Alessi — Pulcina MDL02/1 B | Aluminum espresso coffee maker

There is something alive in the Pulcina. Perhaps it is the slightly raised spout, which holds the coffee for a few extra moments before letting it fall into the cup - a slow, deliberate, almost affectionate gesture. Perhaps it is the rounded silhouette, so different from the severe geometry of traditional coffee makers: a die-cast aluminum body that warms in your hands with the familiarity of an antique object, finished with a black polyamide handle and knob, matte and firm to the touch. It is a one-cup moka pot, designed for the solitary ritual of the morning, when coffee is still something private. Michele De Lucchi designed it with the same scholarly attention to detail he brings to architecture. De Lucchi - one of the founders of Memphis, later Olivetti's creative director, and subsequently a designer of railway stations and museums - knows that everyday objects carry enormous symbolic weight. The Pulcina was born from an in-depth study of the Italian moka pot: De Lucchi rethought the angle of the filter, the shape of the lower chamber, and above all the patented pressure-release valve that regulates the flow of steam, producing a creamier, less bitter espresso. The name, "pulcina," evokes something small and precious - a chick, precisely, with all the warmth that word carries. At Stilmobili, we chose the Pulcina because it represents exactly that boundary between authored design and everyday use that defines us: an object serious in its materials, rigorous in its design, yet capable of evoking emotion. It is the ideal gift for those who love coffee as a form of culture, who live in carefully curated spaces and do not want even the moka pot to be out of place. Project notes: die-cast aluminum, handle and knob in black polyamide. Capacity 7 cl - one cup. Dimensions 12.5 × 7.2 × 16.5 cm. Compatible with gas, electric, and halogen cooktops.