Whimsical and Homespun Art Creations with a Little Rural Living Thrown In





Friday, April 8, 2011

Thrifty Finds ~ Vintage Aluminum Coffee Pots

*These are Currently for Sale on My Selling Blog*
Click on link below blog title. :)
 
Aren't old coffee pots cool?  I just love the odd shapes and sizes - from unibodies to double deckers - single servings to multi cups.  :)  I was bringing up some of my collection the other night from the basement.  (Just trying to weed out the ones with no guts to use for tole painting or birdhouses.)  They were still sitting in my front room when one of my son's friends came over to visit.  These beauties were the hot topic of conversation.  He informed me that in the dorms at the University, there are students still using these to make coffee.  Duh...I honestly never thought of brewing with them.  My mind is on crafting and displaying vintage items.   Apparently these pots are coveted by some students for making not only a good cup of coffee but a strong one, too.;)  Who knew?  That brought back some old memories of coffee brewing on a camp stove.  *sigh*   



The conversation soon turned to a German student who had a coffee pot that made espresso on the stove top.  As the description of the pot began, I said, "Wait a minute."  I ran downstairs and brought up these three Italian manufactured coffee makers, which were in my "what in the world is that" pile.  I was informed that the largest one was identical to the German student's espresso pot.  (Okay, had I taken the time to flip the small one over, it was written "Lil' Espresso" on the bottom.  How did I miss that?... Oops!)  Mystery solved.  I always wondered what these pots were used for.



They unscrew in the center where there is an area for the espresso grounds.  Water is put in the bottom, boils its way back to the top holding tank where it awaits the happy consumer as highly caffeinated espresso. :)


We talked about the plastic coffee makers, and how times have changed.  The fact that these aluminum bodies are still around as the landfills are collecting the modern ones.  My son commented how a person could even recycle these for the aluminum.  I'll be keeping an eye on him around my pots! ;)  Ahhh yes, the times are a changing.  It was so nice to hear of young people using vintage items. 

So, I had a lesson in the art of making coffee and espresso. (Made me wish that I drank coffee!)  My son's friend lamented over how much one of these would cost if you could locate one in a camping store.  Since the odds of him are pretty low to be attending any flea markets or garage sales in the near future, I let him pick any pot he wanted from my entire collection.  He was a happy man!  He emailed my son a picture to his phone with the caption "Show this to your Mom :)".  It was a picture of a cup of coffee with sugar and cream freshly made from his new/vintage aluminum coffee pot.   How sweet is that! :)

7 comments:

Hillcresthome Prims said...

All I can say is AWESOME and I am DROOLING over these coffee pots!
Brenda, I am 43 yrs old and my husband is 48 yes old and we LOVE old vintage items. Our younger people just don't know or maybe just don't care. Our sons is 19 in college and youngest is in 10th high school and they do understand and appreicate old things and vintage and the HISTORY behind these wonderful items!!!!

I am still DROOLING!!!!!

Spring Blessings,
Tricia

Brenda said...

Thank you for stopping by Tricia! My husband and I feel the same way and our 20 year old son, too. We all have our personal faves, and it keeps us all hunting all year long. :)

Raspberry Hill Crafts said...

I have 2 of those pots that we use when we want a real tasting good coffee..we picked ours up when we went to Sardinia..get some good coffees and make a cup...nice

Brenda said...

I found some specialty coffees in my cupboard that a friend "gifted" us last year. Plus, I could use the grounds for trying to make some pantry cakes.;) Thanks for stopping by... I am excited to follow your blog. Welcome to the blogosphere! :)

petveedub said...

Hello,

I enjoyed your story, and appreciate your generosity to the student. The Italian pots are called Moka pots, and they don't actually make real espresso. They do however make, in many cases, a superior cup of coffee.

Moka pots can be had from vintage at antique stores and such, to brand new at camping, coffee, and even department stores. Bed Bath and Beyond usually has several to choose from.

Brenda said...

Thanks so much for the information! I love to learn more about the items that I find. Some times I collect and have to do some investigating to find out their use. So, I appreciate any help. :)

Brenda said...

I found out some interesting info listed under Moka Stovetop Espresso Maker at Amazon. Here is the link http://www.amazon.com/Bialetti-Express-6-Cup-Stovetop-Espresso/dp/B000CNY6UK/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1308676732&sr=8-1 for anyone that may be interested in knowing more about these little pots. :)