| Espresso is several things at once. It is a
unique method of brewing in which hot water is forced under pressure through
tightly packed coffee, a cup at a time. It is a roast of coffee, darker
brown than the normal American roast but not quite black. In a larger sense,
it is an entire approach to coffee cuisine, involving not only roast and
brewing method, but grind and grinder, a technique of heating milk, and a
traditional menu of drinks. In the largest sense of all, it is an atmosphere
or mystique: The espresso brewing machine is the spiritual heart and
aesthetic centrepiece of the European-style cafe.
Coffee is a widely-consumed stimulant beverage prepared from
roasted seeds, commonly called coffee beans, of the coffee plant. Coffee was
first consumed in the 9th century, when it was discovered in the highlands
of Ethiopia. From there, it spread to Egypt and
Yemen, and by the 15th century had reached Armenia, Persia, Turkey, and
northern Africa. From the Muslim world, coffee spread to Italy, then to the
rest of Europe and the Americas. Today, coffee is one of the most popular
beverages worldwide |
