alt Hacker NewsOffice coffee is not what people drink for pleasure -- it's a caffeine delivery device. If you go to a coffeehouse in the US you'll find that people often order drinks called Lattes which is espresso and steamed milk. And the word is Italian like espresso itself, so I think this isn't some weird Americanism but pretty traditional.
I did go to an American coffee house while I was there. It was called something like "Phil's" and there were no lattes to be had.