Today’s Google Doodle honors the invention of one of my favorite things: the espresso machine

It’s no secret that Chrome Unboxed runs on coffee. Specifically, from the beginning of our time as a fully-formed company, we’ve been running on espresso-based drinks like the stalwart Americano. As I sip on my espresso+water beverage right now, I’m reminded how great our coffee is here in the office. On Mondays specifically, I recall just how delightful, full-bodied, and tasty espresso is versus other brewing methods after not having it most weekends at home.

The latest Google Doodle hit me in an awesome way today, honoring none other than Angelo Moriondo, the man widely considered as the inventor of the espresso machine. Though his invention was quite different from what we know as the modern espresso machine, his was the first to use a combination of steam and boiling water to efficiently brew coffee.

His machine was never mass-produced, but he was awarded a 6-year patent for “New steam machinery for the economic and instantaneous confection of coffee beverage, method.” This device brewed coffee in bulk, so it wasn’t exactly the same as the per-person method of espresso brew we have these days, but Moriondo set the stage back in 1884 for what would become a staple of the modern coffee scene.

For those unaware, espresso is simply a more-efficient way to brew coffee and it gives you a base to build all sorts of different drinks if you choose to use it that way. For the Americano we lean towards here in the office, a simple double-shot of espresso with hot water makes what most would describe as a standard cup of coffee, with the espresso base adding a rich, full taste that you simply can’t get from other, standard brew methods.

And though the general understanding of espresso is that it contains more caffeine than a brewed cup of coffee, the opposite is actually true. Sure, per ounce, espresso is more caffeinated. But most don’t drink straight espresso, and making a full-flavored cup of coffee (again, an Americano) around 10 ounces is far less caffeinated than the same cup made via drip brew methods. As a reference, a 12oz. cup of brewed Starbucks coffee contains roughly 280mg of caffeine, while the same size Americano contains only 150mg.

Another big advantage of espresso as a brew method is the coffee savings. It takes nearly twice the amount of ground coffee to make the same size brewed cup you get with espresso. For an office full of coffee snobs, that makes a big difference to the bottom line. We generally go through about 5 pounds of coffee per month, and that number would basically double if we made pour-over, drip-style coffee on a daily basis.

As I mentioned above, our company began and still runs on espresso. As a matter of fact, one of our first purchases as a legit company was the Breville Barista Express that we use every single day here in the office. Espresso is deeply rooted in all of our routines here at Chrome Unboxed, so from a taste, savings, and simplicity standpoint, I am very grateful for Angelo Moriondo’s contribution to coffee, and I’m glad to see him honored today in Google’s doodle.