Pulcina coffee moka for Alessi
It is important to immediately inform you that the ‘Pulcina’ name has nothing to do with the design process of ‘Pulcina’. It came to my mind when I first saw the final model. It looked like...
_... a baby chicken, but as “caffettiera” in Italian is a female word it became ‘Pulcina’.
The Pulcina was born ‘in the mountains’, in the year that I drew only mountains. I made many models and I made an exhibition at Antonia Jannone Gallery. The mountains are beautiful because they touch and penetrate the sky and the clouds. The mountains are beautiful like in the contours of architects plans because they are made of layers like “lasagne”.
I did not know that water for the coffee must not boil and instead it is the air that has come under pressure to push the water up through the coffee. In Alessi they explained to me that the round shape of the water tank is the best form to get the most effective use of the water in the coffee.
It’s always magical to think what happens when the coffee rises inside the coffee maker. The large base plate underneath helps to keep the coffee maker upright even on wide cooking rings. To spill the coffee is always a sin. In future there will be a steel base for induction cooking tops. That is why the Pulcina has a narrow waist. It express the physical function of the process. The water passes through the coffee powder and absorbs all the flavour without changing its molecular structure. It is essential to put in the water only up to the level of the valve. The isobar lines are not only beautiful they also help to keep the internal temperature uniform.
Pulcina is a perfect machine ... and also beautiful. I like it!
Michele De Lucchi, 2015
