Espresso

Espresso is a concentrated coffee based drink with a thick consistency and is served in small cups.  It is also the main ingredient for other coffee based drinks such as; cappuccino, latte and macchiato to name a few. Espresso translated into English means ‘fast’ and many Italians frequent the cafes first thing in the morning and order this ‘fast’ shot of coffee to jump-start their day before heading off to work.

Espresso coffee dates back to the 1800’s however it was in the early 1900’s when Luigi Bezzera, who was the owner of a manufacturing company in Milan, wanted to find a way to reduce the time taken by his employees for coffee breaks.  Bezzera came up with numerous ideas on how to improve the espresso machine in order to reduce the brewing process and in doing so, he even managed to produce a better tasting espresso to what had previously been made (although Bezzera’s espresso was known to have a bit of a burnt aftertaste to it.)  However this burnt aftertaste in the espresso was rectified in the 1930’s by factory worker Cremonesi, who developed a spring piston pump that forced hot water instead of boiling water through the coffee.  This improvement got rid of the burnt aftertaste and also produced a creamy finish to the espresso.

To date espresso has become popular worldwide and in many towns and cities throughout the world, authentic Italian coffee bars are popping up everywhere.