The second half of the twentieth century changed both how coffee was prepared and what customers expected from it. Pump-driven espresso equipment is one important thread. Faema introduced its E61 in 1961, helping establish an approach in which an electric pump supplied brewing pressure rather than a barista relying on a manually operated lever for each extraction.
Another thread concerns the coffee itself. Alfred Peet opened his Berkeley shop in 1966, emphasizing freshly roasted beans and a distinctive roast style. This development belongs alongside the expansion of packaged coffee and convenient brewing equipment, rather than in a simple story where one kind of coffee immediately displaced all the others.
These changes help explain today's overlapping choices: supermarket blends, neighborhood roasters, espresso bars and home preparation all serve different needs. A timeline can mark a machine launch or shop opening, but it cannot establish that one event alone created modern coffee culture. For readers comparing equipment or beans, the useful historical question is what changed in preparation, distribution or expectations—and how that change affected the cup.
The conversation
A good question can make a better brew.