History
The first sketch of an early version of the espresso machine is dated back to the beginning of the 20th century. It was produced by an Italian called Bazzera and in 1903 he received the patent license for it. Bazzera’s businesses didn´t go very well so he had to sell his patent for about 5 €, counting with today´s money. It was bought by another Italian, Pavoni who continued to develop the espresso machine together with his partner Vittoria Arduino, and in 1905 they constructed the first machine. The machine used high pressure to press water through ground coffee and voila, the espresso was born.
In 1961 Faema revolutionized the espresso industry by presenting the first pump driven espresso machine. Still to this day it is mostly the pump driven machine that supplies us with our beloved espressos, even though there are still some people who enjoy the handicraft that comes with using a piston machine.
The coffee bean
To make the perfect espresso, each detail from bean to cup has to be top quality. The bean should be Arabica as it has the best quality and flavor, something all coffee enthusiasts agree on. However, mixing some Robusta beans (ca 10 %) with the Arabica beans, may give the espresso a better crema and a more distinguished flavor, so many baristas are now doing that, even though the Robusta beans are generally of a poorer quality. Finding your personal perfect blend requires some experimenting. The beans need to be as fresh as possible and roasted until they become really dark and strong in flavor. To make the best espresso the beans should be ground just before brewing, which means that anyone who aims at making good espressos at home needs to purchase a good grinder and always buy the fresh beans whole.
The crema
A good espresso always has compact golden foam on the top. This foam is called crema and is one of the most important components of the espresso. If you visit a coffee shop worthy of its name they will never serve an espresso without crema, it would be undignified. A bad espresso has one or more of the following:
1. Bitter taste
2. Thin consistency
3. No crema
However, a nice crema does not guarantee a good espresso as it can hide a terrible coffee underneath. A good espresso, though, always has a silky crema on top.
The taste sensation
For a true coffee lover there is nothing better than a well made cup of coffee, no matter the kind. When the bean is fresh and just ground, when the pressure and temperature are just right, when the crema lies as a thick cover on the black beverage and the distinguished scent spreads with all its power and mercilessly forces its way into your smell and taste organs, then there is nothing able to compete with it. Many become close to lyric over a successful cup of espresso, and if you once fall in love, you will be devoted to it forever.