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espresso

a shot of strong coffee

The Italian classic, and what you'll by default get if you order un caffé at a bar, or in a restaurant after a meal; for much more, see caffè. The name conjures up speed, or perhaps the fact that the barista is expressing the hot water through the freshly ground coffee, but it also means the coffee is being made expressly for you.

Not to be confused with an expresso, or supposedly fast train, which is often the slowest one on the schedule.

Drinks

Text © Dana Facaros & Michael Pauls

Image by Mark Prince, CoffeeGeek