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Most stovetop espresso makers look roughly alike: an eight sided body, a waist in the middle and a plastic handle on the side. The Alessi 9090 looks like none of them. It is a polished steel cylinder that widens at the base, with a long steel handle and a lever on top. It looks more like a piece of lab equipment than a kitchen pot, and that is no accident. Its designer, Richard Sapper, called it "a little steam engine."
What it is
The 9090 is a stovetop espresso coffee maker. Water in the lower chamber heats up, pressure pushes it up through a basket of ground coffee, and the brewed coffee collects in the top. What sets it apart is its history and its engineering. According to Alessi's product page, the 9090 is the first espresso coffee maker in Alessi's history, the first of several Compasso d'Oro design awards the company has won and the first Alessi item exhibited at the Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) in New York. Alessi lists 1980 as the year production started.
What makes it different
Alessi describes the 9090 as the result of Sapper's first collaboration with the company, and as the work of a designer interested in solving real problems. Sapper put it simply: he wanted to give this machinery the features that others do not have. Three of those features stand out.
- Enlarged base: the wide bottom spreads across the burner to make the most of the heat, and it keeps the pot stable
- Lever lock: instead of the usual screw joint between top and bottom, a lever lets you open the pot with a simple movement of the hand
- Anti drip spout: designed to pour cleanly without running down the side
Alessi adds that the steel handle will never burn, and that the pot goes through more than 120 steps in the workshop. That is a lot of work for something that sits on a stove, and you can feel it in how solid the finished piece is.
Specs
Alessi lists these details for the one cup 9090/1:
- Material: 18/10 stainless steel, mirror polished
- Base: magnetic steel bottom suitable for induction cooking
- Height: 15 centimeters
- Diameter: 9.5 centimeters
- Capacity: 7 centiliters
- Made in: Italy
The 9090 also comes in larger sizes, including a six cup version. One practical note from Alessi: if you cook on induction, check that your hob can switch on with an item at least 90 millimeters wide.
Who made it
Richard Sapper was born in Munich in 1932 and moved to Milan in the 1950s, where he worked with Gio Ponti. He later formed a long partnership with Marco Zanuso that lasted until 1975, and he taught at universities in Italy and abroad. Alessi's designer page notes that he won the Compasso d'Oro eleven times and received the Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany. His work for Alessi includes the 9090 and the melodic whistling 9091 kettle. He died in 2015.
How it compares
The obvious comparison is the Bialetti Moka Express, which brews on the same stovetop principle. The Moka Express is the familiar everyday classic. The 9090 is the design object, with a steel body, a lever instead of a screw thread and a base built for induction. If you prefer drip coffee, the Moccamaster KBGV Select is the electric choice for people who care about design and consistency. And if the 9090 is your entry into Alessi, the 9093 kettle by Michael Graves shows how the company followed it with other playful icons.
Who it suits
The 9090 suits coffee drinkers who brew on the stove and want an object worth leaving out on display. Its magnetic steel base also makes it a good fit if you cook on induction. It is less suited to anyone who wants a machine that does the work for them. Like any stovetop pot, it asks you to watch the heat and pull it off when the coffee comes through. In return you get a piece of design history that you use every morning.
Where to buy
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