Coffee prices are all over the place as the market responds to about a million different factors, and it has left many wondering what the impact will be on the consumer and how they will respond. And it is in these uncertain times that journalists turn to one trusty sector of the coffee drinking public: people in the country of Italy.

The latest journalistic institution to check in to see how Italians are handling the potential for not-so-cheap espresso is none other than the New York Times, who recently ran with a very even keeled headline, “Want to Panic Italians? Jack Up the Price of Espresso.” The exercise is not without its merits.