—a tiny porcelain duel where nobody backs down, least of all the espresso
Two cups, two hands, the table bare,
The crema stared, you matched the glare.
No sugar stirred, no spoons allowed,
Just bitter pride, no speaking loud.
You drank, they drank, the silence stayed,
A duel in sips, no debts repaid.
The taste was sharp, the body lean,
A fight disguised as something clean.
The shot was short, the stare was long,
A ritual where both were wrong.
You set it down, the game was done.
But bitterness declares who won.
A porcelain war, a caffeinated crime.
A standoff fought in measured time.
📜 Italian Standoff – The Recipe
Ingredients:
- 1 oz Espresso (short, hot, uncompromising)
- Optional: A second shot (if you can’t stand losing)
- Garnish: None—this is war, not dessert
Instructions:
Pull a tight espresso into a demitasse. Serve plain, no sugar, no foam, no mercy. Place opposite another cup on a bare table. Drink without blinking. Whoever breaks first, loses.