Espresso Machines: Developmental History

Written by Mark Knowles

Monday, 05 October 2009 09:22

Thanks to the commercialized coffee industry espresso has become of of the worlds most popular coffee based drinks. Espresso machines can be found in coffee houses as well as the average persons home these days and there are many options available.

by MarkKnowles

Thanks to the commercialized coffee industry espresso has become of of the worlds most popular coffee based drinks. Espresso coffee machines can be found in coffee houses as well as the average persons home these days and there are many options available.

The espresso maker was first invented in 1901 and since then there have been many versions to hit the market. Common mechanisms on an espresso coffee maker include the portafilter which use a metal basket to hold the coffee grounds and a steam wand which can be used to froth and steam milk for drinks when needed.

There are four common styles of the espresso maker. Each of these will be briefly discussed in the text following. Each one has it's own unique aspects.

Piston: Achille Gaggia, the founder of the manufacturer Gaggia, created the piston driven espresso coffee maker in 1945. This type of maker is easy to use by way of a lever being pumped by the user to force hot water through the grounds. The term "pulling a shot" derived from the usage of this coffee maker since it requires pulling the lever multiple times to get the outcome that you want. There are two main types of the piston style coffee maker, manual and spring driven. Manual requires the user to push the hot water through the grounds by simply pulling on the lever while spring driven requires the user to tension a spring which in turn builds the pressure needed to make the drink.

Pump: Pump style espresso coffee machines work off of a motorized pump. This pumps builds the force needed to brew the drink properly. This is the type of machine you will see most often in coffee shops because it gets the job done quickly. Commercial styles are hooked in to the buildings plumbing making them ideal for business use while cheaper versions that are normally used at home come with a built in water reservoir.

Steam: Steam driven espresso coffee machines are just as simple as they sound. Steam pressure builds to push the water through the coffee grounds and it is about as simple as that. The first espresso makers created employed this type of functioning and because they require no moving parts are still used today because of the cheap manufacturing process.

Air Pressure: Air pressure espresso makers are more commonly known as Handpresso coffee machines. This name comes from the creater, Nielsen Innovation, who invented the product in 2006. It met fame in 2007 when it was first introduced in stores.

If you are looking to add an espresso machine to your home or business you can see that you have a lot of options. The setting and frequency in which you will be using the coffee maker should be a big factor in your purchase decision. The price range on espresso makers are vast and brand and ability play a huge role in the sticker price. All will give you the same result in the end, great espresso drinks.

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Before buying an Italian espresso maker, it is vital to do some research and testing if possible. Italian espresso makers can vary greatly in price and quality.