Although coffee is recognized as an Arabic drink - most people say it was first grown in Ethiopia, most people 'in the know' reckon that the Italians produce the best tasting espressos - in my opinion, their caffe is d'un ottimo caffe! I used to have a small coffee business to sell to some of the best cafe's and restaurants in Scotland.
The Italians even invented the Espresso machine (in Milano) to extract the very best flavour and aroma of the ground bean with just the correct crema floating on top. I like mine without sugar and start the day with 2 double espressos in my Rancilio machine - the best £450 I've ever spent.
The taste is quite superb!