Designer Matteo Frontini has updated the classic Moka coffee pot, adding a helical spiral base informed by jet engines that he says cuts the time needed to brew coffee in half.

The Turbo Moka seeks to transform the daily ritual of making coffee by refining the iconic coffee pot invented in 1933 by Alfonso Bialetti and Luigi De Ponti.

The Turbo Moka is a play on Alfonso Bialetti and Luigi De Ponti’s iconic coffee pot invented in 1933

Frontini developed the first prototype in 2024 with the intention of reinterpreting the familiar coffee maker through a contemporary lens.

Turbo Moka’s helical spiral design has 93 per cent more surface area and therefore allows for twice the contact time with the flame compared to a conventional Moka pot.

Turbo Moka’s helical spiral design has 93 per cent more surface area

Consequently, the designer suggested it is capable of brewing coffee in half the time, using 30 per cent less energy or gas consumption.

“We didn’t want a revolution, but an evolution,” said Frontini. “With Turbo Moka we aim to celebrate an almost century-old tradition, reinterpreting it through a multidisciplinary approach that combines good design, physics and environmental awareness.”

The pot’s spiral-shaped water chamber is informed by aircraft turbines

Turbo Moka’s spiral-shaped water chamber was informed by aircraft turbines and engineered according to the principles of fluid dynamics and thermodynamics.

While the boiler section differs from a traditional Moka pot due to its innovative fluid form, the main body and the internal funnel and filter retain the original’s familiar design.

Turbo Moka is entirely made in Italy using a traditional lost-wax casting process

The product is entirely made in Italy using a traditional lost-wax casting process in which molten aluminium is poured into an individual wax mould.

Turbo Moka launched during this year’s Salone del Mobile design fair and is currently available in a three-cup version, with one- and six-cup versions set to be released in the near future.

The original moka pot features an octagonal chamber in which water is heated, producing steam pressure that forces the hot water upwards through ground coffee to create a stronger brew than traditional drip methods.

Italian design brand Alessi, whose president Alberto Alessi is Alfonso Bialetti’s grandson, has produced several alternative versions of the Moka pot, including an iconic rocket-shaped design by Richard Sapper.

Molten aluminium is poured into an individual wax mould

Architect David Chipperfield’s stovetop espresso maker for Alessi features a flat lid and minimalist handle, while Memphis Group founding member Michele De Lucchi created a version with a curvaceous silhouette.

The photography is courtesy of Matteo Frontini.

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