Home espresso equipment is exploding onto the home appliance scene in ever increasing numbers and designs with ever decreasing prices, but what's the true description and roots of espresso coffee and what are the important factors in a perfect home espresso ?

Cafe espresso or simply, espresso, as it is now popularly known, is a concentrated coffee beverage brewed by forcing hot water under pressure through finely ground coffee beans.

The term cafe-espress was first used in the 1880s, well before espresso machines were invented and simply means coffee custom made, expressly for the person ordering it.

The first espresso coffee machines were introduced in the early 20th Century, and the first patent being filed by Luigi Bezzera of Milan, Italy, in 1901. However these early machines used steam pressure not water to brew the coffee and it wasn't changed until the mid-1940s, when the design was updated to the piston lever home espresso machine.

Thanks to the pressurised water involved in the brewing process, the flavours and chemicals in a good espresso become extremely concentrated. Because of this, espresso is employed as a base for other coffees like latte, cappuccino, mocha and macchiato.

The significant differences between a great espresso and drip coffee are a thicker consistency, more dissolved solids and crema, a brownish foam that sits on the surface of the coffee which is a mixture of vegetable oils, proteins and sugars.

While it obviously depends on the individual coffee beans used and the operator or barista, as a general rule there is about 2 to 3 times the amount of caffeine in an espresso than in the same volume of drip brewed coffee. The expert operator of an espresso machine is a barista, the Italian name for a bartender.

Home espresso coffee machines have risen in popularity with the general rise of interest in espresso, mainly since the 1990's and the explosion in the number of coffee houses and chains on every street.

We are currently experiencing a new wave of innovation as the electronics industry turns it's attentions to home espresso machines and we will now find a large range of espresso equipment in expert kitchen and appliance stores, online sellers and department shops.

Many are fully automatic, push button home espresso machines which can both grind and make a fresh cup with just one touch. They should make a better espresso than untrained folks, but generally not as good as the top trained baristas.

It may be that the success of the big coffee chains in educating the masses in the joys of espresso will be their undoing as many more people can now enjoy their espresso at home.