewer, the Wiki says Morize used copper for his first rendition of this brewer in 1819 and continued making the brewers out of copper until 1886 when they began manufacturing the brewers out of aluminum. Aluminum was not available for manufacturing until the late 1800's.

[@renhanxue]

Yeah, aluminum was a really weird and expensive metal before the 1880's. It was treated kinda like silver; people made jewelry from it. It started to become cheap in the 1880's though and new ways to produce it made it drastically cheaper after 1886 or so, so it tracks that that's when they started making coffee pots out of it.

[@nashd8005]

Thanks for the memories! I remember my Mum making coffee using one of these in the early 70s. She was also nervous flipping it over, as it didn’t always stay sealed! She was happy to swap it for the Corningware percolator, especially as we were a large family. (That is still my favourite coffee- smooth and robust, despite living in a city where espresso is considered the only coffee.)

[@dinosilone7613]

I grew up in the Italian-American community in New York City during the mid 20th Century. The Napoletana (or la machinetta) was the way we always had coffee, (Medaglia D’Oro was the only game in town in those days for Italian coffee). We often had it with anisette or with whiskey or brandy… :D I converted to the moka in the 1980s, but I’ve recently been nostalgic about trying to recreate the experience, dug out a couple of the ones I’d inherited from my parents, and wanted to try it again. Unfortunately, the screw-on screen for the small one got lost somewhere years ago… I may actually buy a small one, just to try it and compare with a moka. Just a data point: These have been enjoying a revival in Italy, and coffee made in a napoletana is being offered at coffee shops (there’s one in Leonardo DaVinci airport in Fiumicino). But even the thin aluminum ones are more expensive than moka pots for the same size (check Amazon)! There’s a salumeria that also sells other Italian specialties near me in New Jersey that sells these… I may just pick one up… Now … where’s that anisette??? 😊

[@dsmsfamily674]

I grew up (in Toronto) having morning coffee made in a Napolitano coffee maker. We never boiled the water in the chamber. Maybe it's because my family are from Abruzzo? But most definitely, my Nonno would never have put up with these shenanigans of flipping boiling water! The only "trick" we used is to lever the grinds basket up a bit with an espresso spoon to allow a little more water in. Enjoy! And if you flip, be careful!

[@luigig6256]

Same. Never saw anyone make it all assembled first. Boiled water separately. Then the coffee sleeve and spouted pot. Then pray. Then flip. Beautiful coffee. I still use it occasionally.

[@ringtangting]

Maybe my brain is not working properly today, but at some point Nonno would have to flip very hot water, right? I have trouble seeing the difference, what's different from this video?

[@dsmsfamily674]

@ringtangting Our family was very boring. No flipping ever. I never knew what that piece of the apparatus was for. Water was boiled separately in whatever kettle or pot was there, and poured into the basket which was balanced on the caraffe part. I always thought the 3rd part was just there to keep the other two parts topgether in the cubpboard. LOL!

[@jarnonikitin3077]

It’s still a quite common thing in Finland to make coffee in that very old way of only throwing coffee in a pot and letting it boil a couple of times. We don’t have that fishy thing though 😄 Of course it isn’t the most common practice, but quite often in the woods hiking, hunting, fishing etc coffee is made that way.

[@segamble1679]

I desperately want to insult Finland here, but to each there own I guess...

[@braxtonjens7839]

That slow mo of the water spurting was magical.

[@dsr0116]

I'm a homebrewer myself, so I find it interesting that there were coffee recipes about using isinglass to fine out a coffee while it's hot. These days isinglass is rare as a fining (there is some rumor that it's part of the souring agent for Guinness). But the similar ingredient homebrewers use now is gelatin. To have a bigger impact, we cold crash the beer...then add a warm solution of water and gelatin that will definitely settle down to the bottom collecting particulates.

[@seandavidson]

The opening to this video was fantastically edited. I love your videos, and not just because I love coffee.

[@mraymanTube]

Thanks for so many amazing videos. Always love the way you present and explain things. Please do an episode on Vietnamese Phin Filter Coffee maker. This is my newest way of making coffee and I really think that is one of the best ways to make coffee. Thank you!

[@Echinokaktus]

Ahhh, retro intro is back, splendid! They are bringing a lot of character to your works, I would gladly welcome them more frequently.

[@ttdat]

Thanks for this video. Brought back some childhood memories for me. I grew up in an Italian American family in the 1960’s. In addition to breakfast, my parents always had coffee with dinner too (as did many adults at the time). My Mother had a Corning Cornflower percolator coffee pot for everyday, but on special occasions; company, holidays, etc.; Mom would use her Neapolitan Coffee pot which she would fill with Medaglia D’oro brand coffee to make demitasse. It’s a beautiful pot made before WWII with a decorative etched finish. My Sister still has and uses it for special occasions!!! Thanks again for this video.

[@AndreaDellaCorte-qg2zg]

James, as Neapolitan watching this video warmed my hearth, thank you for sharing our coffee culture! Recently are also borning some specialty roastery around the city, it will be quite exciting the fusion between traditional "machinett e cafè" and really good coffe

[@Llyander]

Hey, I've got one of these. They're great fun to use. Nice to see a channel like yours giving them a shoutout!

[@majdnemkocka]

Brilliant video. I think the little hole in the lower chamber isn't just there to avoid overpressure, it's also where the air can go in after turning the thing upside down. Without it, the water would not go down as there would be weak vacuum holding it back. (The pressure from the steam wouldn't be enough.)

[@lawrenceadams1649]

Down here in Sydney Australia , I have one of the Coper ones i always use it I have had it for years My advice would be... Just take your time enjoy the moment as you make your Coffee ... ''Do not grind too fine just .....relax and unwind and you will be fine all in all it is just state of mind"".... and it tastes wonderful

[@boogerwood]

Very fun as always! And educational. I'm sure I'm not alone in wanting to have my own collection of ALL these "machines" you teach us about.

[@DavidChiappini]

I'm hijacking your comment to point out that "macchinetta" doesn't simply mean "machine", but "little machine". It kind of has a "cute" connotation, too ❤

[@amilcarebassanelli8920]

When I grew up we called a Moka Pot Macchinetta, Northern Italian Australian

[@SrirajaPanich]

I would love to see him cover the South Indian filter coffee maker, and the drink itself someday!

[@kasfpg]

Honestly pretty similar to this one

[@samuelsmith6281]

Isinglass is still used in brewing to remove sediment in beer after fermentation. As for 18th century coffee brewing, I've done this and though it's not a system for use with high quality specialty coffee it does make passable coffee. Just pour a little cold water down the coffee pot's spout to settle the grounds after heating rather than using isinglass, wait a minute or so and then serve.

[@benscanlan6362]

I bought one of these 8 years ago when i was travelling through Naples. It's a bit of work to set up and probably takes longer than it should, but the end result is usually pretty good and, more importantly, it brings back such fond memories of the wonderful city of Naples every time I use it. Worth the effort 👌

[@aramse]

Great video and coffee history lesson. Cool little brewer, I've been trying to get my hands on one ever since I heard of it. It has so many similarities to the South India filter.

[@DarkEnigma1115]

We haven't had one of these "Classics of Coffee" in a while. I've greatly missed the James Bond-esque intro song with the Marvel-esque montage.

[@watvki]

ty for the edits and the humor. British humor is so much fun to be honest. I had a good laugh. and TY for the review as well 😁

[@bahman9]

Been waiting for this video for the longest time! You made my day. THANK YOU JAMES

[@a.a.7348]

New viewer here. This could be my latest daily fix of Britishness. Might get into coffee along the way.

[@pyrotelekinesis7253]

Prepare a budget

[@santibanks]

Fun fact: Sophia Loren has an Italian cookbook with her recipes "Cooking con amore". It's really good and highly recommended if you can find it. Apparently she cooks a lot, traditional Italian family style dinners.

[@lasantuzza777]

wow i didn’t know that. thanks for sharing i will try to find it! i adore sophia 🤍

[@jvallas]

It's available as a kindle version ($14.99) on Amazon.

[@sandrodunatov485]

Very nice indeed. AFAIK most people in Naples uses a micro-burner on their gas stovetop just to heat this 'machine', in order to be gentle and slow enough. With a 'normal' small burner, like those on every Northern Italy household, you will risk to spoil it, the flame being too big and strong and rough. Thus the mindset behind each coffee pot is different, and interesting as it is revealing about different attitudes. Kinda like the eternal two-days-simmering of Neapolitan ragu', as opposed to the "fast" three hours (minimum) for a Bolognese sauce.

[@edoardoschnell]

"'a macchinetta" sounds more like "the lil' machine", the diminutive is a very much beloved characteristic of the language. Kudos to mr. Hoffmann as always, such a nice vid

[@dhairyasatra8277]

id be curious to see your thoughts on the indian filter coffee brewer

[@overrated3237]

You have just unlocked some serious coffee filled childhood memories from when I was really young. Ima go buy one!

[@matthewadams9089]

This is awesome, a good friend brought me back a copper version from her travels in Italy, simply because she knew I love coffee. I knew nothing about it, but it came with a small instruction paper, so I’ve used it from time to time. This was a beautifully shot video. Thank you for the info!

[@indiosveritas]

As I found whilst living in Naples for several years , among men, this " time out," as you put it , is used to discuss business , make deals, and lie about one's self. Women use this "time out" to complain about men in general .😊

[@smwillia]

So let me get this straight, the French Press aka the cafetière as its design is known today was invented/patented in Italy, and the Neapolitan coffee maker (Napoletana) was invented/patented by a French man? I see the naming conventions are right on point. (Side note: I want one of these.)

[@pannoncannon]

This intro is straight up fire. Your editor needs a raise for sure.

[@metalgearman242]

I was making my grandfathers a latte with a mocha pot a few years back. And he mentioned that it reminded him of his mother using a stove top brewer that she had to flip over. I’ve wondered what that was, until now. Thanks James!

[@jackieknits61]

I bought a copper one as a part of a collection on copper cookware. It worked just fine. I liked to use it at breakfast because the timing on that pot coordinated perfectly with a breakfast of eggs, sausage, and toast so that all finished at the perfect time for a hot breakfast for one with very little fuss.

[@namtabmai]

Going to be honest, clicked on the video expecting some horrible concoction of vanilla, chocolate and strawberry coffee.

[@robfromgpw5243]

James, thank you for providing information AND entertainment every time you post. You bring joy to this 61 year old curmudgeon’s life. Hoping for you and yours to have a spectacular Christmas season. Greetings from Grosse Pointe Woods, Michigan, USA. You are the best!

[@sheldonbeck4579]

Thanks to your video I just brewed some coffee using the Napoletana I bought at least 50 years ago. I do use it once In awhile when I get nostalgic. So I’m writing waiting for the dripping to stop. Ah, just finished brewing. I used your recipe and adjusted in the cup with just a bit of water to taste with a bit of 1/2 and 1/2. Yummy and it’s a decaf bean! COSTCO Medium - Dark roast. ☕️ Thanks!

[@SuchanDEJP]

My parents had a Neapolitan Coffee Maker when we was camping on holidays. They are a huge fan of the italian coffe culture and they have this brewer still today and use them sometimes.

[@CuriouslySkeptical]

Thanks James. Love that you did a video on this machine! I’ve had one of those in the back of my cupboard for years, passed down through the generations. I think I’m gonna dust it off and have another play. I used to use it at work, but we didn’t have a stove, so I just pre-heated it and filled it with boiling water, then flipped it - much better than Nescafé - and it became a fun talking point by all who had never seen anything like it. Good times.

[@chestnutoak1645]

Years ago a friend invited me over for “cowboy coffee”, (we’re from Texas). Put the water and coffee grounds in a saucepan and simmered until it was the strength we wanted. Let the coffee settle, and then decant into mugs- no filtering. I can definitely see doing this over a campfire.

[@montre-moi]

Of course I know about Napolitan coffee maker. In Switzerland, we're at the crossroads of Europe, and every immigrant here took his favorite coffee making stuff with him. We may be the birthplace of Nespresso, but every household has its favorite traditional way to make coffee. A friend of mine introduced me to the Napolitan coffee maker when I was a teenager, but I'm more of a Hario siphon man myself.

[@ritagraham6703]

Thanks so much for this video. My mother brought one from Italy when we immigrated to Canada in 1951. Both my parents have passed away and this is one item of theirs that I kept.

[@marciolabio]

Shout out for nailing all the pronunciations as well as the nuances about Italian culture

[@kartikeyabahadur]

It looks in principle very similar to the Indian percolators. Just that our lower collection doesn’t have an opening, and the water takes much longer to trickle down.

[@mickbohannon1104]

It's always a pure pleasure listening to James talking with his deep knowledge and facts about my country. I mean, I knew some things he said for instance, but didn't know all the informations he gave. What a well of knowledge! Bravo!

[@TainakaRicchan]

The oldentimes descrption sounds basically like or at elast very similar to how you would make Coffe in turkey, with the Ibrik. This way is absolotely able to make a, alebit very different, dolicious cup of coffee, or Mokka as it would be called around here at least.

[@p49N]

I bought a Napolitano 7 years ago, and quite honestly liked it, and the rapid technique ( I boiled the water in a kettle rather than in the vessel) was faster than waiting and watching my moka pot slowly heat up. The unnerving flip was in fact adding a bit of danger to my otherwise boring morning routine. Closest comparison would be watching my blind grandfather light his pipe then toss ambered matches onto my parent's walnut coffee table. Never knew if I should gasp or laugh. The Napolitano also was a great conversation piece. Only complaint? Aluminum Napolitano would tarnish badly and require frequent maintenance, polishing, to keep presentable.