The knowledgeable one: He’s the one who asks a lot of questions. He knows the most bizarre kinds (“I’d like a dry cappuccino”), and he gets upset if he thinks the waiters use the wrong terms. He will explain in detail exactly how to prepare his beverage (“Short espresso up to the middle of the cup, with very little milk foam and hot milk on the side”). He’s been to all the important cafés in the world and takes a café course in Trieste every winter. He’ll tell you that coffee keeps best in the freezer (not true – it damages the beans) and boasts about buying only Italian coffee (although locally made coffee is fresher and therefore better).The enthusiast: He not only has five espressos at the café below his office on Rothschild Boulevard but also has an espresso machine in the office that is adjusted to exactly the way he likes it. At home, he has a top-of-the-line coffee machine. When friends drop by, he always “accidentally” goes through the kitchen that boasts his machine, next to which is an expensive bag of coffee, another way of saying “Look, I’m a gourmand.” Incidentally, this describes me.The bewildered: He doesn’t know what he wants and is never happy with the coffee he’s served because his requests simply don’t make sense. He’ll ask for a “waterbased cappuccino, strong, no foam and very hot in a paper cup – which will keep it hot.” So many impossible requests, and then he’ll complain, “And they charged NIS 16 for the coffee.” He will return the coffee and upset the waiters – all because really what he likes is his instant coffee at home.The optimist: He always sees the full half of the coffee cup. He comes to the café to have a good time, deferring to the professionals, asking many questions about the way the coffee is served, expressing his confidence in the barista’s ability to make him the best cup of coffee, envisioning himself sitting at a charming café on Via Condotti in Rome, where the atmosphere is no less important than the coffee. When his coffee is served, he enjoys every drop.

Sip This: How do you take it?

A cup of coffee is often much more than a beverage.