A Taste of Foam

A porcelain cup sat beside the ceramic coaster, rimmed with leftover cocoa and dry foam. I paced its circumference, inspecting the dark glaze before reaching for an abandoned bamboo stirrer nearby. Resting its slender length across the rim, I pressed downward like a lever until a small flake of cocoa crust snapped loose. It dropped onto the saucer with a quiet click. I picked up the crumb, tasting the powdery bitterness. Peculiar, dark, and lingering. A worthy midday discovery.