Fifi Afifa’s hands were shaking. Her apron was wrinkled. A half hour had passed, and she still had not found the correct technique to make a cup of espresso. There was always something missing. When she ground her beans for instance,they always came out gritty. In the tampering process, the coffee was not flat enough, thus causing the resulting brew to be too thick and bitter. In fact she knew, espresso in Italian meant, well, express.

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