I landed two hours ago from New Orleans.
Two more hours to the final leg home.
My sleepless body forced me to settle down.
Costa Coffee
Finally, an espresso with a layer of crema.
They just couldn’t muster it back in the US.
I asked for a takeaway.
But then I saw the empty booth.
I sat.
Beside me,
A man with a white head of curls.
His iPad, deep into the staves.
Opposite him, a far younger guy with a pen and a notebook.
I leaned a bit closer.
“This is a tricky one, you see?”
The white-curled man pointed at the screen.
His companion leaned forward.
“How so?”
“The balance between the brass and the cellos.
“Both marked pp, but it doesn’t make sense to me.
“Let’s bring out the cellos a bit more here.
“And isn’t that an unfortunate page turn?”
The companion noted something in his notebook.
I sipped my coffee.
I’ve missed that feeling.
One more day with that American drip…
As I looked at the two,
It was clear to me what they were.
But where were they going?
What was their mission?
“Excuse me, I hope you don’t mind me for asking.”
The young one stopped and turned to me.
“Not at all.”
He said to me in a heavy British accent.
“Where are you guys going?”
“Pittsburgh,” He said.
“Heinz Hall?” I replied.
“Indeed.”
My gaze fixed for a moment on the older one.
His right index finger was silently tracing a tempo on the table edge.
“And please, tell me if it isn’t my place...”
The finger stopped mid-beat.
He locked the iPad screen and turned to me.
“But I was wondering what this piece is.”
He smiled.
“This is Vaughan Williams’ A Sea Symphony.”
“How interesting. I don’t think I’ve heard this one before.”
“Well. Perhaps now is the time.”
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You might be looking at this the wrong way. To make a good espresso in America, all you need is a machine of European design and the right type of grind. The reason you can't get one as a traveler is likely because the market doesn't reward them here. After walking a long way for my first coffee in the UK, I thought what I got was a bad joke because it was gone so quickly and took so long to take effect. Most Americans use their morning coffee as a source of hydration as well as caffeine. It's my guess that the water in Americano helps the caffeine to take effect more quickly. One lurking variable, of course, is that you can hide many "extra shots" in a venti Americano. At home, though, you can make as many espressos as you want without being impractical.