The Long History of the Espresso Machine

People who know me, follow me on Twitter or Foursquare know that I like a good cup of coffee. A lot.

“A cup of coffee a day keeps the doctor away.”

Longfrom iPad app

On of my favorite iPad apps is Longfrom. It selects some of the best long reads for you from the best (online) magazines. One of the articles that catched my eye was the nice read about the history of the espresso machine.

Even if you’re not a coffee lover this is a great article to read.

Italian coffeemaker Illy’s definition of the authentic espresso seems as good a measure as any:

A jet of hot water at 88°-93°
C (190°-200°F) passes under a pressure of nine or more atmospheres through a seven-gram (.25 oz) cake-like layer of ground and tamped coffee. Done right, the result is a concentrate of not more than 30 ml (one oz) of pure sensorial pleasure.