Spanish coffee can walk.  I’m certain of it.  In fact, it is so strong and concentrated, I suspect if you roll down your car window and whistle, a cuplet of expresso will hustle up to your outstretched hand.  Cuplets are a thing.  They have tiny handles made for people with small hands and very strong fingers.  They hold approximately 3-4 ounces of liquid.  I suspect the cuplet was created because of the concentration of the coffee.  One should only ingest a small quantity at a time. If you were to consume this beverage using a traditional American coffee mug, you might end up having a seizure.  

Every morning, Mom and I split a cuplet of expresso.  Cafe solo, according to the locals.  I have learned how to request a black cuplet of coffee along with a large cup of hot water and two empty cuplets.  Invariably, I always get a strange look from the waitstaff, but now that I have mastered the necessary verbiage, I am at least not as frequently misunderstood.   In addition to plenty of hot water, I also add sweetener to my coffee.  This is a common enough addition because I do not have to request it.  Which perhaps also tells you something about the pungent taste of this beverage. The friendly server always brings me a wide variety of sugars and sweeteners.  Interestingly, the sugar packets are approximately twice the size of those in the U.S. and the artificial sweetener comes in tiny tablet form.  I suspect these packaging differences are due more to the robust flavor and hardiness of Spanish coffee than some local preference or design.  At the risk of sounding like “Oh” from the movie “Home”, I offer this bit of caution: do not eat the mini tablets of sweetener.  Allita tasted one and her reaction was similar to Toby’s when we fed him a spoon of peanut butter.  

Mom and I have about one cuplet of coffee each per day and only in the mornings.  It takes about 12 hours for the caffeine to wear off such that we can wind down and go to sleep.  The Spanish drink it throughout the day and even after dinner.  I am astounded by this observation.  Decafinated coffee is available in the supermarket but I have never seen it nor heard of ordering it in a restaurant.  Coffee consumption, obviously, is a big part of their metabolic processing.  No wonder they are so svelte, able to walk great distances without difficulty and stay awake until midnight.  Nevermind a siesta – have a cuplet of José.