A closer look
Espresso machine and the printing press share a lineage of pressure—literally. In 15th‑century Europe, engineers experimenting with beer and wine presses stumbled upon techniques to evenly distribute force. This discovery enabled Gutenberg’s press and, three centuries later, led to steam technologies that birthed both locomotives and coffee machines. The physics of evenly compressed air and water bound civilization’s two favorite stimulants: caffeine and information. Each revival of speed in human progress, from letters to lattes, has come from learning how to tame pressure. Next time you sip an espresso, you are drinking a mechanical ancestor of every printed word.
