Termica Express - Coffee pot - La Signora - Aluminium - thermal coffee maker

TERMICA EXPRESS – “LA SIGNORA” Meazza & Masciadri – Casale Corte Cerro (VB), Italy Thermal coffee maker with steam pressure – Italian design, 1960s Elegant and particularly interesting testimony of postwar Italian industrial design, Termica Express, known by collectors also as “La Signora,” is a coffee maker designed and produced by Meazza & Masciadri Foundries of Casale Corte Cerro, in the Verbano-Cusio-Ossola region. The model arises between the late 1950s and the early 1960s, a period in which the design of Italian domestic objects began to increasingly combine functionality, technical innovation and formal research. Specialist sources place Termica Express mainly in the 1960s, while there are later testimonies and variants attributable also to the 1970s. A TECHNICAL IDEA PARTICULARLY INNOVATIVE The feature that makes this coffee maker immediately recognizable is its distinctive “moka + thermos” configuration. Termica Express is in fact made up of two distinct elements: the lower part, which contains the water and the filter and functions according to the traditional steam-pressure principle; the upper part, conceived as a true thermal chamber/thermos, intended to collect the freshly extracted coffee and keep it warm. This solution thus allowed not only to prepare the coffee, but also to keep it hot and transport it, solving a practical need with a single domestic appliance. The locking system also presents a technical evolution: in the early specimens a cork stopper is documented, while in later versions a system with expandable rubber gasket, operated by rotation, was adopted, designed to achieve a hermetic seal. MATERIALS AND CONSTRUCTION The construction well represents the material culture of Italian design of the period. The body of the coffee maker is mainly made of aluminum, a material widely used in Italian domestic production of the period for its lightness, resistance and good thermal conductivity. The parts intended for gripping are made of Bakelite/thermosetting plastic, generally black, a material characteristic of household objects and appliances of the period. Collecting sources specifically identify the aluminum and Bakelite combination for Termica Express. The upper thermal structure constitutes the most original design element of the entire object and gives the coffee maker its distinctive slender and almost sculptural look. “LA SIGNORA”: AN ICON OF ITALIAN COFFEE MAKERS The nickname “La Signora” derives from the soft, rounded, sinuous shapes of the model, very representative of the Italian domestic aesthetic of the 1960s. It also features the characteristic Signora logo, identifiable to the manufacturer. Termica Express therefore is not simply part of the category of old coffee makers: it represents an interesting example of Italian modern design, where a daily-use object becomes an expression of design research and technical innovation. CAPACITY AND DIFFUSION Available documentation shows several capacities, including a smaller version of about 4–5 cups and a larger version of 9 cups. There are currently no reliable data regarding the overall production quantity of the model; for this reason an arbitrary number of units produced is not given. Termica Express is today a clearly recognizable object within the collection of Italian historic coffee makers and continues to appear in the international modern design market and in specialized auctions. The presence of original specimens in Catawiki auctions and catalogs devoted to coffee maker collecting confirms interest among design enthusiasts and followers of Italian material culture. COLLECTOR INTEREST The value of this model lies mainly in the combination of: • historical Italian production • Meazza & Masciadri craftsmanship • 1960s industrial design • special moka/thermos system • use of aluminum and Bakelite • instantly recognizable form • production in multiple capacities • interest in vintage coffee maker collecting Termica Express thus is a piece that fits perfectly within the Italian modern design landscape of the 20th century, particularly interesting for those who collect historic coffee makers, design objects, articles for Italian cuisine and testimonies of postwar domestic industrial production. A piece with strong vintage character, but above all an object in which function becomes design: a simple and ingenious design solution that anticipates the contemporary concept of a multifunctional product. Production: Italy Manufacturing company: Meazza & Masciadri Place of production: Casale Corte Cerro (VB), Piedmont Model: Termica Express / “La Signora” Period: mainly 1960s, with later variants in the 1970s Operation: steam pressure, flame Materials: aluminum, Bakelite/plastic, components with rubber gasket in later versions Documented capacities: about 4–5 and 9 cups Category: Italian modern design / Industrial design / Collecting of coffee makers

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