On Monday, search engine giant Google paid tribute to Angelo Moriondo, the inventor of the world’s earliest known espresso machine, to mark his 171st birth anniversary. 

The Google doodle, created and painted with coffee by Olivia When, includes three clips that feature hot coffee pouring out of an espresso machine into several white and brown cups.

Moriondo was born on June 6, 1951, in the Italian city of Turin to a family of wealthy businessmen. His grandfather was the founder of a liquor company which was handled by Moriondo’s father. Later on, the family expanded their business by launching Moriondo and Gariglio, a popular chocolate company. 

After Moriondo bought two firms- the Grand-Hotel Ligure and American Bar in Italy, he realized how customers had to wait as their coffee brewed, which often caused minor inconveniences. 

To make the brewing process a lot quicker, “Moriondo figured that making multiple cups of coffee at once would allow him to serve more customers at a faster pace, giving him an edge over his competitors,” Google said, according to a report by Times Now.

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At the General Expo of Turin in 1884, Moriondo presented his invention to the world and was felicitated with a bronze medal.

His espresso machine comprised a big boiler that moved warm water through a bed of coffee grounds, along with another boiler that created steam that would finish the brewing process. On October 23, 1885, Moriondo received his international patent in Paris which was titled “New steam machinery for the economic and instantaneous confection of coffee beverage, method ‘A. Moriondo’.” 

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Moriondo, who never manufactured his invention at an industrial scale, spent the rest of his years modifying his machine and building limited units which he carefully conserved inside his two establishments.