On Food and Cooking

boiling water to rise in a central tube and
irrigate a bed of ground coffee. There were
plunger pots, which allowed the coffee brewer
to steep the grounds, then push the grounds to
the bottom with the plunger and pour the
beverage off. But the biggest innovation in
coffee brewing made its debut at the Paris
Exhibition of 1855. That was Italian espresso,
a word which means something made at the
moment it’s ordered, rapidly, and for one
customer. The way to make coffee fast is to
force water through the grounds with high
pressure. In the process, the pressure extracts
a substantial amount of the coffee bean’s oil,
and emulsifies it into tiny droplets that create
a velvety texture and lingering flavor in the
drink. Espresso is an expression of the power
of the machine to force the most and the best
from a traditional ingredient and make it into
something new.