History
Who invented espresso? From Turin in 1884 to your counter
Espresso was not invented by one person in one day. It took four Italian inventors and about eighty years to get from a steam boiler to the machines we compare on this site.
1884: Angelo Moriondo's steam machine
On 16 May 1884, Angelo Moriondo from Turin was granted patent number 33/256 for a steam-driven device that could make coffee "instantaneously". It is the earliest patent on record for a machine of this kind.
1901 to 1903: Bezzera and Pavoni in Milan
In Milan, Luigi Bezzera applied on 19 December 1901 for a patent for improvements to an espresso machine, which was granted in June 1902. In 1903 Desiderio Pavoni bought Bezzera's patent and founded La Pavoni to build and sell the machines. These early machines still worked with steam.
1945: Achille Gaggia and the crema
The big change came in 1945, when Achille Gaggia in Italy developed a piston machine. The barista pulls a lever that loads a spring, and the spring pushes water through the coffee at roughly 8 to 10 bar, far more than steam could manage. This higher pressure is what gives espresso its body and its layer of crema.
Gaggia is still a household name, and its Gaggia Classic Pro is one of the machines we compare.
1961: the Faema E61 and the pump
In 1961 the Faema E61 replaced the lever with an electric pump. It was also the first heat-exchanger machine, so it could brew coffee and steam milk at the same time. Pump-driven machines became the most popular design in espresso bars, and almost every home machine in our comparison also uses an electric pump.
What this history means for your home machine
- Pressure and temperature are what made espresso possible. A good home machine keeps both stable.
- The portafilter size matters if you want to buy accessories later. Many home machines use a smaller basket than the 58 mm common on café machines.
- Crema depends mostly on fresh coffee and a fine, even grind, not only on the machine.
Find your machine
Start with the best espresso machines for beginners or the best machines with a built-in grinder. For the café look at home, see our portafilters and baskets and barista tools.
The video is hosted on YouTube and loads only after you press play.
Sources
- Wikipedia: Espresso machine (patents of Moriondo 1884 and Bezzera 1901, Pavoni 1903, Gaggia 1945, Faema E61 1961)
- Gaggia Milano: The Story of the Espresso Machine Brand (video)
We checked these sources on the date shown above. If you spot a mistake, please tell us through the contact page.