Amid Recession, Italians Returning to Home Moka Pots

A sure sign of a recession may be that Italians are foregoing their normal cafe stops, instead making coffee at home to save a few euros. According to a recent Reuters report, an increasing number of Italians are returning to traditional stovetop moka pots  for their morning coffee, and others are turing to an even less traditional means: single-cup brewing systems.

Here’s more from Reuters:

In Italy, nearly 80 percent of the population drink coffee at home, and nearly 60 percent own a moka, leading moka manufacturer Bialetti said, adding the recession was encouraging the use of ground coffee.

“Consumers have certainly become more cautious about spending, and the cost of coffee-filled cups is higher than ground coffee,” said Gaia Mazzon, head of communications at Bialetti.

The good news is that virtually no one is predicting a decline in overall coffee consumption among Italians. Italy remains annually between the third and fifth largest importer of coffee worldwide.

“I cannot see a permanent drop in consumption in Italy … because it’s part of their culture,” Roberio Silva, Executive Director, International Coffee Organisation, told Reuters.