The coffee plant was first described by Prospero Alpino, an Italian physician and botanist, in De plantis Aegypti (1592). According to Arab tradition, the drink, prepared as an infusion, was introduced into Yemen towards the end of the 14th century to prolong prayer vigils. Its use quickly spread throughout the East. In the 16th and 17th centuries, the Venetians introduced the drink, which was then drunk without sugar, to the West. The Dutch brought coffee to Java (1699) and Guyana (1714), and in 1727 it was brought to Brazil, now the world’s largest producer. The roasting of coffee is the main process in which the aromatic notes are developed and it is thanks to the knowledge in this “art” that Neapolitan coffee is recognised as excellence all over the world. The precious coffee we have chosen for our coffee bar has been prepared by Caffè Salimbene, a historic Neapolitan company in business since 1933. At Salimbene’s, today as in the past, dozens of samples of coffee batches are examined, offered from every corner of the world, and only the best are selected by these custodians of the best Neapolitan tradition.