Luigi Bezzera was an Italian mechanic and inventor who lived in the 19th and 20th centuries. He created the first espresso machine with a removable portafilter. Angelo Moriondo is credited with the first recorded patent for an espresso machine. He employed a mechanic in Milan to build it. Some people believe that mechanic was Luigi Bezzera.

Career

The original patent for a method to quickly make coffee using steam and hot water was given to Angelo Moriondo on May 16, 1884. However, this method was not easy to use at first, and machines based on it were only found near Turin. In 1901, Bezzera improved this idea and applied for a patent for his changes on December 19. These improvements made machines faster and less expensive to operate, which helped the idea become successful later. Bezzera’s patent (153/94, 61707) was later bought by Desiderio Pavoni, who started the company La Pavoni in 1905.

Pavoni kept the old name at first and worked with Bezzera to make the machines in large numbers at a workshop in Via Parini, Milan. Bezzera had not focused on this part. In 1906, the espresso machine was shown at the World’s Fair in Milan under the name Bezzera L. Caffè Espresso. This was the first time the word "espresso" was used to describe coffee made this way.

Pavoni later called the machine the "ideal" coffee machine and sold it under the name "Ideale" for La Pavoni. After this, Bezzera and Pavoni started their own separate companies.

Today, the Bezzera company is run by Luca Bezzera, the great-grandson of Luigi Bezzera. The name Bezzera comes from Portuguese and is pronounced in Italy with emphasis on the first syllable.