One night Tom stopped at one of those 24-hour gas station mini-marts to get himself a cup of freshly-brewed coffee. When he picked up the pot, he could not help noticing that the brew was as black as asphalt and just about as thick.

„How old is the coffee you have here?” he asked the woman who was standing behind the store counter.

She shrugged. „Don’t know. Been workin’ here only two weeks.”