Experience the Past, Present, and Future of Espresso
From 1950s novelty to global cafe icon, we celebrate the drink that changed coffee forever.
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The Story
Nine Bars That Changed the World
In 1938, Italian barista Achille Gaggia filed a patent for the first modern espresso machine. Capable of producing nine bars of pressure, this technological leap created the crema-topped coffee we know today.
Espresso’s adoption by the vibrant cafe culture of the 1950s—and the counterculture those cafes incubated—cements its legacy as a drink that transcends coffee.
Now Available
Introducing First Espresso
We pay homage to the eternal spirit of espresso with our latest offering—a confluence of past and future, meeting somewhere in the present. Robusta offers the darker, classical aspects of First Espresso’s profile, but it’s balanced by a medium-dark Ethiopian coffee, and a sprinkle of lighter-roasted Kenyan coffee to add a glint of acidity.
We sought to create something from an idea of an unknown past, layered in with what we do know about coffee from this period.
DIRECTOR OF QUALITY AND INNOVATION
1938 black and white photos espresso cafes with people
West Village Coffee House in the 1950s. New York, NY. 
A cafe moment during the age of espresso. Philadelphia, PA. 
The Gaggia machine at Moka-Ris Coffee Bar in London. 1955. 
Discussion and debate at an East London cafe.
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