For those DUers older than dirt: What is this?

[MajorChode]

[MajorChode]

1. Here's another hint, and no it's not a bong

[rcrush]

26. I dont know what it is but I bet you can turn it INTO a bong!

[Call Me Wesley]

2. Mmmmh, espresso!

Do I win something? It's like my Alessi, just made out of glass. ;)

[MajorChode]

4. Nope, not espresso, but you have the right idea

[Call Me Wesley]

10. Well, coffee in general,

but the design's the same for these nifty Italian espresso machines.

[MajorChode]

17. The design is somewhat similar to moka pot, which is sometimes called "stovetop espresso"

A vac pot makes coffee pretty much the same strength as brewed coffee and/or French press. There is no pressure involved other than the pressure that makes the water in the bottom rise into the top section where is its eventually pulled back down by the resultant vacuum. A moka pot does involve some degree of pressure as the hot water is forced through the grounds and remains in the top section, so the resultant coffee will be somewhat stronger than brewed coffee.

But neither makes what is generally referred to as true espresso(which literally means expressed or coffee produced under pressure), for which you need a pump of some type to produce the necessary pressure involved. Steam pressure alone only produces about 3 bars and you need 9 bars to make what many call true espresso.

[Call Me Wesley]

11. Dupe. (nt)

[flvegan]

3. Really old-skool Boggle hourglass, sans sand.

I'm so good at this.

[MajorChode]

5. Close, you're really close

[MajorChode]

6. OK, one more hint. Think 40's and 50's

[frogmarch]

8. ha, I was right! A friend of mine had one in the early 1960s.

[MajorChode]

12. They were rapidly falling out of fashion in the 1960's

Shitty coffee was in, so everyone was buying instant or plopping their preground Maxwell House into their percolators so they could make their caffeine infused substance that tasted one notch above dishwater.

Vac pots are making a comeback though, and they are still quite popular in Japan where higher quality coffee has always been in vogue.

[frogmarch]

14. It made the best coffee I have ever tasted.

I have looked for a vac pot ever since 1962, when I drank coffee made in one, but I've never found one. I am delighted vac pots are making a comeback. I will buy one as soon as I see one. :-)

[Call Me Wesley]

16. If you like espresso/coffee,

get an Alessi one. I know they're a bit pricey, but believe me, these things not only give you great coffee but will scent your room also with a smell of coffee you'll never get with these yucky filter-n-drip machines.

[frogmarch]

19. Hey, thanks for the tip!

I will try Alessi. I have been trying for ages to find a good coffee maker, one that makes what I consider good coffee.

[Call Me Wesley]

25. There's always Nespresso, too.

www.nespresso.com

[frogmarch]

27. Thanks again. I'll

check it out. :-)

[Call Me Wesley]

29. I'd happily offer you one, but

I think it'll be a lil' cold after it gets there. ;) It's capsule-based you buy either in a Nespresso store or order from the internet. Lots of varieties, and very clean to handle. Used capsules are recycled, and their customer-care is first class.

[MajorChode]

20. There are many commercially available

You can still find the old ones on ebay and thanks to the Japanese you can still get replacement parts for some of them. Cona and Yama are two notable examples and believe it or not, both are still being made.

This is a highly reputable dealer which I recommend:
http://www.sweetmarias.com/prod.brewers.vacuum.php

The Bodum Santos is another example which is relatively cheap and widely available. Personally I like the table top models with a butane burner as you can make and serve right on the table which is kind of neat for guests.

[Call Me Wesley]

15. I had a percolator when I was a teen,

too bad I can't find a picture of it. Was all chrome, US-brand and had the glass top so you could see the coffee going through.

As I said upthread, I still have an Alessi Espresso 'Conica' which uses the same design:
http://www.testberichte.de/imgs/p_imgs/Alessi+La+Conica-157596.jpg

But of course, we have a Nespresso machine now:

[MajorChode]

22. That looks more like a moka pot than a percolator

A percolator is a very nasty device that makes miserable dreck not fit to drink. A moka pot is something different. A percolator continuously boils the coffee and allows it to continuously percolate through the coffee. A moka pot is designed to be a one shot deal.

[Call Me Wesley]

23. Okay, I'm lost in translation here,

yeah, it was a one shot device, same like the Alessi I posted. Now I think 'percolator' sounds really dirty. Ewww ... Like the drip coffee pots that sit on heated pads the whole day, slowly cooking the coffee into acid bitterness.

I looked if I could find the pressure these (very traditional) Italian Espresso pots used, and it's around 6 bar. I haven't used the Alessi in years, but I remember it makes a very nice creamy espresso.

[MajorChode]

24. A lot of people like moka pots

I never really liked them, but that's perhaps because I've never owned one and have only experienced coffee made in them by others.

I have a true espresso machine with an electric pump. I also have a vac pot and a French press, along with a few other various and strange coffee making devices.

[Call Me Wesley]

28. LOL! Sounds like what we have ...

Only I think we trashed the French coffee maker. Now we're hooked on Nespresso, and no, not because of George Clooney. ;) And all of this from a guy who lived on coffee once. I'm better now; just two coffees a day, one in the morning and one after dinner.

[frogmarch]

7. a vacuum coffee maker

[MajorChode]

9. Bing, Bing, Bing!

[av8rdave]

13. Cocaine freebaser?

[MajorChode]

18. Close, more like caffeine freebaser

[sakabatou]

21. Oil lamp or coffee maker

[valerief]

30. It's a hastfood.jpg. nt