The tempting aroma of Italian Coffee is a great tonic in itself. That beautiful coffee smell before you taste your favourite brew or the big burst of aroma when you open a new packet can be divine. Coffee lovers have discerning taste, but many have unusual rituals too.

Some people just can't get enough coffee, it seems. Fiji rugby star Nemani Nadolo kick-started his day before the opening game of the Rugby World Cup against England by making a big bowl of coffee. It seems the cups in his hotel were just too tiddly for the big man, so he made his coffee in a breakfast bowl.

The coffee hit worked, as the big winger got Fiji on the scoreboard, although his team were defeated by England.

He's not the only talented star to get his kicks from a coffee fix.

Former US president Teddy Roosevelt also loved a huge cup for his coffee, which his son declared was more like a bathtub than a mug.

Coffee has also inspired composers and writers throughout the ages. Composer Beethoven loved his coffee, which had to contain precisely 60 beans per cup.

Fellow composer and coffee aficionado Johann Sebastian Bach even wrote a short comic opera about the beverage, entitled The Coffee Cantata, about a young woman whose father tries to stop her from drinking it.

Author Balzac shared Beethoven's and Bach's passion for caffeine and would drink as many as 50 cups of black coffee a day to stimulate his creative juices.

In different countries around the world, you will also notice people have little rituals they perform or a preference for one kind of coffee over another. For instance, Italian coffee drinkers favour the strong black espresso, while in Spain they drink espresso with a dash of milk - it's called a cortado or a cafébombon, which is an espresso with a layer of sweet condensed milk.

In Ethiopia you may find your coffee is served with salt or butter instead of milk and sugar. In Morocco you can enjoy a coffee flavoured with spices such as cinnamon, ginger, cumin or nutmeg, and in Finland it is not unusual to dunk a chunk of cheese curd into your black coffee.

However you like your coffee, and whatever your daily ritual consists of, you will find a range of Italian coffee, coffee pods and capsules, accessories and gift sets on our website.