The espresso coffee culture

One of the things will amaze you when coming to Italy is the infatuation the Italians have for espresso coffee drinking habit. It is very much like tea for the Britons or long black coffee for the Americans. This is quite obvious by the hundreds of thousands of coffee bars scattered at every corner throughout the country. Italians, as a rule, take espresso coffee drinking very seriously and espresso could be defined as ‘a social beverage’. No social or business meeting would be finalized without caffe’. Often major decisions are made with a strong “caffe espresso”. Morning espresso, brunch-espresso, after-meal caffe’ and four o’clock caffe’ are all more or less common among Italians. Hot or cold, topped with foamy milk, plain or spiced and flavoured the Italian espresso coffee is a unique habit and cultural experience.

      The Espresso Coffee

The real espresso should be slightly thick with a lighter brown-creamy surface. The strength of the espresso is enjoyed in a variety of ways: you can request a “ristretto” (extra strength) or “lungo” (weaker) coffee, depending on the desired strength you prefer. If you’re daring, you can even ask for a “doppio espresso” (double) caffe’. The interesting point lies in the several variations of this seemingly simple cup of coffee you might discover once travelling here in southern Italy. Depending on the season or by your mood you can request a hot or cold caffe’ latte or caffe’ macchiato. In every case, what you’ll get is espresso in a long glass with milk. It’s not unusual to ask for an “espresso corretto” (laced) with brandy, Baileys, cognac, Amaretto or some other liqueurs.

My favourite version of espresso is an almost-new entry in the southern traditions to enjoy this powerful drink, but with a touch of personal taste. They call it “nocciolato”, a medium-short, strong, thick, espresso flavoured with hazelnut cream. I believe that coffee and hazelnut is just a very fine match in a hot drink. The pungent and persistent strength of the coffee is balanced by nuttier and rounder aroma of roasted hazelnut in a race between the two aromas to reach the senses. What a match! They say nocciolato was created in a small cafeteria down in Naples near the beautiful Piazza Plebiscito.

It is local habit here in South Pontino and in other parts of South Italy to enjoy the fantastic icy “caffe' freddo” during the heat of the Italian summers. And if not enough you can go for something extra special like the granita di caffe’ con panna , an icy-cold blend of crushed iced espresso coffee topped with fresh whipped cream. The Italian morning usually begins with a rich, foaming cup of cappuccino. Due its colour resembling that of the dress worn by Capuchin monks, the drink took the name cappuccino. In essence, cappuccino is espresso blended with milk at hot temperature. The hot pressured steam that is shot into the milk, creates bubbles of hot air giving the unique foamy top to what otherwise would be a hot caffe’ latte (see above). The norm sees the soft cappuccino’s foam with some cocoa or cinnamon sprinkled lightly over the top.

On average people enjoys espresso with a moderate dose of sugar, lets say 2-3 teaspoons but another popular request is for “espresso amaro” (plain bitter, with no sugar), usually preferred by the people who loves pungent tastes. No matter in what region you live in Italy, you’ll find that Italian coffee can be an enjoyable break. And whether you have the pleasure of choosing your preferred Italian cafeteria (Bar as they are called here) in your neighbourhood or do it yourself with your new Bialetti coffee machine, the many alternatives it offers makes it the perfect all-day-round drink to get you up and running faster. But remember a simple yet essential rule (especially for the American friends): espresso is served only after a meal, never with it.