How do you recognize a good espresso?

Well, its easy. Order one, twirl the espresso cup a little, open your mouth and pour the golden syrup into your mouth.
The End.

NO!!!!!!!!!!!! Many coffee aficionado would yell.

If you are a serious barista or a coffee lover with a home espresso machine, then you'll want to know about the art and science of making a perfecto espresso. The science comes from knowing your machine to your beans and understanding how your beans, your roast, your tamping, your grind, the temperature and extracting the right amount of espresso work. And how you combine these knowledge together is Art.

But it is too complicated here and I won't touch on it. I just wish to give a simple introduction to anyone who drink espresso and love a good espresso in how to recognize what is a good espresso?
So, anytime when you walk into a cafe, you can be assured with the basic why some cafes serves such great black gold and some makes you scratch your throat.

A great espresso when serves to you should look like Guinness - stout beer. Black at the bottom with a layer of crema on top (golden looking with 2 coloring and speckled with dark brown accent) . When stir at top, the crema should be silky looking and not have any bubbles floating around. Depending on the type of roast you prefer, to me, it should be bright and tastes sweet and feels like it burst in your mouth - buttery, creamy, rich and bold at the same time - complex. Most importantly, it should not have bitter after taste. YUM!

So, if you are looking for ideas to do things, why not do an espresso day trip? Grab a friend, spend a couple of hours, walk around your neighborhood cafes and check out their espresso. Find out which you like and why you like. Just make sure you drink lots of water :)
Or you can have a shaking competition - Hmm...it can be kinda fun!

And if you will excuse me, I'm going to pull myself an espresso - rich caramel looking liquid flowing into my porcelain cup. YUM, YUM, YUM!