It’s no secret that Americans love coffee, especially if it’s made in an Italian style. “Cappuccino is one of our best-selling espresso drinks,” says Michele Sbarigia, manager at Venchi in Manhattan.
The United States Postal Service has now taken notice of Americans’ appreciation for Italian coffee styles. Recently, the USPS debuted a set of four new “forever” espresso stamps dedicated to coffee drinks, using their Italian names.
A book of 20 stamps is available on the USPS website with four designs illustrating espresso, cappuccino, caffe latte, and caffe mocha. There is also a set of coasters with the same images.
Artist Terry Allen took inspiration from the atmosphere of an early 20th-century café, designing the coffee drinks in an homage to 1920s and ‘30s advertising, according to the USPS. Art director Greg Breeding is credited with designing the stamps, which also feature Allen’s Art Deco-style lettering for the coffee types.
The USPS says it is issuing the stamps in recognition of the still-growing U.S. fascination with coffee.
New York City Italian cafés like the one at Venchi, a chocolatier that serves its gourmet espresso drinks with chocolate, can attest to coffee’s growing popularity in the U.S.
Luca Di Pietro, owner of Tarallucci e Vino, says that American love to drink cappuccino especially. Why? The frothy milk is like whipped cream, he says, leading Americans to consume it as a substitute for sweets.
Licking the stamps, unfortunately, won’t have the same effect.