What is an espresso machine?

In 1822, a French man named Louis Bemard Rabaut contrived a machine for making espresso. That is it – espresso machine. This is the first espresso coffee machine and the steam-driven machine in which hot water is forced through ground coffee by steam. After a decade, the automatic espresso machine was first invented by Dr. Emest lly, an Italian. Over a century went by; the modern coffee machine had arrived on September 5, 1938 when Achilles Gaggia filled patent No.365726. However, his achievement was not carried out immediately because of the barrier of the World War II. In 1946, when the war had ended, Achilles Gaggia started to set up his own company and produce the first modern espresso machine. From that until now, the company is still making espresso machines.

Espresso machine in the United States.

Recently, together with the popularity of espresso drink, espresso machines also become essential in daily life of many people. Typically, the demand for espresso of American has increased considerably in the last two decades. Espresso drinks almost exist everywhere in the United States: bookstores, grocery stores, laundromats, gas stations and movie theaters. “In Seattle, Washington, you can’t walk more than a couple of blocks without seeing a café or espresso cart”. In parking lots, there are many roving espresso cart and on the sidewalk, there are vans-espresso cart like hot-dog vendors in New York. Otherwise, to serve espresso at home, many choose to buy household espresso machines. These machines are not as large as the commercial machines used in cafés but in principle, they are identical.

Espresso machine and its main types.

Steam-driven espresso machine. 

Generally, there are two main kinds of espresso machines: steam-driven and pump-driven. Steam-driven machine is the traditional type of machine worked on a steam-pressure basic in which “steam or steam pressure is used to force water through the coffee grounds and produce espresso”. Especially, some steam-driven machines can create a measure of foamy cream. Nevertheless, pressure and the exact temperature control are not created or provided enough to make true espresso by this machine. The type of espresso machine that makes much more true espresso is pump-driven machines, which “use an electric pump rather than steam-generated pressure to force water through the coffee grounds”.

Pump-driven espresso machine.

Pump-driven machines are divided into two basic categories: super-automatic espresso machines and semi-automatic espresso machines. In semi-automatic espresso machines, several steps are automated while other steps are not. The outstanding feature of this machine is that users are free to put their personal stamp on the product instead of repeating some of the similar steps relevant to make an espresso on the stovetop. Generally speaking, “the semi-automatic espresso machine is all about fine-tuning, giving you the precise taste, temperature and body that you love in your shots of espresso”. This will be the best choice of one who is a “hands on” espresso connoisseur and likes doing several additional steps for certain highest quality espresso. In contrast, super-automatic espresso machines are extremely convenient.

All the things that you need to do are just to fill the hopper with coffee beans and turn it on because majority of the brewing steps are automated. Totally, “super- automatic espresso makers are great for those who just want great-tasting espresso without the fuss and muss”. In conclusion, this type of machine is most suitable for “on the go” person who put convenience in the top priority.

To sum up, there are two main kinds of espresso machines. They are steam-driven espresso machine and pump-driven espresso machine. These machines have been undergone a long period on continuous innovation from manual machines to automatic machines as we all know today. With machines, coffee lovers today will not wait for a perfect espresso cup any more because the machines can brew a coffee cup within a minute.