Hi everyone!
Today I will talk to u about caffè in Italy!
In Italy the caffè is an institution, we love caffè, we venerate caffè, we can’t live without caffè and we can’t start the day without caffè.
There is a thing I never understood how countries could be famous for something that not growing in the same country?
Coffee growing in: Brazil 🇧🇷 , Colombia 🇨🇴 , Etiopia 🇪🇹 , Guatemala🇬🇹 , Honduras 🇭🇳 , Indonesia🇮🇩 , India 🇮🇳, Peru 🇵🇪, Uganda 🇺🇬 and Vietnam🇻🇳.
That’s means of course not in Italy, I mean have u ever saw a plant of coffee in Italy? Even if climate change could realise my dream of having a mango tree in the garden. (For people who don’t know me, guys it’s called black humour 🤪of course I will never take fun of the serious impact that climate change have on the planet)
So basically farmers in those countries take care of cultivation of coffee, they roasting it and of course sell it in all the world, but Italians are 100% sure caffè is an Italian tradition and that the Italian espresso is the best.. uhm.. ok I’m Italian but it’s always difficult seeing espresso like an Italian thing.
We simply find a different way to make coffee, there are so many in all the world.
I’m a fan of the American Coffee.
To all farmers if u are reading this THANK U!
How it is made and what it is coffee?
Coffee beans are the seeds of the Coffea plant, enclosed within the cherries of the coffee tree.
After harvesting, the beans undergo various processing methods to remove the pulp and parchment surrounding them, resulting in green coffee.
Characteristics of Coffee Beans
• Shape and Size: The beans vary depending on the species. Arabica beans are more elongated and flat with a wavy central crease, while Robusta beans are rounder with a straight crease.
• Color: Before roasting, the beans are green or yellowish; roasting transforms them into brown beans, developing their characteristic aromas.
• Composition: They contain essential oils, carbohydrates, proteins, and caffeine, all contributing to the flavor and stimulating effect of coffee.
Types of Coffee Beans
• Arabica: More delicate and aromatic, with a higher acidity level and a refined taste.
• Robusta: Stronger and more bitter, with a higher caffeine content and a fuller body.
The beans are roasted at different temperatures to achieve various flavor intensities, then ground and used to prepare coffee in different styles, from espresso to filter coffee.
Type of Moka
In Italy we have two type of moka:
The classic moka that u find more or less everywhere in Italy, it’s simply called: Caffettiera.
To make espresso u have to:
1. Fill the boiler with water up to the safety valve.
2. Add ground coffee to the filter without pressing it. About this when I go to fam or friends house everyone use a different technique. One of my friend press a lot it, and use a toothpicks to make holes, another create a sort of small mountain of coffee and close the moka.
3. Tightly close the moka pot and place it on medium-low heat.
4. Wait for the gurgling sound, indicating the coffee is rising. This is the sound of our childhood, I grew up listening this sound.
5. Turn off the heat as soon as the flow slows down.
6. serve it hot.
For the best results, use quality coffee, don’t press the grounds, and keep the heat low.
The Neapolitan Moka/ La caffettiera Napoletana
1. Fill the boiler with water and insert the filter with ground coffee (not pressed).
2. Close the coffee maker and place it on the stove with the spout facing down.
3. When the water boils, turn off the heat and flip the cuccumella.
4. Wait a few minutes for the coffee to slowly filter through.
5. Serve directly from the top part.
The result is a more delicate coffee compared to the Italian moka, thanks to the percolation method without pressure.
The Italian rule for caffè
There is a not written rule for caffè in Italy, we are never 100% happy about how they made espresso at bar/coffee shops.
It’s rare for us finding a really good espresso.
There was a period where me and my mum had breakfast in two different places we went in the first because we loved their croissant and in the second bar only for the espresso.
When an Italian order an espresso it’s more or less if we make a scan of it, we look the bartender if he/she ground the coffee beans well, I hate the bar with the dishwasher under the coffee machine because the steam of the dishwasher could ruin the quality of coffee, we check if the cup is hot, what kind of spoon they have etc.
Then like the best judge of Masterchef or of Michelin we gave our not requested opinion about the quality of the espresso, that is almost always: “Uhm.. no it’s isn’t so good”,“they could do it better”, “they ground it too coarse” and rarely: “oh finally a good espresso”.
(This is an authentic photo, of an Italian evaluating coffee 😜😂)
Italians could create a tv series based only around the best espresso of ur life 🤣🤣.
Coffee is magic!
How u already know my page is called: “A Cup of Espresso”, that’s because it’s one of the phrases I say more often and I think rappresent very well Italians.
I always had great moments in front of a cup of espresso, I had incredible talk, wonderful memories of a lot of espressi with fam, friends and coworkers.
One of the things I love more is the relaxed atmosphere u have when u sit in front of the window to drink ur coffee and u look outside like if u was in a tv series and something it’s near to happening, or simply I spent time looking what’s happening outside imagining a story for the people I see outside.
For us espresso is an act of love, buying to another person a coffee it’s a way of saying: “I love u, I take care of u”.
Caffè is one of our answer for the majority of the problems:
When we saw one of our friend a little bit sad we simply say: “Caffè?”.
We finally saw a friend after long time? “Caffè?”.
We want say THANK U? “Caffè?”.
U lost ur job and u need to talk? “Caffè?” (For this Friggione it’s an other good solution).
At the end of a meal? “Caffè?”.
U helped a friend? He/She will saying: “Caffè?”.
Caffè for us is like an extra hug.
U can find one of the best coffee of ur life in Rome at Caffè Sant’Eustachio.
Caffè in Italy
When u go in a bar (coffe shop) u can find really different types of bar.
In the city centre the majority of it are very small and really chaotic, when u go inside u can notice how small are, u will see a long bar counter covered by a wall of of zombies who needs “Caffeeee caffeee” to go back to life.
So u go to the till and u say what u want to eat and drink, the Italian breakfast at bar is croissant and espresso or cappuccino.
Then u go to the bar counter hoping to make eye contact with the bartender, who is living in an hell, he/she has to remember all orders: “how many espresso? 10? cappuccino? 6 orange juice? 1 - so 10 espresso, 6 cappuccino and 1 orange juice? Ok let’s do it” (I worked like receptionist, waitress and bartender all in one, a lot of time ago I was the jolly of the hotel).
In all this Italian started feeling their DNA and heritage, we felt like a Roman warrior who needs only A CUP OF ESPRESSOOO!
So we started looking left and right to understand who will order first, if someone don’t respect the line* it will be war, we are really ready to fight for an espresso.
When we think the bartender (barista in Italian) will never saw us, finally it’s our turn we finally have eye contact with him/her, we know in that exactly moment it’s question of seconds, if we missed that moment we will wait again, so immediately we say: “Buongiorno vorrei un espresso” “Good morning I would love to order an espresso”, u will listen even people saying: “un/one espresso” of course it’s a quick way to order but it isn’t kind, what’s the problem there is to take 2 seconds to say: “Buongiorno/Ciao”
Finally the bartender gives us our hot small cup of espresso that we drink more or less in 10 sec after 5-10 minutes of waiting..And we are ready for the day!
Sometime the counter is so full of people who only ur hand can reach the caffè and u don’t see anything except the eyes of bartender and the ceramic of the cup.
I find myself a lot of time with the outstretched arm in an attempt to reach the coffee.
In that moments I felt more or less like Scrat in the move “Ice Age”, he always try to reach the acorn and then there was me trying to reach the perfect caffè.
That’s why I always try to go in bigger coffee shops but aren’t a lot.
When I moved in San Giovanni in P. I found a lot of places where I can have breakfast without fighting for the coffee 😅😂.
There are a lot of bar where u can simply take a seat and stay for a lot of time enjoying ur croissant and espresso.
I know that part of u will never understand this part, when I went in Austria the first time , of course I ordered directly from the counter but the waitress told me: “setz dich und ich komme und nehme deine Bestellung auf/go sit down and I'll come and take your order”, I thought she doesn’t understood what I wanted I simply wanted an espresso and croissant to eat in 5 minutes an go away.
I didn’t want to be rude so I was sitting down and I ordered, thanks that experience and after a lot of other coffee shops in Austria I remembered that it’s should be a relaxing moment.
Actually I already knew the fact u should take a sec for u, but I more or less forgot it, because for us is normal drinking the caffè directly at the counter.
But starting ur breakfast taking the right time for u it is priceless.
Sperl in Wien.
Cappuccino
Cappuccino is served in a bigger ceramic cup it’s an espresso with foaming milk.
To make it u need a professional coffee maker or something with the steam nozzle for frothing milk.
Then u need a milk jug that It should be filled with just under half of milk, now u have to use the steam nozzle to get air into the milk and when you see that the milk is froth, the steam nozzle must be partially inserted in order to heat the milk.
The milk must not be too hot or too cold, so if at the bar you ask: "I would like a very hot or cold cappuccino" the bartender will make a normal cappuccino to which she/he will then add hot or cold milk.
For cappuccino there are few rules:
Never order a cappuccino after the 11:00 am. This because for us is like a bomb of calories, energy and it destroyed our stomach.
But of course u can order it when u want, just be prepared to see lots of Italians staring at you if you order it after 11am.😂 😂
U have to drink it slowly because it took time doing it, so u have to appreciate the soft milk’s foam.
NEVER NEVER AND NEVER order a cappuccino with ur meal, u can order at the end of it but never during the meal. That’s because it’s 100% with a cappuccino u will ruin all the flavours, that’s also way all the waiters refuse to bring u a cappuccino during the meal, there was a viral video about it where a girl was angry because she received the cappuccino only at the end of the meal.
About the last one of course u can order what u want, just be prepared to be looked at badly by all the Italians in the bar. (Excuse us for this 😁).
Hope u enjoyed this, what’s ur fav coffee?
Like always to all my subscribers THANK U SO MUCH, U ARE AWESOME! 💕💕💕
If u haven’t subscribed yet, I love u anyway but what are u waiting for? It’s free.
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Have a wonderful evening
Laura
*the line in Italy is always a mess, we never made a normal line, I love visiting other countries and seeing a perfect line.
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