Italy Panorama

Coffee is the main ingredient

Coffee tops the list of the most popular drinks in the world and Italians have perfected this brew over the past 500 years.

The first recorded consumption of coffee was in the ninth century, when it was discovered in the highlands of Ethiopia; not Central or South America. Shepherds were intrigued by their flocks that became lively after eating wild coffee beans. From Africa the beans use spread to Egypt and by the 15th century it had reached Persia and Turkey. Coffee was introduced from the Muslim world, particularly to Italy, by way of Venetian traders who then shared it with the rest of Europe, and from there to Indonesia and to the Americas.

All across the Italian peninsula baristas will explain that the biggest factor in the quality of a caffé is the grind of the coffee beans, and they will adjusts this both daily and throughout the day based on the air temperature and humidity, constantly keeping an eye on how the liquid gold flows from the machine. A firm example of how a one button machine can never match the quality of a good barista.

The ground coffee is dispersed into the holder and the coffee is stamped in the holder. The holder is then put in the machine and under pressure the water is forced through the coffee grinds coming out in a stream no thicker than a string of yarn. The coffee is dispensed straight into the ceramic cup it will be served in (many places in the US make the coffee in a metal cup then pour into another cup to serve).

Caffé’ that is hot and creamy with a thick crema, and no bitter taste…mmmmm!

My experience with caffé in America is confirmation that coffee pods and push button machines just do not match the results of a good barista, especially an Italian barista.