Measuring quality of life with coffee spoons

Consider a mug of American coffee. It is found everywhere. It can be made by anyone. It is cheap—and refills are free. Being largely without flavor it can be diluted to taste. What it lacks in allure it makes up in size. It is the most democratic method ever devised for introducing caffeine into human beings. Now take a cup of Italian espresso. It requires expensive equipment. Price-to-volume ratio is outrageous, suggesting indifference to the consumer and ignorance of the market. The aesthetic satisfaction accessory to the beverage far outweighs its metabolic impact. It is not a drink; it is an artifact.

From the New York Review of Books, via 3quarksdaily.

And what might we say about Finland, where the coffee is often served in a shot glass; the caffeine equivalent of a tequila shot's 'lick sip suck' (get some sugar on your tongue, throw back the espresso, then bite down on chocolate)?