Home espresso equipment is exploding onto the home gadget market in ever skyrocketing numbers and designs with ever more affordable prices, but what is the true definition and roots of espresso coffee and what are the crucial factors in a great home espresso ?
Cafe espresso or simply, espresso, as it is now commonly known, is a concentrated coffee libation brewed by forcing hot water under pressure thru finely ground coffee beans.
The term cafe-espress was first coined in the late 1880s, long before espresso machines were invented and simply means coffee made to order, expressly for the person ordering it.
The earliest espresso coffee machines were unveiled in the early 20th Century, and the original patent being filed by Luigi Bezzera of Milan, Italy, in 1901. However this early equipment used steam pressure not hot water to brew the espresso and it was not until the mid-1940s, when the design was updated to a piston lever home espresso machine.
Thanks to the pressurised water involved in the brewing process, the flavours and chemicals in a good espresso become extremely concentrated. Because of this, espresso is employed as a base for other coffees like latte, cappuccino, mocha and macchiato.
The main differences between a great espresso and either drip or coffee from other brewing processes are a thicker consistency, more dissolved solids and crema, a red or brown foam that floats on the top of the coffee which is a mixture of vegetable oils, proteins and sugars.
While it obviously depends on the individual coffee beans used and the operator or barista, as a general rule there is about 2 to 3 times the amount of caffeine in an espresso than in the same volume of drip brewed coffee. The expert operator of an espresso machine is a barista, the Italian name for a bartender.
Home espresso machines have surged in popularity with the general rise of interest in espresso, largely since the 1990's and the huge upsurge in the number of coffee houses and chains in every street & mall.
We are currently experiencing a new wave of creativity as the electronics industry turns it's attentions to home espresso machines and we will now find a large range of espresso equipment in expert kitchen and appliance stores, online vendors and shops.
Most are fully automatic, push button home espresso coffee makers which can both grind and brew a fresh cup with only one press. They usually make a better espresso than poorly trained humans, but rarely as good as the best trained baristas.
It may be that the success of the big coffee chains in educating the masses in the joys of espresso will be their undoing as many more people can now enjoy their espresso at home.
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