Coffee And The Espresso Machine - A Glance At The Past
Ask anyone and you will probably get a consensus that the espresso machine is one of the greatest inventions of all time. It is used to produce the traditional Italian coffee beverage called the espresso. Generally the drink is produced by forcing water at 90°C through 7-10 grams of finely ground coffee, which has been compressed into a dense puck by approximately 30 lbf at a minimum pressure of 900 kpa. The different types of espresso machines are: 1. Pump-driven 2. Piston-driven 3. Steam-driven 4. Home (consumer grade) pump
The variations are in the types of semi-automatic, automatic and super-automatic. Coffee is the common name for any of the genus of trees of the madder family, the seeds obtained from them or the drink brewed from the seeds. There are almost 30 members in this family but the important ones are the Arabian, robusta and the Liberian. This small tree grows up to a height of 6m at maturity bearing shiny green leaves that persist for 3-5 years and white, fragrant flowers that wither away within a few days. The mature fruit contains two seeds surrounded by pulp. Coffee grows well on the islands of Java, Sumatra and India, Arabia, Africa, the West Indies, South and Central America. With the advance in civilization, people all over the world came to know about coffee and as its popularity increased, coffee went commercial. Starbucks has always been the place to get the best coffee but way back in 1971 one had to travel to its only outlet in Seattle's historical Pike Place market. Now, at the time of writing this article, Starbucks has over 6000 outlets in 30 countries. As more and more people came to like coffee, the number of coffee-machine makers increased and the world came to know some of the most exquisite of creations by man. A leading name in this industry is DeLonghi which is synonymous with finest of European craftsmanship. These machines haven't been simply known for their quality and durability but the excellent quality of the brew produced by the coffee machines. Another pioneer in the field of coffee making is the name Gaggia. Achille Gaggia created and patented the revolutionary concept of pressured water flowing over rich coffee grounds in 1938, which gave birth to the magnificent steaming golden crema which is regarded by many as the true essence of espresso. La Pavoni is one company, which has devoted itself to inventing new products ever since its inception in 1905. It was one of the first companies to employ famous designers like Gi Ponti, Alberto Rosselli, Antonio Fornaroli, and Bruno Munari to design its machines. La Cimbali has been producing coffee and espresso making machines since 1912. An extraordinary passion for quality and a renowned knack for recognising talent have made them the ambassador of espresso coffee culture in the world. Last but not the least, Krups-a German company owned by the Group SEB of France has for many years been the leading manufacturer of espresso machines. Besides this it's also a producer of other household appliances. Espresso machines are as important as the coffee seeds or beans to produce that special aromatic cup of freshly brewed coffee. The machine used for making a drink loved by billions of people all over the world is certainly one of the most note-worthy creations of all time. |
