Red Beans and Advice for Monday, May 22

Getting to know my moka pot

When I was looking through the cupboards in my new Ann Arbor apartment, I came upon an appliance that has always intrigued me: a Bialetti moka express pot.

This is the iconic stove top Italian coffee maker that’s generally used to make espresso. It was invented by Alfonso Bialetti 90 years ago, in 1933. You may own one; you may have seen one at a friend’s home, or spotted them in magazines or the movies.

As a coffee lover, I’ve traveled through just about every way to make coffee, from a Melitta to a Chemix, Keurig to Nespresso. I’ve even bought coffee pods from Marks & Spencer that are like tea bags, except for coffee. (These are best considered emergency coffee. Let’s just say they are coffee adjacent.)