The espresso machine history dates back to 1822 with the first espresso machine.

The modern espresso machine was created by Gaggia in 1946.

There are 3 main types of espresso machine.

Steam Driven

The earliest espresso machines were the steam driven type which work by forcing water through the coffee grinds using steam pressure.

This technique is still used on some domestic espresso machine, as it requires no moving parts, so they can be produced at low cost.

The problem with steam driven machines is that there is possibilty that the steam can scald the coffee affecting the taste.

Piston / Lever Driven

The piston / lever driven espresso machine works by the barista pumping a lever which puts the water under pressure.

The water is then forced through the ground coffee producing the espresso.

This method is still popular today, however they tend to be more domestic machines than commercial.

Lever espresso machines were the first to produce espresso with a crema.

This crema was at first looked upon with mistrust but after trying most people agreed the taste was less and more enjoyable.

Today this crema is recognised as a sign of a good espresso.

Pump Driven

The pump driven espresso machine works on the same priniples as the lever machine, but uses a pump to create the water pressure.

This allows the espresso to be created without any effort from the barista.

Most modern commercial espresso machines work at the touch of a button, sending the correct amount of water, at the right temperature and pressure , through the coffee in the group head.

A Modern Automatic Espresso Machine

Making an espresso

To make an espresso you need to start by grinding 7-10 grams coffee beans finely.
This poured in to a group head which is a metal cup with tiny perforated holes to alow the water through.
The ground coffee should be tamped down with 5 pounds of pressure to form a puck shape.
Water heated to 90 °C (194 °F) is forced through the ground coffee at a minumun of 9 bar pressure, though higher is better 12-14 being ideal.
To make an ideal espresso this extraction time should be between 20-25 secs.

Jura Logo

Franke Logo

Franke coffee started out in 1880 as the Augsburger company, in 1984 Augsburger became Franke Coffee Systems.

Franke Coffee Systems is an internationally recognised brand in coffee machines aiming to serve its customers by the use of innovation and technical solutions.
Franke uses a service network across the globe, drawing on close to 100 years of experience.

The Italian company Brasilia have manufactured and distributed coffee machines all over the world for over twenty five years and currently employs over 200 people.

Known as  market place leaders and developers, their coffee machines provide commercial and catering  coffee solutions in terms of style, quality and functionality.

Brasilia developed the ‘PressurePlus’ brewing system which is the only coffee system in the world to brew coffee at 14 bar pressure, as apposed to the standard 9,  leading to a better extraction and is claimed to make a far superior espresso.

Brasilia Logo

Brasilia’s Mission (From Brasilia’s Italian site)

To provide out standing products and services that improve peoples lives by combining culture and tradition with relevant technologies and innovative solutions, aiming at total quality, consistency and reliability in total respect and harmony with the environment.

Gaggia Logo

GAGGIA’s mission (From Gaggia’s Italian site)

For over fifty years Gaggia has been filling coffeeshops and houses through out the world with the unmistakable aroma of espresso coffee made with any one of the various Gaggia coffee machines, blending the strong tradition associated with one of the best known brands in Italy with innovation and technological evolution.

With this perspective Gaggia aim to place themselves on the ever more dynamic markets of the new millennium, a company deeply rooted in their past as regards quality and care for details, yet looking forward to the future in an constant search for ever more efficient and more innovative performance and design, with the aim to full their customers needs.
Constantly evolving tradition.

The first coffee machine was made in 1818 by Mr Laurens of Paris, France.
His machine was a percolator type coffee machine.
His percolator consisted of a metal pot with a chamber at the bottom which is placed on the heat. A vertical pipe extends from the chamber to the percolators top.
Just below the top of this pipe is a perforated chamber.
The water when heated rose up the pipe and infused the coffee above.

Traditional Coffee Percolator

James Napier was an English engineer who created the vacuum siphon coffee machine in 1853.
In the vacuum siphon coffee machine the coffee, when ready, was drawn a jug by a into a globe top using a vacuum, from where is was poured out through a tap.

The filter coffee machine was not invented until 1908.
Melitta Bentz, a housewife from Germany was looking for a way to brew coffee without it becoming bitter due to the common over brewing of the coffee machines at the time.
She experimented with pouring boiling water over coffee sat in different types of paper.
She eventually found that blotting paper was the most effective and the filter coffee system was born.
In December of that year Melitta and her husband Hugo founded the Melitta Bentz Company selling over 1200 coffee filter the next year.
Mellitta Bentz patented the filter bag in 1937 and also patented vacuumpacking in 1962.

Espresso Machine

The espresso, not eXpresso, machine was first invented in 1822 by a French man named Louis Bernard Rabaut.
His espresso machine used steam to force hot water through ground coffee, creating the first espresso coffee machine.

The first Italian coffee machine dates back to 1901 when an engineer, Luigi Bezzera registered his patent in Milan.
This machine had a column shaped body made from copper and brass and had a very imposing presence.
Bezzera’s design became the standard for decades and is still being made by companies today for business looking for a more traditional style machine.

Traditional Espresso Machine

Dr Ernest Illy invented the first automatic espresso machine in 1833, he went on to found Illy Caffe (Caffe is Italian for Coffee).

Today’s modern espresso machine was invented by Achilles Gaggia in 1946.
On the 5th of September 1938 Achilles Gaggia filed patent no. 365726 and the modern steam-free coffee machine had arrived.

Gaggia achievement was soon after put on hold due to the out break of the Second World War.
After the war had ended Achilles Gaggia created his company Gaggia who are still making espresso machines today.

Modern Espresso Machine