1970's Vintage Italian Bakelite Electric Coffee Percolator in Action!

Good morning! Time for a piping hot espresso, courtesy of our vintage Velox Ferrara electric coffee percolator, made primarily of bakelite and aluminum and designed in the 1950s. This one makes a single cup but BOY is it good!

Velox has been manufacturing electric coffee makers in its historical Ferrara, Italy location since the 1920s.

An espresso machine brews coffee by forcing pressurized water near boiling point through a "puck" of ground coffee and a filter in order to produce a thick, concentrated coffee called espresso. The first machine for making espresso was built and patented in 1905. An espresso machine may also have a steam wand which is used to steam and froth liquids (such as milk) for coffee drinks such as cappuccino and caffe latte.

Espresso machines may be steam-driven, piston-driven, pump-driven, or air-pump-driven. Machines may also be manual or automatic.

And in case this is your first time hearing about bakelite:

Polyoxybenzylmethylenglycolanhydride, better known as Bakelite, was the first plastic made from synthetic components. It was developed in New York in 1907.

The creation of a synthetic plastic was revolutionary for its electrical non-conductivity and heat-resistant properties in electrical insulators, radio and telephone casings and such diverse products as kitchenware, jewelry, pipe stems, children's toys, and firearms. The "retro" appeal of old Bakelite products has made them collectible.

Bakelite was designated a National Historic Chemical Landmark on November 9, 1993, by the American Chemical Society in recognition of its significance as the world's first synthetic plastic.