History Of The Espresso

Summary: There is nothing great than sipping a hot cup of coffee in the chilly mornings. It simply feels great having the espresso. Yes, we are talking espresso, which is one of the most famous and preferred coffee types across the globe. Well, since we started talking about espresso, why not take a brief sneak peek into its history and what exactly it is. What do you say? Basically espresso is a flavorful and strong coffee beverage prepared when hot water is forced under a high pr...

There is nothing great than sipping a hot cup of coffee in the chilly mornings. It simply feels great having the espresso. Yes, we are talking espresso, which is one of the most famous and preferred coffee types across the globe. Well, since we started talking about espresso, why not take a brief sneak peek into its history and what exactly it is. What do you say? Basically espresso is a flavorful and strong coffee beverage prepared when hot water is forced under a high pressure and made to pass through finely ground coffee beans. The color of the coffee is typically dark brown with brown/red colored foam on the top. Espresso is commonly served in small portions. Unlike other drip-brewed coffees, espresso is identified with its robust flavor and thick consistency. Following its potency, straight espresso or espresso served without milk or sweetener is generally considered to be an acquired taste. In the United States, this espresso is served in small amounts known as shots. Many avid coffee fanatics even order single or double espressos along with a glass of water to void the taste. Espresso was basically originated in Italy in the 20th century. Indeed Espresso is an Italian word that means fast. A gentleman named Luigi Bezzera made a coffee machine that had four divisions and a boiler in 1901. He even got the machine patented. This machine used to force boiling water and steam via coffee into the container or cup. This very machine is regarded as the inception of espresso. In 1903, Desiderio Pavoni purchased the patent from Luigi Bezzera and the Pavoni Compnay started developing coffee machines in 1905 which were based on Luigi's patent. The machines produced by the company came to be known as the "La Pavona" and became famous immensely. These machines even reached the America in 1927. The flaws in these early machines soon came forward. The boiling water and the steam that was forced via machine gave coffee a certain kind of burn flavor. So, Cremonesi in 1938 built a piston pump that forced hot water rather than boiling water through the coffee. Moreover, this design was also incorporated in Achille Gaggia's coffee bar. During the World War II the Gaggia's small quantity of machines were destroyed by a bomb and any further developments of espresso machines got hindered. As the war came to the end, Gaggia began manufacturing a viable piston pump. As the machine used the spring lever, it was considered very innovative. Following the use of the spring lever, the coffee could be pressurized which was entirely independent of the boiler. These earlier machines used to employ the force of the boiler pressure to force water through the coffee. The coffee that was produced from this machine characterized a Creama which became the hallmark of espresso coffee. In true terms, this was a major inception of espresso machines. Further in 1961, M Faema made an improvement in the Gaggia's machine. Faema developed machine that consisted of an electric pump. This pump used to force water through the coffee. This machine underlined the inception of pump driven machines which paved way for the modern espresso machines.