History of Olympia Express - Page 2
- baldheadracing
- Team HB
- Posts: 6226
- Joined: 9 years ago
Interesting story, thanks!
As for drip, Melitta Bentz patented the use of a paper filter in a drip brewer in 1908 ("On a whim, she uses nails to poke holes in the bottom of a brass cup, which she then lines using a sheet of blotting paper from her son's school notebook." http://www.melitta-group.com/en/Biograp ... 7,650.html )
Adding electricity to the drip coffeemaker was (perhaps) first patented in 1954 as the Wigomat - another company still in existence, though not the household name in North America that Melitta is (http://wigomat.de/index.html)
... but, according to Wikipedia, the first automatic drip coffee maker was made by the Bunn-o-matic company in 1963 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bunn-o-Matic_Corporation . George Bunn came up with the fluted flat-bottomed coffee filter in the 1950's http://www.bunn.com/why-bunn/innovation Bunn's patents are cited in the Bresaolo patent cited above, e.g., https://www.google.com.ar/patents/US3034417
However, like many such items, there were a succession of patents and who was "first" depends on how you define the item.
All that to say that making drip coffee machines seems to be a good business to be in - unlike espresso machine manufacturers, which seem to have almost incomprehensible histories of mergers, buyouts, and bankruptcies .
As for drip, Melitta Bentz patented the use of a paper filter in a drip brewer in 1908 ("On a whim, she uses nails to poke holes in the bottom of a brass cup, which she then lines using a sheet of blotting paper from her son's school notebook." http://www.melitta-group.com/en/Biograp ... 7,650.html )
Adding electricity to the drip coffeemaker was (perhaps) first patented in 1954 as the Wigomat - another company still in existence, though not the household name in North America that Melitta is (http://wigomat.de/index.html)
... but, according to Wikipedia, the first automatic drip coffee maker was made by the Bunn-o-matic company in 1963 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bunn-o-Matic_Corporation . George Bunn came up with the fluted flat-bottomed coffee filter in the 1950's http://www.bunn.com/why-bunn/innovation Bunn's patents are cited in the Bresaolo patent cited above, e.g., https://www.google.com.ar/patents/US3034417
However, like many such items, there were a succession of patents and who was "first" depends on how you define the item.
All that to say that making drip coffee machines seems to be a good business to be in - unlike espresso machine manufacturers, which seem to have almost incomprehensible histories of mergers, buyouts, and bankruptcies .
-"Good quality brings happiness as you use it" - Nobuho Miya, Kamasada
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- Posts: 1021
- Joined: 11 years ago
- drgary (original poster)
- Team HB
- Posts: 14348
- Joined: 14 years ago
Possible Insight into Cremina 2nd Generation Design
Here's a post in my Ultimate Europiccola thread that may help explain why the talented Olympia Express founders created the second generation Cremina. I've edited that to address the Cremina only.
I've been experimenting with upgrading the heating system in a 1st generation La Pavoni Europiccola to that used today. Keep in mind that those machines were only slightly modified and rebranded by Olympia Express. Experimentation can partly retrace the quest of espresso machine manufacturers to advance machine features. Adding a 1000W heating element with a PSTAT improves steaming and ease of use over the old system of 200W and 600W dual elements that are manually switched and constant venting of steam to dissipate heat. But the base of the 1st generation Europiccola now gets hot enough it's uncomfortable to touch. Most of the base won't cause burns, but still, aluminum is too good a conductor.
I believe that this is why La Pavoni switched to steel bases when it introduced its second generation of machines, including the Professional that for the first time incorporated a PSTAT and a manometer. This introduced a rust hazard, but I expect those bases run cooler, since steel is a less efficient conductor of heat.
This also may help explain why Olympia Express redesigned the Cremina to its current 2nd generation configuration of a boiler mounted to a steel base and enclosed by a case.
Here's a post in my Ultimate Europiccola thread that may help explain why the talented Olympia Express founders created the second generation Cremina. I've edited that to address the Cremina only.
I've been experimenting with upgrading the heating system in a 1st generation La Pavoni Europiccola to that used today. Keep in mind that those machines were only slightly modified and rebranded by Olympia Express. Experimentation can partly retrace the quest of espresso machine manufacturers to advance machine features. Adding a 1000W heating element with a PSTAT improves steaming and ease of use over the old system of 200W and 600W dual elements that are manually switched and constant venting of steam to dissipate heat. But the base of the 1st generation Europiccola now gets hot enough it's uncomfortable to touch. Most of the base won't cause burns, but still, aluminum is too good a conductor.
I believe that this is why La Pavoni switched to steel bases when it introduced its second generation of machines, including the Professional that for the first time incorporated a PSTAT and a manometer. This introduced a rust hazard, but I expect those bases run cooler, since steel is a less efficient conductor of heat.
This also may help explain why Olympia Express redesigned the Cremina to its current 2nd generation configuration of a boiler mounted to a steel base and enclosed by a case.
Gary
LMWDP#308
What I WOULD do for a good cup of coffee!
LMWDP#308
What I WOULD do for a good cup of coffee!
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- Posts: 15
- Joined: 8 years ago
incredible machines, swiss watch quality applied to espresso brewing.