CT scans of coffee-making equipment
scanofthemonth.com
scanofthemonth.com
Then, a couple of months ago, I was on vacation in Italy and decided to get a brand new one as a gift, directly from an official Bialetti store. To my surprise, the Mokas in the store felt exactly like the lower-quality one we had bought in Brazil. I didn't even buy the gift.
I think it's just a straightforward failure of creativity — or, even more plainly, a failure to understand their customer. They had a great product, which led to a loyal following — why not expand into adjacent markets?
The cruel irony is that their product was related to something that's extremely disposable. Why not get into the business of coffee beans? Why not partner with interesting coffee growers? Subscription businesses have been huge for decades, now — why not offer consumers the ability to buy an espresso bean subscription to go with their Mokapot, thereby generating a reliable recurring revenue stream?
A glimpse at their Wikipedia page [1] suggests they never even tried to branch out from the small, comfortable niche of cookware.
It's the view of many that this is indeed what most companies prioritize — I'm not saying it's true, but it doesn't seem to be a particularly fringe opinion. It's in the vein of enshittification.
Also, might I ask how you inserted that em-dash? A keyboard shortcut? It's interesting to see fancy typography online.
Haha, yeah, that's what I usually do. But it's arduous enough for me not to bother for a HN comment. That's why I brought it up.
I love macOS' emoji picker thing, I wish there were something like it on Linux.
https://support.apple.com/guide/mac-help/use-the-keyboard-vi...
Also—FWIW—an m-dash should not have whitespace on either side, at least, not in America. :-)
https://medium.com/typography/on-dashes-hyphens-and-other-im...
https://www.smashingmagazine.com/2011/08/mind-your-en-and-em...
option+minus for en-dash – and shift+option+minus for em-dash —
This works on X11, I haven't tried on Wayland.
On Windows it works, too, by grabbing the "us - mac" layout and using the alt-gr for the mac's option. I think this is the layout I use: https://github.com/adunning/Mac-Keyboard-Layouts-for-Windows
That's an "is-ought" gap if I've ever seen one, sadly.
That said, one person may buy one coffee maker and never need another one for the next decade or two, or pass it on to their children if it's really good. So what another comment said, them expanding into selling coffee as well for example, sounds like an idea.
As for expanding into selling coffee: that's natural for systems like Senseo or Nespresso, where you have custom pads/pods which you insert into the machine (not sure if third-party pad/pod makers have to pay a license fee to the "system provider"?), but Bialetti coffee makers work with any ground coffee. Might be an idea nevertheless, but not sure about the odds of success - I imagine most Italians already have their favorite brand of coffee and wouldn't suddenly switch to "Bialetti Coffee" just because they say it works best with their machines.
They did one thing well and succeeded for decades and then tried to expand their business and failed miserably.
I have seen crap quality bialetti everything. They make pots and pans now too.
[0] https://www.amazon.ca/Bialetti-Express-Cow-Print-Stovetop-Ca...
For one thing, things like Aeropress, Nespresso/Keurig, and cheaper/better home espresso and bean-to-cup coffee machines came along. People don't necessarily need to muck around with a Moka pot to make quality coffee at home any more.
And if you really do want a Moka pot, there's a lot of cheaper Chinese competitors now that look the part and actually have reasonable quality.
e.g. https://www.chemexcoffeemaker.com/eight-cup-handblown-series...
[1] https://www.allrecipes.com/article/what-is-the-difference-be...
https://www.seriouseats.com/moka-pot-cheap-espresso-alternat...
A vintage espresso machine with 1 group head would be more novel, for example.
With clinical equipment you can image all sorts of things beautifully, but a hunk of brass won’t generate any useful images.
That thing was built like a Bugatti. And he's like "why not use a roller instead of a press??".
Does anyone know if this is some regional slang? Or is AvE just very unique in how he speaks?
He does combine a bunch of Quebecois and Western rural slang in a very impressive way though!
My personal highlight as he's pushing the button wildly, "oh for fuck's sake. The mash harder button. Es funktioniert nicht"
Also subtly hilarious that the machine more and more covered in root juice as he goes. God that's good.
My writeup: https://www.righto.com/2022/08/lumafield-flip-flop.html
But a little off topic, I was struck by this:
> With the powerful 1200 W heating element
A typical European kettle is at least 1800 W, comfortably less than the power deliverable from a 10 A, 230 V circuit. A typical UK kettle would be more like 3000 W, such as this one (it seems that all the kettles on that website are 3 kW):
That’s too long to wait for a brew.
https://www.zojirushi.com/app/category/water-boilers-warmers
(To answer the question an inquisitive reader may ask: the keep-warm setting of the model I have uses about 25-60 watts average at room temp 73degF/23degC depending on volume and selected water temp) [1, pg5]
[1]: https://www.zojirushi.com/servicesupport/manuals/manual_pdf/...
When buying a kettle, the most important specs are the minimum fill and wattage (ideally 1500W in the US.)
Back when there were only three television channels, the National Grid planners used to pore over the Radio Times, looking for popular programmes like the Morecambe and Wise Christmas Special (21 to 28 million viewers in 1977), so they could prepare for the demand surge of the entire nation putting the kettle on at the end of the programme.
Nominally, anyway. When the EU standardised mains voltages they mostly did so on paper by fudging the tolerances, UK's 240v +/- 3% became 230v -6/+10%. 28 years later and I still see the mains voltage in the 240-250v range more often than not.
European plug sockets are typically rated for 16A, secured with a matching breaker and allowing for about 3500W of power. Appliances that use the full 3500W are rare but they exist, so it is not like it is illegal. So why don't Europeans get the 3000W kettles too?
Maybe some people have 10A circuits, maybe this is a margin so that other appliances can be plugged in the same circuit, or maybe it is just more expensive.
I have noticed that most 3000W+ appliances I can buy in France are more "professional", like what you can find in commercial kitchens or in workshops, but again, it does not mean they are not sold to consumers.
The British plug (and ring wiring scheme) was designed for two 13A electric heaters on a single ring, so continuous load.
Meanwhile, German Schuko and the related French E plug are theoretically capable of 16A peak load, modern sockets are capable of 16A continuous load as well, but a lot of old installations and especially old sockets are rated for 10A only - so typical kettles are limited to 2200W/9.6A to leave a bit of headroom for older, more trigger-happy circuit breakers and other devices on the same circuit.
However, until relatively recently, the average residential circuit was 10A, though you could get 16A if you asked for it - typically for tumble driers, washing machines and the like - so the market for appliances requiring more than 10A was quite slim.
I am sure the appliance stores didn't want to have to explain to each and every customer that the beefy kettle they had just put on the counter might not work at their house - hence, 10A appliances for all.
(Incidentally, I have a 3kW kettle I bought in the UK and a couple of 16A outlets on my kitchen counter.)
But even more important is the insulation. It has been consistently improved since cloth wires.
The normal eueopean "Schuko" plug is rated for 16A short term and 10A long term. Long in that context means everything above 1 hour of continous load, which should cover typical applications of water cookers.
The wall sockets are typically the same, although 16A continous variants exist and old wall sockets with bad contacts can easily heat up enough that I would avoid ever going over 10A with them if it can be avoided.
I'm sure you're aware that US sockets are 110-120V. The power required by a European kettle would too often trip someone's circuit breaker in the US, especially if any other equipment were also plugged in (you usually want to stick to max 1500 W on a circuit).
Clearly the "powerful 1200 W" is in the context of equipment designed for American residential sockets -- the page is produced by an American company after all.
(Which is why Americans don't use electric kettles nearly as much as Brits/Europeans, of course.)
It's probably a wide safety margin, you should be able to run an electric oven, a hob, and a kettle at the same time on a single fuse group nowadays. Or a kitchen should have separate groups.
>The aluminum is easily activated and directly after the experiment it often has something in the order of 300-400uSv/h. This decays to 4-5uSv/h in about 15-20min, some hours are needed to reach inactive status <0.1uSv/h. The coffee does not become active to a degree that is worth mentioning. However, due to the risk of contamination in the controlled zone it is not allowed to eat or drink things that have been in the beam.
Yow, toasty.
> At times, Fourth Wave innovations verge into the realm of obsession, making you wonder how much real difference all of this precision makes to a cup of coffee. At the end (or beginning) of the day, coffee is a ritual. More than mere caffeine delivery, these technologies enable a multi-faceted sensory experience. Exploring the complexity of its flavors and aromas has transformed coffee from an article of consumption into an open-ended object of scientific and aesthetic experimentation.
But once you e.g get into arguments on whether high-end grinders with conical or flat burrs are better you're far into the diminishing returns that might not survive a blind test.
> Removing used coffee immediately after brewing and storing the AeroPress with the seal pushed all the way through the chamber (as shown) can help minimize wear by reducing compression to extend the gasket’s life.
But, that's not what's shown. Pushing the gasket all the way through isn't possible unless the filter head is removed.
Every few years, soaking the rubber seal in mineral oil overnight then cleaning will restore flexibility (otherwise it shrinks over time, reducing the quality of the seal).
Unrelated: using paper filters is less eco-responsible than the gold foil filter, but makes for better coffee.
Disagreed on the paper filters, I personally enjoy using a metal filter to ensure the oils from the coffee beans are not filtered out. I suppose it is all subjective.
Interesting about the filter. I prefer super dark roast, Italian espresso-grind coffees. The paper filters give me a much smoother brew. Of course, as you say, taste is entirely subjective! I'm envious, because I'd rather have just one reusable filter rather than go through a stack of paper discs each year.
I just tried screwing on my cap and it forces the plunger back into the shaft, compressing it.
I also use a metal filter, but just for the taste and convenience of not having to buy paper filters.
The eco-responsibility argument against filters I don't get. Unless you drink extreme amounts of coffee, you use significantly more paper in a day just going to the bathroom. I hope people aren't using metal foil for that as well. <insert seashell joke here>
I'm not sure but my gut would say the opposite since rocks are heavier but idk.
You can use the paper filters more than once too; typically I need about one or two a week (depending on which coffee and how lucky I am), meaning that one €4 350-pack filters will last for years (I just bought my first refill after 4 years, but I didn't re-use the filters for the first few months and I gave a bunch of them to a friend when he ran out).
Re-use isn't necessarily more eco-friendly by the way, because cleaning takes energy too and cost of production can be much much higher. But realistically, the eco-impact and differences are so small it's not really something to worry about.
Indeed, the paper is so little that I'd be really surprised if the ecological impact of mining and making that metal filter will ever be recouped.
It's a little how cotton groceries bags are so resource-intensive that you'd need to use them hundreds and hundreds of times before they're better than daily plastic bags. (Litter aside, which isn't an issue with paper filters.)
It doesn't seem unreasonable to use a cotton grocery bag hundreds of times. That's only a few years of weekly shopping trips.
Regardless, litter from improperly discarded plastic bags was the primary motivator of their regulation. It was not intended to be about resource use or carbon emissions or whatever people are focused on today.
It's also healthier, because metal filters make for oily coffee.
Europeans (and other countries with ~230V household sockets) would consider this quite poor performance for a kettle. 3000 W kettles are not uncommon here in the UK!
It reaches the desired temperature before I'm done preparing everything else (throw the beans in the grinder, pre-heat the V60, etc), so it does not matter that it can't draw 3kW.
I’ll give the Stagg EKG some credit for looking very cool, however.
> ... Fellow is at the top of the gooseneck game with their Stagg EKG electric kettle line. Let’s see how they manage to achieve unmatched precision in temperature control ...
FWIW, I owned a Fellow, until it failed. Now happily replaced with an OXO kettle: 1500W; much better ergonomics, at least for those with larger hands; fewer steam burns; more readable temperature display.
Well done!
Some call the 2006 liquid explosive terror plot a failure, but it's been one of the most effective ever IMO. The economic and environmental effects [2] of the ban have been massive, likely resulting in thousands of lives lost.
[1] ECAC EDS C3
[2] At London's Heathrow Airport alone, approximately 2.2 tons of liquids, aerosols, and gels were confiscated every day in 2017.
Stainless steel is always preferable from a safety POV.
You want your water in your Aeropress to be as close to boiling as possible if using lightly roasted beans (which I'd wager is most of Aeropress usage)! None of that 80-85 degree celsius nonsense.
Similarly, their description of ceramic burrs is bizarre. Ceramic burrs are not considered "better" than stainless steel ones! If you look into high-end grinders sold for hundreds and thousands of dollars (both commercial and "enthusiast" ones), they will all have stainless steel burrs!
And don't get me started on their description of conical vs flat burrs...
"We spotted casting issues with the new pot" "We can see the density difference in the plastic" "We found aluminum shavings"
For the right audience, this would definitely sell one of those big fancy CT machines.
Not that I'm complaining -- visuals, presentation, content is all thoroughly interesting, speaking as someone with an Aeropress, a Moka. Pretty awesome piece.
Every article from them does pretty well on HN, understandably so.
> The history of coffee provides a rich index of global economic and cultural exchange going back thousands of years.
The history of coffee is less than 600 years old.
> The history of coffee is less than 600 years old.
The history of coffee being traded internationally is around 600 years old. Coffee began being "domesticated" (more in the Graeber "play-farming" sense of the word) at least 7k years ago
Likely even longer before that given the dominance of the plant in parts of Ethiopia. Today the few "coffee forests" remaining are protected ecosystems by UNESCO
Well this is just...not true. Porlex musta sold them pretty hard on Conicals.
Funny, how I’m finding out about that from a CT scan of my kettle :)
To be clear, I like the content displayed here; it's just that the way they chose to move between views of the CAT scan are a little annoying to me.
I switched to one of the (Bialetti-made) stainless steel ones ("Venus" shape) because at one point I lived somewhere with an induction hob. I immaculately saw that the stainless version was considerably easier to clean. Cleaning, afterall, is half the job of using one of these.
Visually, I prefer the aluminium shape of course, but they are a real nightmare to keep clean and presumably you're drinking a lot of that aluminium oxide.
Also the plunger in the aeropress isn't pushed through and STILL compressed in the picture (as shown here). To push it all the way through the cap has to be loosened.
The scans are fascinating though :D
It was fun to walk over to the kitchen and discover something new from a two-year-old appliance!
Polypropylene is generally considered one of the safer plastics with it's high heat tolerance meaning doesn't leach harmful chemicals. While pure polypropylene may be considered safe, additives used in the manufacturing such as colourants or fillers could have their own health risks.
Personally avoid mixing food or drinks with any heated plastics, including my coffee. I use French press for my coffee but if Aeropress is your thing and want to avoid plastic I've heard good things about the Cafelat Robot which is made almost entirely out of aluminium and stainless steel.
Cone is made of glass, stopper is from stainless steel, but the base is made of silicone. I imagine the hot water contact with the silicone will be a lot less compared to AeroPress.
If you get the size 03, you can more easily brew enough coffee for 2 people.
Also, if you are into this, you might like the book:
Cut in Half: The Hidden World Inside Everyday Objects https://www.amazon.com/Cut-Half-Hidden-Everyday-Objects/dp/1...
If you really want to dive down a rabbit hole, look up how they image welds on pipelines... literally inject radioactive gas between two cardboard/clay plugs and tape an xray film on the outside of the weld for an hour or two.
well done.