History and culture
The development of the espresso machine
Pressurised espresso brewing was developed in Italy from the late 19th into the early-to-mid 20th century, moving from early steam-driven patents to Achille Gaggia's lever mechanism that produced crema.
Each section below is labelled by how well-established its claims are — look for the label under each heading.
Early steam-driven patents
Documented history · late 19th to early 20th century · Italy
Several Italian inventors are documented as having patented steam-driven coffee machines around the turn of the 20th century, including an early patent credited to Angelo Moriondo in Turin in the 1880s, aimed at brewing coffee quickly for commercial premises. These early machines used steam pressure rather than the higher mechanical pressure of later espresso machines.
Sources: Encyclopaedia Britannica coffee and coffeehouse history entries; The World Atlas of Coffee
Higher-pressure extraction and crema
Documented history · 1940s · Italy
Further development in the 1940s, commonly associated with Achille Gaggia, introduced a spring-piston lever mechanism capable of generating significantly higher pressure than earlier steam machines, producing the crema layer now considered characteristic of espresso. This is widely credited as a turning point that distinguished modern espresso from earlier steam-brewed coffee, though as with many invention histories, several individuals contributed incremental developments.
Sources: Encyclopaedia Britannica coffee and coffeehouse history entries; The World Atlas of Coffee
Related
Preparation traditions
How this history is practised today, in CoffeeHQ's international preparation atlas.