A SPLENDID coffee show was held at the Vinothek wine bar in the Howard Johnson Plaza Hotel recently. Renowned Australian coffee-maker Maico LaPenna demonstrated the way to make the soul of coffee ?espresso.

It may seem that making a cup of espresso would be easy, but in fact it is difficult to control five or more ingredients in a short period of time.

Milk is the key ingredient ?it cannot be too hot or too cold if the coffee is to smell fragrant and taste delicious. The best temperature is 55 degrees centigrade, which Lapenna discovered after several years of experimenting.

Originally a photographer and then a chef, LaPenna has been in the coffee-making field for eight years. “Because I love it,?he said. Xu Xinru