The Origin of The Espresso Machine

The original concept of espresso was a beverage that could be prepared quickly.

Did you know that espresso is regulated by the Italian government because it is considered an essential part of their daily life? In other words, it's a national treasure! But this type of coffee is also the world’s favorite. Its brewing method uses high pressure to force nearly boiling water through ground coffee.

It happens in seconds, and as a result, you will also enjoy a thick crema on top. The flavor is intense because you need at least 50 coffee beans to make a good cup of espresso. The process is only possible thanks to a machine specially designed to prepare coffee faster. That is why it was called “espresso”, an Italian word that means "fast".

Its invention was known at the moment as “new steam machinery for the economic and instantaneous confection of coffee beverage,” just as it was described in the patent documents in 1884. Coffee was becoming a huge business in Europe. Soon enough cafés were flourishing across the continent. And then, it became a culture itself. Now we are part of it!

We are more than pleased to take you through the espresso machine history, so keep reading!

The invention of the espresso machine

The first espresso machine prototype was created in 1884 by Angelo Moriondo in Turin, Italy. He designed a large boiler, that once heated, pushed water through a bed of coffee grounds. Afterwards, a second boiler would produce steam to flash the bed of ground coffee so it could brew coffee. His invention was shown in the Turin General Exposition, but no photographs of his work were taken, and sadly we do not know anything about what happened next.

The Industrial Revolution in Europe motivated more than one inventor to establish an improvement for the Moriondo prototype in the early 1900s. Luigi Bezzera wanted to create a method for brewing coffee directly into the cup quickly. For this to come true, Bazera invented a portafilter, some multiple brewheads, and many innovations still associated with espresso machines today. His device also needed a large boiler but with chambers filled with water. The hit pushed water and steam through a tamped puck of ground coffee. He then added a heat radiator that lowered the temperature of the water before serving the cup.

Bazera did not have the money to improve his invention as much he wanted to optimize the process. The coffee did not have the perfect consistency to please everyone’s taste, so he was not able to expand his business. That was why he sold his patent to Desiderio Pavoni in 1903, who produce the first commercial espresso machine and called it “The Ideale”.

Pavoni invented the pressure release valve because Bazera’s machine needed an open flame to heat, making it difficult to control pressure and temperature. He also created the steam wand to access and free the steam collected inside the machine’s boiler.

This pair of Italian connoisseurs went to the 1906 Milan Fair, and introduced together the “cafeé espresso”, with the slogan “made on the spur of the moment.” History was made!

Espresso machines today

Around the 1960’s many more innovations were introduced to the espresso machine. Instead of relying on the manual force of the barista, pumps were created so they could control the pressure needed when brewing. For this to happen, the spiral copper pipe was implemented and replaced the boiler, along with a heat exchanger. All these new parts were smaller, more versatile and made of stainless steel. The machine name was Faema E61, invented by Ernesto Valente.

Today, Valente’s motorized invention has electrical components, computerized measurements, and portable pneumatics. And like these, there will be more changes that will improve the way we drink coffee. But no matter how its evolution will be from now on, Italians always say that a good espresso must have the four Ms on point:

• Macchina: an espresso machine in perfect conditions.

• Macinazione: the use of the proper grinding techniques.

• Miscela: how the coffee is blend and roasted.

• Mano: barista’ ideal skills.

We bet you didn’t know those last inherent requirements! And probably you read them with an Italian accent! At Coffland Corp, we know which machines are the ideal ones for your coffee business. Contact us to know about our services as coffee product providers and keep visiting our blog to learn more about the coffee culture we all love.

The first time coffee had been prepared expressly for the customer.

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We Are Living in the Third Wave of Coffee

Green coffee bean's buyers started to pay attention to where and how coffee was produced.

We know what you are thinking: which were the first and second waves? Well, like everything that is special and treasured, coffee has evolved to become what it is today: everyone’s favorite drink. Thanks to different movements that have spread globally, the way we experience and consume coffee, as well as its scenario and audience, have changed, and that is why we are living in the Third Wave of coffee.

The First Wave of coffee occurred when mass marketers increased consumption of coffee and put it into every kitchen by packaging it in airtight cans, which facilitated consumers to buy coffee. The Second Wave of coffee was created by artisans and coffee producers, who wanted to teach us how this product was made. At that point, people started learning about its origins, roasting styles, and types of coffee beans.

In the Second Wave, coffee lovers were introduced to espresso beverages and certain names were born, such as Peet’s and Starbucks, now famous enterprises. That being said, if all these aspects spin around our awareness of coffee,  how else can we experience coffee today? Why is it different now? Keep reading!

Third Wave of coffee

People now expect high-quality coffee, but this wave is more complicated than that premise because now they also want to know if the coffee they are drinking comes from a conscious production, both in its environmental and social impact. Those involved in sourcing, roasting, brewing, and serving, can get the difference in this way of producing coffee. That’s why every coffee business owner should adapt to this.

Connoisseurs consider that a consumer of the Third Wave appreciates a good cup of coffee but do not accept old traditional ways of growing or making coffee. These clients probably want to hear about the farm conditions, harvest, processing style, roast date, coffee variety and tasting notes, just like any other wine expert who truly loves to see the result of everyone’s hard work. To go deeper into this issue, we have prepared for you a list of characteristics you must offer within your menu:

• Information about what sustainability is and the different roast profiles.
• Innovative brew methods.
• Charging more if it’s a quality product.
• Teaching your clientele about the abilities of baristas, farmers, and roasters.

In the end, it is all about attention to detail. It carries over to the way the coffee is brewed in coffee shops that follow this wave nowadays. From the grind of the coffee to the temperature of the water when it’s brewed. Consumers feel they are drinking something special when you share the story behind each cup of coffee.

This is a whole new experience, isn't it?

As a coffee business owner, your job from now on is to educate yourself and your employees so they can pass on that knowledge to your clientele. You can enable channels of communication between producers and consumers, including direct trade and social media. What you should sell today are unique experiences!

Specialty coffee and private label coffee are signature products at Coffland Corp, as they turned out to be the primary outputs demanded in this new coffee movement. Contact us if you want us to be your providers and surf that wave like a pro!

The Third Wave of coffee is the result of everyone’s hard work.

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Incredible Curiosities in Coffee History

From Ethiopia to Colombia, coffee has touched every heart and soul through history

You probably drink coffee every morning and maybe more than once a day. You are aware that to get to your cup, your favorite beverage comes a long way. Beans, which are coffee seeds, are planted and mature for about five years. The cherries are then processed to obtain the bean that will be roasted.  

But, did you know that coffee has a great historical background as rich as its flavor is? You better keep reading to find more reasons to love it. You won’t believe how grateful you should be for goats! 

The incredible coffee history

And of course, every good story starts with a legend, especially if what came next were scandal, revolutions, slavery, and colonization. Want to know how incredible coffee history is?

Thank you, goat!

Legend has it a 9th-century Ethiopian goat herder discovered coffee by accident. His name was Kaldi. He noticed that some of their goats were jumping wildly and yelling more than usual after eating red berries, know these days as coffee cherries, the actual fruit of its plant. What happened next is that he tried one himself, and felt energized quickly. Soon enough everyone else knew the treasure it was.

A trick of the Devil

Ethiopian monks try to burn those cherries as soon as they found out their effects. They believed that Kaldi’s discovery was a trick of the Devil, but once they started feeling its aroma while roasting, they changed their mind. The monks recovered the beans and ground them to make tea.

Religions around the world were generally against coffee consumption. Some of the local clergies condemned coffee, calling it a “bitter invention of Satan”. In the 1600s there was a controversy over whether or not Catholics could drink coffee, luckily Pope Clement VIII said it was okay. Thanks, Pope!

First coffee houses

First coffee houses were in Egypt, Syria, and Ethiopia. The beverage became highly popular after Ottoman Sultan’s blessing. He drunk it, and it's a universal belief that he is responsible for its general enjoyment of conversations and gatherings when brewing some coffee to share. Ottoman Sultan executed the governor of Mecca for closing down coffee houses and restored all those businesses. 

Irreconcilable differences

Coffee was also a reason to divorce. Rumor has it that in the ancient Arab culture the only way a woman could legally divorce was if her husband did not provide enough coffee. If the argument was justified, she was free from that marriage.

It's expansion

When coffee found its way to Europe it was known as Arabian wine, this is because coffee comes from the Arabic “wine of the bean.” Eventually, the word became “koffie” in Dutch and “caffe” in Italy. This delicious drink was pass to the hands of the world’s soon-to-be colonizing nations: Brazil became the world’s first producer in the 1800s, at one point producing 80% of the world’s beans, followed by Colombia and Venezuela.

Isn’t this amazing? At Coffland Corp, we share with our clients and readers our love for coffee. Follow us on social media for unique information about the world’s favorite drink and contact us if you are interested in our services especially our private label products!  

These facts demonstrate that coffee is a treasure for humankind

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Café Tortoni: A Dancing Coffee Shop

At Café Tortoni, your palate and feet will be astonished!

You've probably heard of places where you can have coffee during the day and dance all night. However, this week's coffee shop is the opposite of what you're expecting.

If you know a little bit about Argentine culture, you will know that one of the most traditional dances is tango. The combination of sensuality and talent is rarely achieved in other dances than this one. The secret of a good milonga is the couple's chemistry; now, the secret of a good coffee is the quality of its ingredients and the hands of those who prepare it!

Café Tortoni

The story behind this Café is very curious. It was founded by a French immigrant, who borrowed the name from another 19th-century French coffee shop.  

The Café Tortoni became famous over the years because it served as a meeting point for 20th-century artists and writers. While regular customers enjoyed an espresso at the bar, the artists' meetings were held in "the underground," in a room where they could store their works if it was necessary.

Soon, this coffee shop became one of the most important and fancy places in Buenos Aires. Public figures like Jorge Luis Borges and Roberto Arlt (both are recognized Argentine writers), Carlos Gardel (world famous singer) and Albert Einstein had been one of the customers.

El Café

Café Tortoni has three ambients according to the audience number and the nature of the shows. By example, the Alfonsina Storni salon (in honor of the Argentine poetry writer) is conceived to instrumental performances. On its walls, this salon exhibits the Ana Maria Montalvo's art collection that portraits some of the most famous tango singers.

The Eladia Vazquez is a private salon for parties and reunions. However, the basement of "bodega" is the principal room at Café Tortoni. The hall has a maximum capacity of 80 people, and the access is through a narrow staircase with non-slip and photoluminescent steps.

As you probably know, every night sounds milongas at this coffee shop. You can order a delicious coffee while listening to the tango shows until late midnight; then you can walk through the city, like all the artist that once visit the Tortoni.

Here at Coffland Corp, we enjoy our drinks accompanied by the best music background. Come to Buenos Aires and don't lose the chance to meet the tangueros at this incredible place.

Enjoy a coffee cup while you learn how to dance tango!

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5 Historical Famous Coffee Lovers

Discover the secrets of these classic celebrities who were addicted to coffee.

There is no doubt that coffee has been a fundamental drink in our lives. History proves it: since we discovered its taste and aroma, we can't remove our lips from the cup!

That's why here at Coffland Corp, we will tell you about the most famous coffee lovers in history. Turn on your espresso machine and follow the example of these figures. But watch out! Most of them had a severe addiction to our favorite beverage. We hope you don't get it wrong and you know how to control your coffee love.

Johann Sebastian Bach

In case you don't know him, this knight from the 17th century was a composer, conductor and music scholar. He composed great works that are now part of the classical repertoire, but at that time it was scandalous and against the currents.

In 1732, he composed the Cantata del Café, a musical piece inspired by his love of coffee. The baroque orchestras of the time didn't want to interpret it because it seemed vulgar (in those days, coffee was a beverage that had been established only in the palates of the younger generations).

Immanuel Kant

He was an important philosopher in the Age of Enlightenment in Western culture. However, one of his most famous metaphors relates coffee to friendship. To him, the best company was a delicious hot cup, instead of cold friends who stab you in the back.

Voltaire

This French philosopher was a full-time writer. His reflections made him very famous, but he also went down in history as one of the greatest coffee addicts of all time.

It is said that he could drink up to 40 cups a day, which is equivalent to what we drink in 15 days! Although it seems an impossible amount, no one has been able to verify the exact number.

Honore de Balzac

Balzac was a 19th-century writer with a great addition to coffee. His almost endless work was written in unequal periods of time. Balzac got up at 1 am and worked for up to 15 hours straight, drinking only coffee.

His working hours could leave him exhausted, so he drank more coffee to stay awake. It is said that he drank up to 50 cups while working and that after a "labor orgy" he ate the whole coffee beans, just because they were delicious and replaced his daily food.

Marcel Proust

In search of lost time is the masterpiece of the writer Marcel Proust, who devoted himself in body and soul to his narrative. Although he didn't get to eat coffee beans like Balzac, he was also known for his unusual coffee intake.

At the time of writing, he only fed on latte and croissants for several days, even weeks. For him, the body didn't need incentives, but the soul did, and coffee was an excellent source of inspiration.

Did you ever imagine that these general culture celebrities were coffee lovers? At Coffland Corp., we don't know if any of our clients will become a famous literary, philosopher or musical composer, but we are sure that the quality of our products makes the Muses come. Don't run out of coffee!

Drinking coffee is as historic as these famous people.

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What Is Aged Coffee?

Aged coffee is made by a controlled process where coffee beans are marinated, like wine or fine cheese.

Back in time, before Europeans harvest coffee in their countries, they had to import the beans from India, traveling on the other side of the world. These journeys took days, even more than a week! So, when the sea air marinated the beans, their natural properties changed considerably.

The beans were packed in substantial wooden barrels that were in constant motion under the sunlight and susceptible to salt water splashes. The final result was a way too different coffee from the original.  Its flavor was saltier than regular coffee, and the ocean's essence conditioned its fragrance. Although this accident led to a particular coffee product, European coffee lovers also enjoyed it, even after they started to produce coffee beans in their soil.

Now, this type of coffee was known years later as aged coffee because of their time of maturation before brewing and roasting. But it wasn't until 2014 when Nespresso brought it back to the present! This famous group launched a unique coffee that honors this vintage beverage. This process, carefully adapted, has given rise to an excellent coffee with a very different flavor profile.

Any little change in the conditions of humidity, temperature, time, atmospheric pressure, light, and oxygen could affect the final taste. That's why their Selection Vintage 2014 is the product of a technical work of years.

Nespresso team maintained the beans three years locked under strict conditions of temperature, sunlight, and air. And if that were not enough, Nespresso sell a recycling package with their aged coffee that can be developed right to the fabric once you finish grinding your coffee. This method conserves the special properties of coffee and also contributes to environment-friendly programs.

Here at Coffland Corp, we enjoy drinking coffee regardless its origin. Whether it is an accident or a well-cared experiment, what matters is the final result: a delicious beverage just for you!

Any little change on the outside can change the taste of the final product.

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Meet Sunalini Menon

In a tea-growing country, Menon was the first coffee taster in her continent!

Coffee is not just a delicious beverage sold around the world. It has had an impact on many lives, which makes it hard to count how much this industry influences worldwide.

A perfect example of this, is Sunalini Menon, a woman who is considered one of the most influential people in the coffee universe!

The first lady of coffee

Sunalini Menon was born in India, a place where coffee culture didn’t exist until some years ago. On that time, people in India only drank tea or related drinks. Menon was graduated as a dietetic specialist, and one day she saw an opportunity that changed her life.

But many years ago, a child Menon was visiting her uncle in Munan. He had a job as a tea taster and every day he spent most of his time watching tea decoction and taking notes.

Menon was so interested in her uncle's job that she tried for herself. When she spit the tea product, she was amazed: that was horrible! What kind of people enjoy a drink that uses a disgusting source? Due to this taste experience, Menon realizes the importance of the tasters to improve the products quality.

While she was looking for a job in dietetics, she saw a casting for coffee tasters in an Indian coffee company. Such a rare announce! Who loves coffee more than tea in India? Intrigued, Menon decided to take the test.

On the first sign, she was the only female candidate, but that didn’t decrease her confidence. Menon was brilliant, and since then her professional office is related to coffee tasting, making her the "First Woman in Coffee" in whole Asia.

Sunalini Menon today

Since then, she trained her senses to evaluate the quality of Indian coffee against the European one. Menon was convinced that Robusta coffee could lead the coffee market even when Arabica and other coffee products have an advantage.

After 20 years as an Assistant Coffee Taster in the Indian company, she assumes a role leading the Cupping department. But on that time, Menon discovered that she had enough experience to start a new way in the area. That's why she started her own coffee tasting business to support Robusta coffee. She attended to many courses around the world, winning some important partners.

Nowadays, Sunalini Menon is one of the big bosses in coffee tasting. As the only female in this charge, she becomes a coffee star, being an example of excellence and hard work for other women who want to join the coffee business.

Here at Coffland Corp, we support this kind of coffee stories because of their passion and integrity. Would you like us to share another inspiring story? What's yours?

Sunalini Menon is an example in the cupping profession.

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Brief History of the Espresso Machine

Join your wistful with a retro coffee cup.

Before the modern espresso machine we all know existed, there only was one way to brew coffee: the Turkish style. This coffee was very bitter and unscented, and it was made using a bowl with grounded coffee and boiling water.

Coffee lovers waited until 1802 when a French pharmaceutic man, called Descroizilles, put two bowls within a holey metallic plate: in one container, the boiled water passes through the plate, reaching the grounded coffee in the other one.

The result was a coffee with a smoother and tasteful infusion than Turkish coffee. This invention was called Caféollete, a French derivation of "coffee machine." Descroizilles’s device was a success around the world, and his creativity led to other experiments making coffee.

Years later, in 1901, Luis Bezzera patented a coffee machine which used steam water controlled by levels, like locomotors. Bezzera gadgets were a significant breakthrough in the coffee science: he achieved a great coffee cup in less than two minutes! His design was hefty, and it was mostly used in coffee shops.

The term "espresso machine" started being used after this invention, and the world began to experiment with this kind of devices which offered a quick option for coffee.

Melitta Benz, a German housewife, introduced in 1907 a redesign of Caféollete that replaced the metallic plate with a rough paper as a filter. This change was significative for the final product. Benz's espresso was even more concentrated and aromatic. Sadly, the paper wore away after several uses, but she never gave up. She perfected her filter, making her espresso machine patent a millionaire idea and the beginning of a big company.

Ten years later, an Italian named Bialetti made a coffee device which was smaller, but clever. He wanted to make an espresso machine that can be used from home, and that's how the Moka espresso was born.

Moka espresso is the perfect mix of engineering, design, and marketing. This coffee machine was created eighty years ago, but nothing has changed over the years!

Here at Coffland Corp, we know how important is this beverage for you! The evolution of espresso machines had a huge impact on the way we drink coffee. Now, we hope that we can join you in the next step to innovate your coffee experience.

Take your coffee mug to the past with these old fashionable espresso machines.

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