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Cover Story

1906 Luigi Bezzera and “caffe espresso” at the World Expo, Milan.

The ideal model which Pavoni produced according to the were still no coffee innovators who managed to create a machine
Bezzera’s patent in 1905 is a perfect example of the successful that could brew with more than 1.5-2 bars of pressure without
blending of the Art Nouveau style with industrial design through burning the coffee.
the use of curvy lines, enamel and exotic plant motifs - inspired It was in the 1930s when the first rise of coffee machines
by the coffee plant. With the drive towards Italy country’s self- shines when a Milan barista, Achille Gaggia, designed a machine
sufficiency imposed reducing coffee imports. The Italians who equipped with a lever, or “piston system.” The man to finally
could afford it paid a higher price to continue enjoying a pleasure stripped the two-bar brewing barrier! Most importantly, with the
that was increasingly turn into a kind of ritual; those who could invention of the high-pressure lever machine came the discovery
not, switched to substitutes drinks. During that time, the world of “crema” or the coffee foam. Soon, the war broke out forcing
of coffee machines is still a niche reserved to the privileged few Gaggia to put his thoughts of patenting the machine aside.
who could spare to enjoy this luxury. Many were unwilling to Later in 1948, he transferred the usage rights to the FAEMA
go without real espresso. It was then when the first horizontal company (Fabbrica Apparecchi Elettro Meccanici e Affini). This
machines were developed. Its same side brewing groups enable is what triggered the revolution. The new machine was able to
baristas to deliver several cups of coffee comfortably. The aesthet- bring the water pressure up to 9 atmospheres, enabling it to use
ics design makes espresso machines seen as a luxurious decoration. a lesser quantity of coffee to deliver the same yield. The compo-
New features like cup-warmer, were introduced to enhance the sure of two boilers made it possible to create 90 degrees water
recognition of attention paid in espresso preparation. without any steam. The beverage would be delivered in just over
These initial machines could yield up to 1,000 cups of thirty-seconds; the burnt smell had disappeared and it was for
coffee per hour, but relied exclusively on steam, which had the the first time. This evolution of “crema caffè naturale” or “natural
down side effect of diffusing the coffee with a burnt or bitter taste coffee cream” introduced by Gaggia: it is what makes it inviting
and could only generate up to two bars of atmospheric pressure. for customers to try out this novelty.
This is not even enough for the resulting drink to be considered In the 1950s, coffee is no more a privilege of the elite, Ital-
espresso by today’s expectation. As electricity replaced gas, there ian society came to have coffee as their rituals. Detailed attentions

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