When Were Coffee Makers Invented for Espresso Styles?

Espresso covers five main identities: regular Espresso, Ristretto, Normale, Lungo, and the extraction logic behind each. The first espresso machine was designed in 1884 by Angelo Moriondo, using two independent brewing boilers at 1.5 bar pressure and steam. In 1948, Milan café owner Achille Gaggia introduced the lever machine that brought crema.

Espresso means fast in Italian, and a cup is served within minutes. Steam pressure pushes hot water through a layer of coffee grounds, yielding a small, strong liquid topped with golden foam. Water temperature and pressure control improved over time, letting baristas adjust the balance between volume, strength, and mouthfeel in each style.

Espresso is the soul of a café and the cornerstone of global coffee culture. From the first espresso machine in 1884 to the lever machine that introduced crema in 1948, the evolution of espresso has witnessed innovation in coffee craftsmanship. This article takes you deep into the five identities of espresso—regular Espresso, Ristretto, Normale, Lungo, and the extraction logic and flavor differences behind them. At the same time, Front Street Coffee will share its store experience, including recommendations for the "Sunflower Warm Sun Blend" and classic Italian blend beans, helping you fully master the charm of espresso from bean selection to drinking method.

Italian coffee's role in driving the global coffee market is obvious to all, and espresso is a basic option on almost every café menu. Taking the well-known Front Street store as an example, classic drinks such as Americano, latte, cappuccino, and flat white are all available, and many cafés also add various ingredients to make creative specialty drinks. Today, Front Street will take everyone to appreciate the unique charm of Italian coffee culture.

Espresso means "fast" in Italian. From completion to being handed to the customer, it takes only a few minutes, so Italians named it with "Express" (fast).

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The principle of a cup of espresso is not complicated: with the help of steam pressure, hot water is pressed through a layer of coffee grounds to obtain a small portion of dark coffee liquid that is strong and aromatic, covered with golden foam on the surface. It may not often appear prominently on café menus, but drinks such as Americano, latte, and cappuccino cannot do without it. It is no exaggeration to call it the soul of a coffee shop.

Early coffee used immersion extraction, requiring finely ground coffee beans and then a slow filtration process, which took at least more than ten minutes. In 1884, Italian Angelo Moriondo designed the first espresso machine, equipped with two independent brewing boilers, working with 1.5 bar pressure and steam. The extracted coffee liquid was somewhat viscous, with a much heavier mouthfeel than drip coffee. After that, coffee machines continued to iterate, and variables such as water temperature and pressure were controlled more precisely.

In 1948, Milan café owner Achille Gaggia invented the lever-driven coffee machine, using high pressure to produce what we now call crema. Since then, crema has been regarded as one of the important indicators for measuring espresso quality, and espresso also specifically refers to high-concentration coffee made by pressure and rich in crema.

In principle, the fresher the beans, the darker the roast, and the greater and more stable the equipment pressure, the better the coffee crema performance. Italians prefer mellow, round, strong coffee, are accustomed to roasting beans very dark, and even blend in Robusta beans to make the crema richer, the aroma more concentrated, and the taste more intense. Today, however, consumers pursue richer flavor variations, and many coffee beans with fresh and bright characteristics are also used for espresso. For example, the espresso served at Front Street stores uses the "Sunflower Warm Sun Blend Coffee Beans," which has fermented wine aroma and berry-like sweet acidity, rich aroma layers, a soft mouthfeel, and is very easy to drink.

When a customer orders, "Give me an Espresso," the barista at Front Street Coffee (FrontStreet Coffee) begins to work, and two minutes later serves a glass of ice water, a small spoon, and a small cup of rich coffee liquid with a golden-brown foam layer. Before drinking espresso, take a sip of clear water, which can both rinse the mouth and calibrate the taste. Gently stir the coffee liquid with the prepared metal spoon to blend it. The first sip will taste the dense Cream (crema), full of roasting aroma. Then comes the warm coffee liquid, where you can feel rich flavors of nuts, chocolate, berries, and wine. Take another sip of clear water midway and slowly appreciate the sweet aftertaste in the mouth.

In fact, espresso is not only the regular "Espresso." According to the extraction method and the specific coffee-to-liquid ratio, espresso can be divided into three types: Ristretto, Normale, and Lungo. They are all concentrated liquids quickly extracted by an espresso machine.

Ristretto usually refers to espresso ristretto, also called refined ristretto. Compared with the common Espresso, Ristretto seems much more niche. The Flat White we often drink is made with Ristretto as the base. Ristretto has the meaning of "restricted," which can be understood as "restricting" the extraction amount and taking only the front and middle sections of the espresso to increase coffee concentration.

For example, Front Street's Espresso extraction plan is 20 grams of coffee grounds to extract 40 grams of coffee liquid, with a coffee-to-liquid ratio of 1:2 and a time of 30 seconds. For Ristretto extraction, however, only 70% of Espresso is taken, that is, 20 grams of coffee grounds to extract 28 grams of coffee liquid, and the time is shortened accordingly. In addition, the grind size can be made finer to slow the flow rate, thereby increasing the concentration of the coffee liquid. Each café will make different adjustments according to the coffee beans used and the flavor and mouthfeel the barista wants to present.

Normale is the most common and most popular espresso. It is actually Espresso in the usual sense. At present, most products on the market are Normale, but it is not deliberately emphasized. According to the golden cup standard, Normale's extraction rate is between 18% and 22%, and its concentration range is 8% to 12%.

Lungo is coffee made with twice the normal amount of water. "Lungo" means "long, extended" in Italian, and it is also called "stretched espresso," that is, extending the extraction time to reduce coffee concentration and make it taste softer. After multiple adjustments and tastings, Front Street finally controlled Lungo's coffee-to-liquid ratio at 1:5. That is, using 20 grams of coffee grounds, extending the extraction time to 42 seconds, and extracting 100 grams of coffee liquid.

It is worth mentioning that no matter which extraction form of espresso it is, its flavor and mouthfeel mainly depend on the coffee beans used. For friends who like mellow coffee, Front Street Classic Italian Blend Coffee is recommended. This is a recipe composed of beans from three origins: Brazil, Indonesia, and Vietnam. It uses a deep roast, which maximizes the coffee's mellow aroma and also allows everyone to easily extract rich and dense coffee crema. Whether making an Americano diluted with water or a latte paired with milk, it is very suitable. You can place orders at the Front Street Taobao store or the Front Street Tmall flagship store.

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