How to Use a Neapolitan Coffee Maker

Naples has a long and rich coffee tradition all its own, steeped in a 17th-century innovation called the cuccumella. Also known as the Neapolitan coffee maker, it remains the city’s signature preparation method; a slow, delightful ritual, celebrated daily.

To prepare a wonderful Neapolitan:

Measure 5-6 grams (about 1/5 oz) of medium-ground coffee per cup desired.
Place coffee in the tank’s opening and screw on the filter.
Add the required amount of water at the bottom of the machine, not higher than the small hole. Insert the tank with filter containing ground coffee, and screw the two parts of the machine together.
Place the unit on the stove, spout downwards, and bring water to a boil.
Remove the unit from the heat when steam starts to release from the hole, holding both handles tightly.
Turn the unit upside down, striking it firmly against the counter, so that the water starts passing through the filter, allowing the liquid coffee to collect in the lower portion over the course of a few minutes.
Serve once all coffee collects. Wash all parts thoroughly in warm water (and mild detergent, if necessary). Dry thoroughly.

Naples and the Neapolitan

The Napoletana pot was invented in Naples, based on the first coffee brewing pot, invented in 1691 by Du Belloy. The Napoletana inventor’s identity remains unknown.
Coffee’s popularity rapidly spread throughout Naples by the late 1700s, in large part thanks to a widely read pamphlet authored by a gastronome named Pietro Corrado. Transcribed inside was a popular song praising coffee as the drink of hospitality, friendship and good wishes.