In 1938, Achille Gaggia invented an ingenious creation that saw steam pressure applied to ground coffee, so that the water forced through the coffee extracted all of its rich flavours and aromas. He took it further ten years later when he filed a new patent- for a lever operated piston machine incorporating a spring. The spring provided additional pressure and Gaggia suddenly found himself with a way of producing a short black espresso in just fifteen seconds. In the 1950s, Gaggia found fame in the trendy, fashionable coffee bars of Rome and Milan, and also in Sirocci in London’s Soho.
With the launch of Baby Gaggia in 1977, the company began producing domestic espresso machines, making the professional values found in Gaggia’s commercial machines available for home use.
