Three words said hurriedly in the morning in the crazed race against time, said leisurely halfway through the day in the company of a friend or a colleague, or said immediately after lunch during those quick five minutes that always seem to be found to have a coffee. This habit repeats itself, as if it were imprinted permanently in each of our minds: a customary procedure that is an integral part of the 24 hours of our day. Millions of "An espresso, please", without even thinking about the richness of the history, tradition, and complex, hidden reality contained in that tiny cup that never lets us down. Espresso coffee is the quintessential symbol of the Italian bar and determines its image. It is also one of the three or four hallmarks of Italy, alongside spaghetti, pizza and Maranello's Ferrari, forever the object of world envy. Indeed, the terms "espresso" and "cappuccino" come out of the mouths of French, Germans and Americans with as much alacrity as Italians.

There are many reasons why even in today's modern society espresso plays an active, positive role. One of the most significant is the position it holds in the ranking of worldwide product sales: Coffee, following oil, oscillates between second and fourth place and, among food product sales, shares first place with grain. This is indeed a surprising amount of business, and it demonstrates the positive reception that this drink has enjoyed for centuries on the palates of millions of people all over the world. It also shows that sipping this tasty, exotic liquid during specific moments in the course of a day has become rooted in human behavior. Coffee's taste and aroma are truly inimitable. While a variety of beverages in different colors and tastes can quench our thirst, none is able to take the place of or equal the richness of taste, the intensity of aroma, the visual pleasure or the satisfaction that coffee bestows.

Before coffee beans work their delicious, aromatic liquid magic on our palates, they must undergo a serious transformation: roasting, blending, grinding and, finally, the preparation of the drink. Let's take a look at this process that results in a cup of hot, fragrant, beautifully colored coffee. With the arrival of industrialization and its contiued positive evolution, the roasting stage came to be considered an "arte sublime"--a sublime art--to be handled primarily by professional roasters. In our century, roasters have at their fingertips advanced technology that enables them to complete the entire roasting cycle in minutes while producing a high-quality product. In these new machines, coffee beans pass from hoppers into a roasting cylinder that rotates on its own axis. In this way, the coffee beans are constantly being mixed thus guaranteeing uniform roasting. The most important person involved in this process, of course, is the master roaster, a true "maestro", whose experience and care come into play as he draws forth samples from time to time to check that the beans are being roasted correctly, according to his recipe. The best temperature for roasting is between 200░C. and 240░C. (392░F.-464░F.) at which point the beans begin to crack and a series of mysterious transformations start to take place. The most important changes are the following: The decomposition of certain substances results in the formation of other substances that give coffee its typical taste and strongest aromas, freeing the beans' essential oils. Laboratory analyses have revealed that roasted coffee contains more than 300 different aromas. In addition, during the roasting, coffee gains from 25% to 35% in volume while its weight decreases from 18% to 22%. Roasted beans become brittle and water soluble. The quantity of caffein, on the other hand, doesn't change much other than becoming more soluble in roasted beans. Once the temperature reaches 220░C.-230░C. (428░F.-446░F.), it is necessary to take the coffee out of the heat for the cooling process which must be fast. In modern plants, roasted beans are cooled with air blasts during which volatile aromatic substances condense, remaining sealed within the shell until they are ground and transformed into a cup of coffee.

The magic and harmony of coffee meet in blends created through the mixing of three, four or more types of coffee coming from different areas of the world. Successful mixtures come into their own and amalgamate positive and characteristic attributes resulting in a product that is balanced and less subject to change in aroma and body. Being able to create excellent blends is part of the professionalism of every roaster. For this reason, the choice of the amount and percentage of the best coffees used can vary considerably. And these prerogatives almost always are the essence of each roaster's secrecy.

How much do you think a coffee bar owner earns on each cup of coffee sold at an average price of ú.1.200 (about 75 U.S. cents)? Well, 5-6 grams of coffee are used to brew a cup of coffee. If from a kilogram of coffee which costs an average (depending upon the quality) ú.21.000-ú.38.000 (roughly U.S.$13-$24), 160-200 cups can be made, the earnings run around 750%. So. . .you doubt this golden opportunity? True, you have to pay taxes, employes. . .but. . .do you think other bar owners don't pay them? To sum up: These days, a coffee bar is a gold mine.
And Capoccetti is at your side. . .!