My nephew and his beautiful girlfriend gave my wife and I this wonderful book called "Italy, The Country and Its Cuisine"and I love this section about coffee.

The Art Of Espresso

"Hot as hell, black as the devil, pure as an angel, and sweet as love--that's a perfect espresso. There are many details to attend to in the quest for the perfect caffe': precise proportions of coffee and water, pressure, water, temperature, brewing time and more. The water can not contain too much calcium, the coffee much be freshly ground every time, the espresso machine must be the correct temperature, the cups must be pre-warmed, and they have to have a rounded bottom and cannot be too thick or too thin.

The quality of the espresso is immediately apparent in the crema, or the light foam floating on its surface. If the golden brown crema has a consistency firm enough to support the sugar that is spooned onto it, and if this covering remains intact even after stirring, then there is nothing left to stand in the way of a cup of perfect pleasure"

I love the part about the cups because as a child I can remember the perfect cups and spoons that my mother brought forth to serve coffee to our guests. No styrofoam for me.

The book also lists a type of coffee in Naples that I had never heard of, "un sospeso"or "suspended" in English. I will paraphrase the book here. If someone has just completed a good deal or is having a good day, he or she orders a caffe' and a "sospeso" The suspended coffee is for some one less fortunate to drink. So someone can enter a coffee bar and ask, C'e un sospeso" or "is there and suspended coffee". The barista says yes and the person gets a coffee for free. I love this idea. I think that Starbucks ( not that I like their coffee) should start this. Go in after a good day and buy a coffee and a sospeso. Did I mention that I love the Italians. Their good things outweigh any of the bad things in their culture.

I wish you all a good day, and one in sospeso.