Espresso is a process of extracting flavor from coffee beans.

In 1901, Luigi Bezzera filed a patent for a machine that contained a boiler and four "groups".

Each group could take varying sized filters that contained the coffee grounds. Boiling water and steam were forced through the coffee and into the cup.

Desiderio Pavoni purchased Luigi Bezzera's patent in 1903 and in 1905, began manufacturing machines based on the patent.

The first espresso machine was installed in the United States in 1927 at Regio's in New York. The "La Pavoni" machine is on display there today.


In 1938, M. Cremonesi developed a piston pump that forced hot, not boiling, water through the coffee. The piston pump was quite an improvement as it eliminated the burnt taste of coffee which occured in the Pavoni machine.

Installed at Gaggia's Coffee Bar in 1946, Achille Gaggia began manufacturing a commercial piston machine. The resulting coffee had a layer of foam or "crema".

Water taken from the fresh water supply traveled through a tube that passed through the boiler and then through the coffee.

This allowed the water to be at the optimal temperature, off the boil, filtered, and not have to stay in the boiler for a long period of time. Today, most restaurants use pump based machines.


In 1961, M. Faema launched a pump based machine. The water was forced through the coffee by an electric pump rather than a manually operated piston.

Espresso machines have had many innovations in design to produce a consistent product regardless of the operator. Early designs were based on the operator deciding when to stop the machine.

Another innovation for espresso lovers included the "fully automatic" machine that ground the beans, frothed the milk and delivered a complete cup, all with the touch of a button.