Place water and sugar in a sauce pan and bring to a boil to dissolve sugar. Add coffee and rum and remove from heat. Transfer syrup to a non-reactive bowl or pan and place in freezer. After 30 minutes or so, as mixture begins to freeze, stir ice from around edges of container into syrup. Every 30 minutes or so continue to stir to incorporate frozen portion back into syrup. As mixture freezes it will have a slushy appearance. As it becomes more solid, scrape a tablespoon across the granita to break it up. Repeat scraping every 30 minutes until the mixture is solid, about 4 hours.

Alternately, you can stir every 30 minutes until granita reaches slushy stage. Let it freeze solid at this point and then remove, chop into small pieces and pulse in a food processor until granita texture is achieved. Return to freezer for 30 minutes or so before serving.

For Garnish: Lightly whipped barely sweetened heavy cream and chocolate covered espresso beans.

To serve: scoop granita into chilled glasses, top with whipped cream and a scattering of chocolate espresso beans. Serve immediately.

Air date: 02/22/97