The Funky Delonghi EMK6 Alicia Electric Moka Espresso Maker

Now that you have decided to purchase an espresso machine and begin brewing delicious cups of this tasty beverage at home, you should be aware of a few tips to help you get the most out of your machine.

While most of the new espresso machines on the market today are fairly straight forward, efficient, and take a good deal of the guess work out of brewing the perfect cup, you should still follow a few guidelines to make the process even smoother.

The first tip has to do with the water you will use. You may not believe it, but the water you use in your machine has a tremendous impact on the final taste of your espresso. Make sure you use cold, fresh, clean, filtered water only. If your machine comes with a built-in water filter, make sure you clean it or change it regularly as the manufacturer recommends.

Next, you should always purchase good quality coffee beans. This does not mean that you have to buy very expensive beans, it just means that you should purchase freshly roasted beans (no more than four days past roasting), and grind them yourself right before brewing your espresso. Feel free to experiment with different flavors or roast levels. You should also store your beans in whole form, in an air tight container, in a cool dry location (preferably room temperature). A pantry or cupboard is an ideal location. Try to refrain from storing the beans in the refrigerator or freezer as they are quite porous and tend to pick up odors, which can alter the taste.

Finally, you should invest a bit of money in a quality coffee bean grinder. Many espresso aficionados will tell you that the grinding of the beans alone is a skill that needs to be mastered before ever brewing a cup. Look for a conical burr grinder, as these tend to grind the beans very uniformly and very fine. They also tend to last longer and the blades do not get warm as is the case with flat grinders. If the blades get warm they can heat the beans slightly, which can cause the oils in the beans to evaporate and alter the overall taste of the finished product. Be advised, you may need to practice a great deal with grinding your beans before you get the hang of it. Take your time with the entire process of making espresso. It is truly a labor of love that is meant to be thoroughly enjoyed.

Today, people all over the world enjoy making and drinking espresso. It seems as though in recent years the popularity of this beverage has taken off and skyrocketed to a whole new level. So, exactly when did this happen, and who is responsible for starting the espresso craze?

To understand how the espresso craze started, it is first important to understand how the beverage itself came to be. In the late 1800s coffee was a time consuming process that took several minutes to complete. It was because of this issue that Luigi Bezzera of Italy came up with a new way to brew the hot beverage that would take a fraction of the time. Bezzera found that by pressurizing the water, steam was created and this could then be forced through very finely ground coffee beans, resulting in a fast brew time, and a strong full bodied cup of coffee; thus the espresso was born. This new method led to the very first espresso machine, and in 1903 another Italian man purchased Bezzera's coffee machine patent, began manufacturing it on a larger scale, and marketed it all across Europe.

Of course, the espresso machine has been improved and modified over the course of time; however the basic principles remain the same. These machines are now available at any mass retailer or kitchen supply store, and range from the very inexpensive to the extremely expensive. Although many people can now make this delicious drink in the comfort of their own homes, quite possibly the main reason for the espresso craze is due to the very large, name brand coffee chain called Starbucks. Starbucks introduced espresso, along with many variations of the drink, to the mainstream general public in the very early 1980s. The chain started to offer mixed coffee drinks, lattes, cappuccinos, and espresso shots with or without steamed milk and froth, at conveniently located retail outlets. People quickly became fans and could not get enough of the delicious offerings. From this point, more and more locations began opening to service the high demand, and the rest (as they say) is history.

Even though Starbucks gets the majority of the credit for sparking the latest espresso craze, it is important to note that Starbucks would probably not exist if it had not been for Bezzera and his original invention. No matter how you discovered espresso, whether from your Italian grandparents who made the drink after dinner on the stove top, or from walking in to a Starbucks and ordering a hazelnut espresso with extra froth, sip, relax, and take some time and really savor the deep flavor and history behind the beverage.