Espresso

Every other drink here starts with this: hot water forced at high pressure through a puck of finely ground coffee, giving a short, dense shot topped with crema, the lighter-colored foam that pressure creates. That crema arrived with the spring-lever machines Achille Gaggia developed in Milan, which used water pressure instead of steam. A single is about an ounce. Ask for a doppio and you get a double, twice the coffee and twice the water, so it is the same strength in a bigger dose. Many cafés build their milk drinks on a double already, so ask before paying for an extra shot.