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Caffettiere, a must-have for caffeine addicts in Italy

Susan Spano’s Postcards From Rome

Since moving to Rome in the spring, I’ve had nothing but trouble feeding my caffeine addiction. Not outside the house, of course. There are cafes wherever you look.

But at home in the morning, I’ve tried making coffee in any number of contraptions, including the classic Italian stove-top espresso maker, pictured, which pushes pressurized, boiling water up through a coffee casket into the pot. Generally, the water never perks up, or only a little of it does, producing rot-gut espresso.

Now I’ve found a solution in a Caffettiere Napoletane, made in Torino and priced about $20. The principle is simple: You put water in the bottom compartment, coffee in the middle and nothing in the top part, which is the pot. Set it on the stove and wait for it to boil, then turn it over and let the hot water drip through the coffee grounds into the pot.

The Caffettiere Napoletane makes a cross between strong American coffee and espresso, very nice with heated milk. It was a little difficult to get the hang of, but now I’m an expert and I don’t get the shakes in the morning.

Click here to take a look at some other models.

[Editor's note: Readers are not fortunate enough to be based in Europe can purchase similar Ilsa brand caffettiere Napoletane (Neapolitan drip coffee makers) from the Florence-based Gioia della Casa.]

–Susan Spano, Los Angeles Times staff writer

[Photo: Susan Spano / Los Angeles Times]

This entry was posted on Thursday, July 31, 2008 at 7:10 pm by Susan Spano and is filed under Europe, Gourmet, Italy. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a comment, or trackback from your own site.

5 Comments on “Caffettiere, a must-have for caffeine addicts in Italy”

Roberto Alvarez Says:
August 1st, 2008 at 8:49 am
Susan…You should know that Italy’s best cup of espresso is in Naples. Thus they would have the best coffe maker.
Auguri..Roberto
Greg Says:
August 1st, 2008 at 10:14 am
I’ve used a caffettiera napoletana for years and have liked it. There’s a bit more ceremony to it than the typical Bialetti stove-top moka pot that’s so ubiquitous in Italian homes, but to be honest the coffee it makes is not really all that different, IMO.

In fact, most Italians who used to use caffettiere napoletane have switched to using moka pots instead in the past decade or two — even in Napoli’s home region of Campagna. Perhaps because there’s a touch more “labor” involved in flipping the pot. Perhaps because moka pots have become more ubiquitous.
Andrew Says:
August 2nd, 2008 at 12:38 am
If you can’t find a proper moka pot or caffetiere to feed your need for an espresso fix, try sending yourself or a friend a virtual Italian cup ‘o Joe [requires Flash]
Tony Says:
May 25th, 2009 at 11:56 pm
I think the Napoletana makes the best coffee anyway but the easiest way is to fill it with boiling water and let it drip; by the time you warm the milk it’s ready. The trick is not to pack the ground coffee to tightly otherwise it takes too long and you get that bitter taste. Whenever we serve it to our guests they say it’s the best caffe latte they tasted.
Riccardo Says:
June 5th, 2009 at 8:58 am
Hi , I’m the owner of the shop online linked.
I write just to tell that the Ilsa ans Stella models that we have are the traditional methods, we have models in aluminium, that are like the one of our grandfathers and the stainless steel models, that are the stronger one!

Best Regards
Have a nice coffee!!