Espresso at Home

The following statements come from Wikipedia. As a coffee specialist, I stand by their accuracy, and since they were well written, I see no need to add anything further to them.

Espresso is not a specific bean or roast level but rather a method of making coffee. Any bean or roasting level can be used to produce authentic espresso. A darker or lighter roast will translate into a bitter or acid flavor respectively. Mixtures where there are several roast levels are common.


In Italy, the birth country of espresso, roast levels can vary quite a bit. In Southern Italy, a darker roast is often preferred, but the farther north one goes in the country, the trend moves towards lighter roasts.

Preparation of espresso requires an espresso machine. The act of producing a shot of espresso is often termed "pulling" a shot, originating from lever espresso machines which require pulling down a handle attached to a spring-loaded piston, forcing hot water through the coffee at high pressure. Today, however, it is more common for the pressure to be generated by steam or a pump.


This process produces an almost syrupy beverage by extracting and emulsifying the oils in the ground coffee.

The first espresso machines were introduced at the beginning of the 20th Century, with the first patent being filed by Luigi Bezzera of Milan, Italy, in 1901. Up until the mid-1940s, when the piston lever espresso machine was introduced, it was produced solely with steam pressure.

Initially espresso machines were not available for home use (1948–1970s), domestic machines only developing in the 1970s, and remaining expensive, bulky, and requiring skill to operate. In recent years the development of easy-to-use home espresso makers based on coffee pods has increased the quantity of espresso consumed at home.