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As an indispensable part of Italian life, every cup of espresso tells a story about region, culture, and the history of rapid social development. The earliest espresso was invented in the late 19th century, while the espresso we encounter today is made using the method developed after the pressurized coffee machine was improved in the early 20th century.

Espresso became widely known around the world largely because Starbucks introduced and applied espresso machines in its stores globally, sparking a wave of espresso culture. Does espresso taste good? How do you make espresso? In this article, Front Street Coffee will walk you through the story of the birth of the espresso machine.

Early Italian Coffee Culture

Italy has a very long history of coffee drinking. Since 1580, coffee beans originating from Africa and the Middle East entered Italy through the port of Venice, and at first it was a beverage only the upper class could enjoy. Because it was a "Muslim drink" from the Middle East and Turkey, many Christian Italians called it "the devil's drink."

It was not until the early 17th century that Pope Clement VIII fell in love with this dark beverage, gave coffee a baptism, officially declared it a Christian drink, and named it "the drink of God." Soon after, in 1645, Rome opened Europe's first coffee house, also Italy's earliest shop dedicated to selling coffee, and from then on coffee spread rapidly throughout Italy.

Italians' contribution to coffee lies not only in flavor, but even more in the development of equipment

In the early days, people used old-fashioned Turkish pots to brew coffee and then filtered it. With the arrival of the Industrial Revolution, everything seemed to pursue a fast pace, and Italians were no exception. In 1884, Angelo Moriondo successfully registered a patent in Turin, Italy, for a steam-powered machine used to make coffee. However, because this device relied entirely on steam, the temperature was difficult to control, often making the coffee burnt and bitter, so it was later modified many times by different people.

In the early 19th century, Milanese manufacturer Luigi Bezzera improved this patent and introduced the prototype of the world's first steam-pressure coffee machine. It not only had a detachable handle and a separable assembly head, but could also extract a cup of coffee in a short time using high pressure.

(Luigi Bezzera's Espresso Machine)

With the introduction and application of the new machine, more and more Italians fell in love with the coffee quickly extracted by this machine. The word "espresso" was first included in an Italian dictionary around 1920, defined as: concentrated coffee made using a pressurized machine or filter.

For those tasting this "fast coffee" for the first time back then, it did not taste good, but after learning that it was obtained quickly through steam pressure, Italians seemed to be injected with adrenaline, constantly thinking about how to upgrade and modify this steam-powered coffee machine to make the coffee it produced taste better.

For example, Achille Gaggia, an engineer in Milan, managed in 1938 to add a lever to the coffee machine, which could forcibly increase the water pressure sharply from 1.5 bar to 9 bar. This not only gave the coffee a layer of dark brown "crema," but also quantified the volume of the solution, making coffee quality more stable.

In this way, thanks to people's refinement and popularization of these machines, coffee-making methods underwent earth-shaking changes. High speed and convenience also became new indicators of service in every coffee shop, and that small cup of espresso began to evolve into the foundational core of today's modern coffee system.

When espresso reached its final form, coffee culture had also caught up. Compared with many other countries, Italian coffee shops focus on an atmosphere of high efficiency and fast pace, which perfectly matches the small cup of espresso, allowing people passing by to enjoy it quickly, chat briefly with acquaintances, and then leave. Taking a short break to order an espresso in a coffee shop can be said to be one of Italians' most deeply rooted habits.

Walking into a coffee shop, they will tell the barista directly to give them a single espresso. Most are primarily dark-roasted and bitter, and robusta is generally added to make the crema richer. Some people add a little yellow sugar and stir before tasting, then drink it in one gulp, which is very satisfying. A cup of espresso in Italy usually costs only 1 euro, equivalent to 7 RMB, making it a very affordable beverage.

How Do You Make Espresso?

Each espresso extraction has different dose limits depending on the size of the filter basket. Front Street Coffee (FrontStreet Coffee) uses 10-11g of coffee grounds to make a single shot of espresso, extracting 20-25g of coffee liquid in about 22 seconds; to make a double shot of espresso, it uses 19-20g of coffee grounds to produce 35-40g of coffee liquid in about 29 seconds.

Every espresso machine and espresso grinder has different performance, and different coffee beans also have different conditions. It is not 100% guaranteed that you can extract delicious espresso under these figures. The above are only the parameters for extracting espresso at Front Street Coffee (FrontStreet Coffee) stores, using the Q18 grinder, Lelit coffee machine, and Front Street Coffee (FrontStreet Coffee) Sunflower Warm Sun blend coffee beans (made from 30% sun-dried Yirgacheffe coffee beans + 70% Sydney coffee beans).

Through extremely fine grinding, and in a 9-10 bar vacuum environment, 94°C water is quickly passed through the coffee particles. The extracted espresso drips from the portafilter as smoothly as honey, with the color changing from reddish-brown to a front golden yellow. After extraction is complete, the surface of the espresso is covered with a delicate layer of golden crema (the oily foam produced when carbon dioxide in the coffee particles combines with coffee oils and emulsifies in a vacuum environment).

Factors that determinethe taste of espresso

The most important things in making espresso are dose, ratio, time, grind size, water temperature, and pressure. Each step will change the final expression of the coffee's taste. Most machines have a preset scheme for water temperature and pressure, and there is no need to change them unless necessary. So the parameters we ultimately need to determine are dose, ratio, time, and grind size.

"Dose"Depending on the size of the filter basket, there are different dose limits. Front Street Coffee (FrontStreet Coffee) uses 10-11g of coffee grounds to make a single shot of espresso; to make a double shot of espresso, it uses 19-20g of coffee grounds.

"Coffee-to-liquid ratio"A relatively common espresso ratio is between 1:1.5 and 1:2.5. Front Street recommends starting with a 1:2 coffee-to-liquid ratio for extraction, meaning if you use 20g of coffee grounds, extract 40g of coffee liquid.

"Extraction time"Keeping the extraction time within 20-30 seconds makes it easier to extract delicious espresso. Espresso finished in less than 20 seconds will most likely taste thin and watery. Espresso finished in more than 30 seconds is prone to a burnt, bitter taste. Front Street Coffee (FrontStreet Coffee) uses double shots for its daily output, with an extraction time of about 28-30 seconds.

"Grind size"The settings on every grinder differ, so you need to continuously extract and taste, sensing the changes in the coffee's flavor until it is balanced. The coffee machine is very sensitive to the degree of coffee grinding. If the grind is slightly too coarse, the flow rate will be too fast, the extraction time will become shorter, and the coffee will taste thin; if the grind is slightly too fine, the flow rate will be too slow, the extraction time will become longer, and the coffee will taste burnt and bitter.

Espresso Extraction Steps

①Dosing

Before dosing, wipe the filter basket clean and keep it dry. Turn on the grinder and begin grinding the coffee beans. Catch the coffee grounds with the filter basket.

②Distribution & Tamping

Use your finger or a distribution tool to distribute the grounds, with the aim of ensuring the coffee grounds are evenly distributed and avoiding areas of inconsistent density during tamping. Front Street Coffee (FrontStreet Coffee) recommends using a distribution tool, which ensures stability and speed for beginners. Place the distribution tool flat on the filter basket, rotate it several times, and then lift it.

③Confirmation before extraction

Before locking on the group head, confirm two things: first, whether the tamp is level; second, whether there are no residual grounds around the filter basket. Then press the brew button to wet the group head, and gently lock the portafilter onto the group head, making sure it is tightly secured to avoid leaking.

④Extraction

After locking on the group head, quickly press the brew button to avoid the high-temperature group head scorching the surface of the coffee grounds. At about the 4th second after pressing the extraction button, the espresso drips from the portafilter as smoothly as honey, with the color changing from reddish-brown to a front golden yellow. After extraction is complete, the surface of the espresso is covered with a delicate layer of golden crema (the oily foam produced when carbon dioxide in the coffee particles combines with coffee oils and emulsifies in a vacuum environment). 

Espresso Bean Recommendations

To give espresso a more stable flavor expression, Front Street Coffee (FrontStreet Coffee) recommends using blend coffee beans specially customized for espresso. The advantage of blend coffee beans is that, through coffee beans from different origins and in different proportions, they complement one another to stabilize and balance the coffee's flavor expression, while dark roasting can enhance the coffee's body.

The main flavor expression of espresso is determined by the coffee beans. Among the products Front Street currently sells, many are espresso blend coffee beans. If you want to recreate the same effect as a coffee shop at home, Front Street Commercial Blend Coffee Beans are recommended. This is a formula designed specifically for those opening a shop, allowing espresso to have rich crema and a full-bodied mouthfeel, while also being suitable for common categories such as Americano, latte, cappuccino, and flat white.

The above content is compiled by CoffeeHunters, a coffee news website.