The Traditional Coffee Pot That Helps Bring A Taste Of Naples Into Your Kitchen

Coffee lovers know that it's the pot, not just the bean, that makes the difference in coffee. Drip-pot and single-serve brewers are commonplace in households, with the likes of French presses and pour overs as well as Italian moka pots making occasional appearances. However, the lesser-known cuccuma has long been a coffee making staple in Naples, Italy — a city renowned for its love and appreciation for java. Often called a Neapolitan flip coffee pot, it's essentially two coffee pots that attach together with a filter between them. The bottom pot acts as a water chamber that's covered with the filter, then topped with coffee and heated. Once the water boils, the pot is turned over, allowing the coffee to filter into the second pot, that features a pouring spout.

The cuccuma has been a traditional part of coffee culture since the 1800s, and can actually be traced back to France. Over time, its slower brew and less aggressive process (which allows a better showcasing of the beans' flavor profile) became the preference in Naples, where it found its home. Although the composition somewhat resembles that of a moka pot, it's entirely different. Instead of using steam to push hot water up into the second chamber, the cuccuma uses gravity to filter water down through the coffee grinds.

Traditionally, Napolitanos prefer filling their cuccumas with a medium-dark to dark roast coffee, rather than the lighter alternatives, in keeping with the Italian preference for strong, dark coffee. To this point, there is also a preference for the caffeine-rich robusta coffee bean. This type of coffee bean is enjoyed for its bold flavor and high caffeine content (robusta coffee boasts nearly twice as much caffeine as arabica). 

For your home coffee brewing with a cuccuma, you are best off choosing an espresso roast coffee. This maintains the spirit of enjoying coffee as you would in Naples (and the rest of Italy). Should you like to spice things up, brown sugar and cinnamon are classic additives for any dark roast coffee, and can be rounded out with cream to taste. Fans of a spicier brew may also enjoy a Moroccan-spiced coffee which adds in nutmeg, ginger, cardamom, clove, and black pepper.