by Mike Riccetti

Coffee brewed as espresso – quickly in small amounts under pressure – is possibly the most distinctively Italian of beverages. In Italy espresso is consumed hastily, a very small cup at a time, in the morning and afternoons at small coffee shops called bars. It is the most common post-meal drink, too.

It has long been a staple of Italian restaurants in America. As the "demi-tasse" on the early menus acceded to the "espresso," that brew was invariably served with a slice of lemon to cut its extreme bitterness and induce some palatability.

Read more

Source: http://www.examiner.com/