the.com/espresso machine
A $200 appliance whose entire job is making you feel superior to Starbucks.
means A machine that forces hot water through finely-ground, tightly-packed coffee under pressure to produce a small, concentrated, crema-topped shot.
from From Italian, where "espresso" means both "express" (fast) and "pressed out" — tying the drink's speed to the method that makes it. The machines themselves emerged in Italy in the late 1800s and early 1900s, built on the idea that steam and pressure could pull a cup of coffee in seconds rather than minutes, aimed originally at getting workers their coffee fast, not at making anyone feel superior to anyone.
- the physics
- forces near-boiling water through grounds at 9 bars pressure
- the crema
- that foam is literally emulsified coffee oil, not decoration
- the trap
- good shot takes 25-30 seconds, obsessives chase it for years
- the irony
- baristas use machines costing more than your car payment