If you are an avid coffee drinker then chances are that you probably know all
about the varieties, types, flavours, and prices of various coffees that you
drink on a regular basis. However, if you're not that familiar with espresso
then you may be in for a surprise. Espresso is quite different from coffee
products because there is a very different method of making the liquid. Here are
some interesting facts about the history of espresso, though, that you may not
have known previously.
Developed in Italy
Did you know that espresso was actually developed more than ten centuries after
the coffee beverage became popular? In fact, regular coffee and coffee beans
weren't found until about the 9th Century. On the flip side, espresso was
actually developed from the beginnings of coffee, but it wasn't until the early
20th century that people began producing a beverage that is known today as
espresso! Indeed, espresso was developed in Milan, Italy around the early 20th
Century and the drink was actually made by hand even though it was very time
consuming to do so. This resulted in a machine being made specifically for the
creation of espresso beverages. In fact, workers in cafes and coffee shops
throughout Italy who dealt with using espresso machines to make espresso were
regularly known as "baristas," and becoming a barista was actually a job often
given to young people, just as a job at McDonald's or another fast food
restaurant might be considered a starting point for young people in America to
work.
The Switch to Machines
As mentioned, espresso was originally made by hand. However, there are a couple
things that lead up to the beverage being made in a machine. First, the spring
piston lever was designed to emit pressure on a certain something, and this
machine was used to make espresso since espresso was made through the use of
pressure and hot water. Although before the machines typically made espressos
beginning in the 1940s, steam pressure was mainly the culprit and the method
that people in Italy used to make espresso by hand!
Needless to say, however, coffee beverages that didn't include espresso were
popular long before espresso was being made. Just as there are all sorts of
different flavours that coffee can be made with, though, there are also many
different flavours that can be added to the espresso beverage. For example, some
cultures usually add a bit of cinnamon to the espresso mixture and cinnamon is
actually the most widely used spice for espresso as a whole. On the other hand,
some of the other spices and herbs that are used with espresso include
peppermint, mint extract, vanilla, and a brown sugar mixture just to name a few.
It's undisputable, though, that the finding of espresso totally transformed the
popularity and consumption of coffee beverages worldwide! Granted, many people
are thankful for this change, but the fact of the matter is that espresso and
coffee are considered two different drinks altogether although one was derived
from the other!