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E-61
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 | |
 Faema E61 (1961) | |
| Type | Espresso machine brew group |
|---|---|
| Inventor | Ernesto Valente |
| Inception | 1961 |
| Manufacturer | Faema |
| Available | Yes (as E61 Legend) |
| Website | faema.com/uk-en/product/E61 |
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E-61 (commonly E61) is a type of espresso machine brew group, invented and patented by Ernesto Valente and introduced by Faema in 1961.
The term E61 comes from the Faema espresso machine of the same name, which introduced the technology, and was in turn named for the solar eclipse in its year of introduction.[6] It is also used as a genericized trademark for machines using brew groups of this type. The E61 is regarded as "revolutionary" in espresso, and one of "the most influential coffee machines of history."[7]
History
[edit]Prior to the introduction of the E61, the Gaggia spring-lever design, patented by Achille Gaggia in 1947, was predominant among espresso machines. This design requires the user (e.g. a barista) to pull a lever to tension a spring, which then drives a piston to pressurize heated brew water to the approximately 9 bars of pressure required to produce espresso, and afforded the user a considerable degree of manual control over the process.[8] An example of this is the technique that became known as the ‘Fellini Move’ or ‘Fellini Manoeuvre’, used to control pre-infusion or to introduce more volume into a shot than a single ‘pull’ from a spring-lever espresso machine would otherwise allow.[9] This method is named for Federico Fellini, and appears in Fellini's film Orchestra Rehearsal, employed by the barista working the Gaggia machine in the bar scene.[10]
Ernesto Valente's company Faema had been the original manufacturer of Gaggia's 1948 machine, but their collaboration ended after disagreement over the market for espresso machines. Where Gaggia saw them as niche, high-end appliances for specialized operators in commercial establishments that could afford them, Valente saw opportunity in a larger market for inexpensive, automated machines.[11][7]
In 1960, Valente filed a patent in Italy (subsequently filed and granted in the United States) describing an espresso machine group with "alternately seating valves".[12] This valve system within the group head allowed the machine to automatically saturate the ground coffee in the filter basket with brew temperature water at the much lower pressure in the boiler, prior to applying higher, pump-driven pressure (9 bar) brew water to the puck of coffee to produce espresso.[13] As Valente discusses in his patent, this pre-infusion phase (which Valente calls "preparation of infusion") is a notable feature of Gaggia's spring-lever design, as well as direct lever espresso machines without a spring-driven piston (e.g. La Pavoni Europiccola), and crucial to the preparation of good espresso.[14][13]
Valente's group allowed the Faema E61 to become the first espresso machine to use automatic pre-infusion, the first to incorporate an electric pump, and the first to incorporate a thermosiphon for managing the temperature of the group head.[7][6] The combination of the thermosiphon and the mass of brass in the E61 group head, in excess of 4 kilograms (8.8 lb), gives E61 machines desirable thermal inertia in operation, maintaining a stable brew temperature while pulling shots of espresso in succession.[1][14] In the E61 machine, operation was substantially automated, using an on-off switch to control an electric pump. It entered the market at a time when much of Italy gained electricity for the first time. Water was drawn directly from the plumbing, pressurized to 9 bars (900 kPa), and sent through a copper pipe inside a boiler. As it travelled, the water was maintained at a temperature considered by the manufacturers to be ideal for brewing. For the barista, there was no longer a need to pause between espressos as the boiler came back to temperature. In addition, the use of a horizontal boiler orientation lowered the top of the machine, allowing eye-level conversation with customers waiting for coffee.[11]
The patent on the E61 group expired in 1996; the design is now in the public domain.[12]
Beyond Faema, E61 groups have been used on espresso machines made by Bezzera (Aria, DUO), Profitec (700 series, Drive, Ride), ECM (Classika, Synchonika, Mechanika, Puristika), Rocket Espresso (Appartamento, Giotto, Mozzafiato), La Nuova Era (Cuadra, Altea), Sanremo, Vetrano, and Lelit (Bianca, MaraX), among others.[5]
References
[edit]- ^ a b Coffeegen (24 January 2020). "Simple mechanics of the E61". Retrieved 27 February 2026.
The E61 is a marvel of engineering. It has 4 kg of brass in the head providing thermal inertia that heats up brew water that is too cold and cools brew water that is too hot. This is heated by a thermosyphon circuit, which is broken by a solenoid to allow brewing of coffee and pressure release after the coffee has been brewed.
- ^ Seattle Coffee Gear (12 March 2013). "Internals of an E61 Brew Head". Retrieved 27 February 2026.
Ever wonder what kind of magic ensues when you flip up the lever of your espresso machine's E61 brew head? We did, too! So we asked Bill Crossland to perform surgery on one and then walk us through the functionality.
- ^ Whole Latte Love (9 March 2016). "How it Works: Deep Inside a Cutaway Espresso Machine". Retrieved 27 February 2026.
In this video you will learn how a semi-automatic espresso machine works. Using a machine with cutaway components... Components include: E61 brew group, heat-exchange boiler, solenoid valve, thermal siphon system, steam valve, one-way valve, anti-burn wands, rotary pump, OPV valve and much more. [...] The machine featured in this video is the ECM Technika IV Profi Switchable. It's a semi-automatic espresso machine with heat-exchange boiler and rotary pump.
- ^ James Hoffmann (19 November 2019). "The Weirdest & Scariest Custom Espresso Machine I Own". Retrieved 27 February 2026.
Because everything is completely exposed -- and that's really scary -- you can really see how a simple E61-style espresso machine works.
- ^ a b Lance Hedrick (30 May 2023). "HOW IT WORKS: E61-style Deep Dive (Lelit, Rocket, ECM, Profitec, etc)". Retrieved 27 February 2026.
- ^ a b Hoffmann, James (2022). How to Make the Best Coffee at Home: Sunday Times Bestseller from World-class Barista. Octopus Books. p. 176. ISBN 978-1-78472-724-6.
- ^ a b c Jimmy Stamp (19 June 2012). "The Long History of the Espresso Machine". Smithsonian Magazine.
The next revolution in espresso machine happend, appropriately in the revolutionary 1960s when Gaggia's piston machine was surpassed by the Faema E61. Invented by Ernesto Valente in 1961, the E61 introduced many more innovations and espresso firsts. [...] With its technical innovations, smaller size, versatility and streamlined stainless steel design, the E61 was an immediate success and is rightly included in the pantheon of the most influential coffee machines of history.
- ^ Bramah, Edward (1989). Coffee makers: 300 Years of Art & Design. Quiller Press. pp. 143–145.
- ^ "The 'Fellini Move' in Pictures". Home-Barista. 20 February 2006. Retrieved 24 August 2024.
- ^ Dir. Frederico Fellini (1978). Prova d'orchestra [Orchestra Rehearsal] (DVD) (in Italian). Italy. Event occurs at 0h36m00s - 0h38m30s.
- ^ a b Jonathan Morris (2010). "Making Italian Espresso, Making Espresso Italian". Food & History. 8 (2): 168–170. doi:10.1484/J.FOOD.1.102222.
- ^ a b US expired 3,230,974, Ernesto Valente, "ALTERNATELY SEATING VALVES", published 1960-09-24, issued 1966-01-25
- ^ a b Seattle Coffee Gear (15 March 2013). "What is Pre-Infusion? An Overview featuring Bill Crossland".
Like many things in the world of espresso, even pre-infusion has advocates and detractors. Learn the history, mechanical functionality, how it's used and why in this overview with Bill Crossland.
- ^ a b "EM 3.06.1 The E61 Group Head". BaristaHustle. Retrieved 27 February 2026.
FAEMA's E61 espresso machine represented a huge leap forward for espresso-making. It was the first machine to incorporate an electric pump, to use a thermosyphon for temperature stability, and to enable automatic pre-infusion. When the E61 was released, machines with three-way valves already existed on the market. The big innovation of Ernesto Valente's [E61] group head was the automatic pre-infusion, which — as he describes in his patent — was one of the major advantages of the lever-type machines.