For recognizing a good espresso you need to pay attention to the little cup: the cream must have a deep nut color, being particularly dense so that the sugar can get down very slowly and the cream to reassemble after having mixed the sugar.
On the contrary, an espresso is not perfect if it presents light color with large bubbles, non-existent body, poor flavor and dark skim, bitter taste and poor aroma.
The espresso should be drunk warm.