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Espresso machine history

The literal meaning of the word "espresso" is, made on the spur of the moment. It is an adjective applied to foods and drinks that are made at the moment of asking, and in Italy it is chiefly used to describe coffee, so that it has become a noun: when you ask for "an espresso" in a bar or restaurant it always meant a coffee.

This new method of making coffee was developed at the end of the 19th century (the first machine was shown at the Paris Fair in 1855) to overcome the drawbacks of the other methods, in particular the time they take (several minutes) and the consequent loss of aroma when the coffee is kept hot instead of being consumed immediately. The new machine had to be able to make one or two coffees at a time quickly, so that the customer had only to wait a few moments to be served. In order to make the water pass more speedily through the measured amount of ground coffee, the inventors had the idea of putting the water under pressure. Initially the steam provided this pressure that the barman skillfully regulated by means of various taps: making espresso coffee in those days was a real art. The first manufacturer of espresso machines was Bezzerra (1901), followed in the next 50 years by seven other Italians and two Frenchmen.

In 1935 Dr. Francesco Illy substituted compressed air for steam, so producing the first automatic machine. All the trade models at that time were rather complicated, expensive and difficult to operate: they were to be found in "pioneering" establishments, used to attract a larger clientele. Things changed in 1945, the date of the introduction of the Gaggia™ machine. Its concept drastically simplified the design and action of the espresso machine, the pressure being provided by a large spring, previously "oaded" by means of a lever. The spring drives a piston, which in turn compresses the water.

To this day in some areas of Southern Italy, these "lever" machines are preferred to the other models for the quality of the espresso they produce. In the 50's the lever models, sold by various manufacturers conquered the market in Italian bars and restaurants.

Another great innovation followed at the end of the decade: Ernesto Valente, who had produced the Faema™ (1950), had the idea of replacing the spring of the lever machine with a rotating pump driven by a small electric motor.

As it was not possible to work the pump with hot water, Valente decided to compress the water while it was still cold, before passing it into the heat exchanger in the boiler of the machine. Whereas previously the water had been first heated and then compressed, from now on the order was reversed. Thus in 1961 came the first model of the "continuous delivery" machines, the famed Faema E61 of which hundreds are in use.
Excerpted from The Book of Coffee© by Francesco and Riccardo Illy

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