It appears that the report of Bialetti’s plan to move production to Eastern Europe (see previous post) has been subjected to a case of Chinese whispers. The media having heard one thing, have then decided to embellish the story to make better copy and whip up a hyperbole of nonsense.

I have been reliably told that Bialetti is not actually closing its factory in Italy. Bialetti is planning to move only its cookware production to Eastern Europe. Manufacture of the Moka Express and many other stove-top models will remain in Italy.

Bialetti Moka Express - as italian as pasta!

Somehow I have my doubts whether this is the real reason behind Bialetti’s proposal. Should production move; are we likely to see a reduction in the retail price? Well Bialetti has already switched production of much of its stainless steel range to India. Both the Venus and Musa coffee makers have been manufactured there for well over a year. However, the retail price for these has remained the same (of course this could be partly due to £’s poor performance against the €).

I think the real reason for the proposed move is that Bialetti is in considerable debt. Bialetti has a debt of around €107 million and is under pressure by its main creditor to reduce this amount significantly.

So should the switch in production affect consumers? I think that the move is unlikely to affect quality. When Bialetti moved stainless steel production to India there was no noticeable change. The fact is that many small household appliances, like toasters and kettles, are manufactured in a different country to where they are designed (mainly in China). So Bialetti is simply following a trend.

Let’s just hope that supply remains stable. Since the Venus’s production moved to India supply has been mishmash at best. It would be a major pain if the rest of the range was so difficult to get supplies of.

After, what seems a very long wait, we finally have the Brikka stove-top espresso maker back in stock.

In February, our supplier announced they were discontinuing the Brikka model. As this is one of our best sellers, you can imagine we were pretty upset. But luckily for us, after some negotiations, we manage to do a deal with our supplier to order these directly from Italy. So we will continue to stock the Brikka for the foreseeable future.

So what’s so special about the Brikka?

For me, the Brikka is the king of stove-top espresso makers, as it generates more pressure than any other model. For those who don’t know much about stove-top espresso makers, they don’t actually make true espresso. They do brew coffee under pressure, but as they rely on steam (to generate pressure) they can’t produce anywhere near high enough. The average stove-top will brew coffee under around 1 bar of pressure. Whereas for true espresso the coffee needs be under between 7-9 bar.

The Brikka is different from other stove-tops as it has a special weighted valve which allows it to build 1.5 times more pressure. Brewing at around 1.5 bar makes a big difference. The resulting coffee has extra depth and flavour; and wait for it, a crema!

Now some people write off the Brikka as the crema isn’t all that great; it’s quite thin and quickly dissipates. But the crema shouldn’t be the focus. Yes it looks pretty, but it’s the extra pressure that enhances the flavour. The crema is just a by-product.