Prior to WWII, espresso bore little resemblance to the beverage we know today. Relying on steam alone for extraction from machines that could not generate much pressure, the resulting cup of coffee was more like a burnt and bitter Americano than a lovely crema-topped shot of goodness. Giovanni Achille Gaggia came to the rescue in 1947 with his manual lever machine, which applied a lot more pressure, pushed water rather than steam through the coffee, and produced a 3 ounce brew. The manual lever on the original Gaggia is where we get the phrase “pulling a shot” of espresso.
