The espresso Machine - Best invention ever?

To be an Espresso machine, a coffee maker has to have a few special characteristics. One of those being that it must be able to brew a single serve coffee to order. 

Back in the day, coffee houses relied on large batch brew coffee that we probably wouldn't enjoy much today. It wasn't until the early 20th century that we would have machines capable of brewing coffee to order. Over the years the meaning of the word "espresso" has lead to many an argument. Contrary to popular belief the word "espresso" does not actually mean "pressed out" but rather, to be made quickly to order. The word "espresso" may have come about in Italian coffee houses to distinguish coffee from that has been batch brewed from coffee that has been made to order as a single serving.

So the next time you switch your Espresso machine on, its not just the pressure brewing that makes it special but it was the first machine that was capable of making single cups of coffee to order.

Happy brewing.