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Friday 15 April 2011

All About Espresso!: Buying the Right Espresso Machine

All About Espresso!: Buying the Right Espresso Machine: "Just as there are many different kinds of espresso flavors and drinks on the market today, so too are there just as many different ways to m..."

Buying the Right Espresso Machine

Just as there are many different kinds of espresso flavors and drinks on the market today, so too are there just as many different ways to make an espresso beverage. The main difference, however, in making an espresso base coffee beverage lies in the machine that is used to make it. There are multiple types of espresso machines on the market today and buying the right one is crucial to having the best espresso beverage for yourself and the other individuals you have purchased the machine for. Many people use an espresso machine in their business, and coffee shops are the perfect example of businesses that typically invest in espresso machines.

Altogether, though, there are more than five different types of espresso machines and the taste of the espresso is probably slightly different when made from each one even though the process of making the espresso is basically the same. The most popular type of espresso machine that is used throughout America coffee shops and breakfast restaurants, though, is the pump-driven espresso machine that is made from the piston espresso machine! This type of espresso machine is interesting because it basically streamlines the whole espresso-making process and makes the process of getting espresso very simple! In fact, many of these types of American espresso machines are automatic, which means that a single button just has to be pushed in order to get some espresso out of it!

On the other hand, some people in other countries routinely use the stovetop espresso machine. This is a machine that, as the name states, sits on your stove and produces espresso. However, the method of doing so is interesting because these types of machines are true steam-driven espresso machines. Hot water is heated in the bottom of the machine, which is forced up to the middle of the espresso machine where the actual beverage is made!

When buying the right espresso machine, though, you'll probably first and foremost want to invest in one of the easiest espresso machines, which is a pump-driven or even motor-driven espresso machine. All of these espresso machines can be quite expensive, but depending on how enthusiastic you are about your favorite coffee beverage will probably dictate how much money you're willing to spend. For starters, though, an inexpensive espresso machine around $150 may be just the perfect one to start with.

An issue, though, when buying the right kind of espresso machine is to make sure that it allows you to have the most control over your espresso as possible. For example, does it have different settings for the grinding of the coffee beans? In addition, is the espresso machine that you are interested in contain an automatic whipped cream dispenser, along with a timer for the espresso? All of these things are important, though, when buying the right type of espresso machine, and if you are an avid espresso drinker then you probably will want to invest in the best possible espresso machine possible to suit your tastes!

The History of Espresso Machine

Even though it may seem like espresso has always been made from a machine chances are that some people think that way just because they know of no other way in which espresso is made. However, long before there were espresso machines to do our work for us, inhabitants of southern Europe and Milan, Italy, began making espresso as soon as they found out how! It wasn't until the mid 1940's that people and coffee shops all over began using espresso machines to make the beverage, at least in the United States that is.

On the other hand, espresso machines were popular in European countries quite awhile before the popularity of these machines came to the United States. You may be surprised to find out that the first espresso machine in Europe become known some 100 years before they were actually introduced in America. As the story goes, though, a man named Louis Bernard Babaut invented an espresso machine in the first half of the 19th Century. He also had a partner named Santais, but he was mainly responsible for the advertising of the espresso machine itself. But what kind of an espresso machine needs advertised? It would seem like if there was an easier way to make espresso in the early 1800s then people would have naturally flocked to the idea.

Nevertheless, Babaut's espresso machine was introduced to the world in the beginning of the 19th Century, but as many people could have guessed, the machine was not a perfect machine as no electronic device ever is! However, this is not to say that Babaut didn't have success with making espresso. Even though the purpose of the espresso machine, however, was to make espresso in an easier way, the machine still had to be handled by someone who knew what they were doing. On the whole, though, Babaut was successful and it could spit out espresso beverages just as quick as they could be consumed. Many people say that his first espresso machine could handle at least one thousand shots of espresso an hour, which is an impressive rate for the first espresso machine built!

Further down the road, though, another espresso machine made it into production and this time Luigi Bezzera was responsible for making it. He called the invention the "Voila" espresso coffee machine and even though he didn't get the popularity of the espresso machine off the ground himself, he found a man named Pavoni to do the marketing for him!

If you're interested in the automatic espresso machine, though, this concept was later introduced in the first half of the 1900s. An individual known as Illeta actually used compressed air to make the whole espresso-making process faster, which it was able to accomplish successfully!

There you have it: everything you have ever wanted to know about how espresso machines came into production! They are very popular in the United States and all over the world today, but we must remember that they were introduced by several other avid espresso drinkers just like us!

The History of Espresso

If you are an avid coffee drinker then chances are that you probably know all about the varieties, types, flavors, and prices of various coffees that you drink on a regular basis. However, if you're not that familiar with espresso then you may be in for a surprise. Espresso is quite different from coffee products because there is a very different method of making the liquid. Here are some interesting facts about the history of espresso, though, that you may not have known previously.

Developed in Italy

Did you know that espresso was actually developed more than ten centuries after the coffee beverage became popular? In fact, regular coffee and coffee beans weren't found until about the 9th Century. On the flip side, espresso was actually developed from the beginnings of coffee, but it wasn't until the early 20th century that people began producing a beverage that is known today as espresso! Indeed, espresso was developed in Milan, Italy around the early 20th Century and the drink was actually made by hand even though it was very time consuming to do so. This resulted in a machine being made specifically for the creation of espresso beverages. In fact, workers in cafes and coffee shops throughout Italy who dealt with using espresso machines to make espresso were regularly known as "baristas," and becoming a barista was actually a job often given to young people, just as a job at McDonald's or another fast food restaurant might be considered a starting point for young people in America to work.

The Switch to Machines

As mentioned, espresso was originally made by hand. However, there are a couple things that lead up to the beverage being made in a machine. First, the spring piston lever was designed to emit pressure on a certain something, and this machine was used to make espresso since espresso was made through the use of pressure and hot water. Although before the machines typically made espressos beginning in the 1940s, steam pressure was mainly the culprit and the method that people in Italy used to make espresso by hand!

Needless to say, however, coffee beverages that didn't include espresso were popular long before espresso was being made. Just as there are all sorts of different flavors that coffee can be made with, though, there are also many different flavors that can be added to the espresso beverage. For example, some cultures usually add a bit of cinnamon to the espresso mixture and cinnamon is actually the most widely used spice for espresso as a whole. On the other hand, some of the other spices and herbs that are used with espresso include peppermint, mint extract, vanilla, and a brown sugar mixture just to name a few.

It's undisputable, though, that the finding of espresso totally transformed the popularity and consumption of coffee beverages worldwide! Granted, many people are thankful for this change, but the fact of the matter is that espresso and coffee are considered two different drinks altogether although one was derived from the other!

Thursday 14 April 2011

What is Espresso?

Even though most coffees have been around for hundreds of years, this is not the same for espresso. Espresso, on the other hand, is essentially a more concentrated cup of coffee. There are many reasons why espresso is loved more than any other coffee and perhaps the reason that it is enjoyed by so many people throughout the world is because it really does have quite a different nature than other coffees! But not only is espresso a more concentrated cup of coffee, but the taste is very different as well and may account for some of the reason why espresso is usually liked more than coffee.

The Nature of Espresso

Espresso originated in Milan, Italy in the early 19th Century. Many Italians call espresso a romantic kind of coffee and it's easy to see why. The nature of espresso is such that it doesn't take a whole lot to fill you up. But to define espresso involves accounting for the different ingredients that it's made of. Espresso is essentially finely ground coffee beans that are tightly packed together and placed in an espresso machine. Machines are the easiest way to make espresso nowadays, which is why they are put into the machine in the first place. But nevertheless, they are placed in the machine and hot water creates steam. That steam is forced up to heat the coffee beans and produce a thick, drippy liquid called espresso. The thickness of espresso is also a defining feature because it is almost three to four times the consistency of regular black coffee.

Another one of espresso's defining characteristics which will help you to understand exactly what espresso looks like is the crema. The crema is a reddish-brown substance that floats on the top of the espresso itself. But the crema is actually the main part of the espresso that many people like because it also has a foamy substance attached to it. Of course on top of the crema is where many people sprinkle cinnamon, put a dollop of whipped cream, as well as sprinkle that with chocolate shavings. Even though it seems like espresso is a large drink considering all of the defining characteristics of it, espresso is actually consumed by the 1-ounce shot glasses. If made right, espresso can be the ultimate beverage of a lifetime!

Espresso is also the base for which many other drinks are made. Whether you want to make a latte, mocha chill, or another version of the espresso drink then it all relies on the espresso coffee drink which so many people love! In fact, there are probably over a hundred different ways that espresso can be used; it is actually used for desserts, evening drinks, morning wake-up drinks, as well as for a whole variety of other drinks. If you have ever run into a coffee shop that sells espresso then chances are that you've heard just about all the beverage names that can be made from it. This shows just how truly popular an espresso drink can be!