Trendy coffee with an Italian accent

On my post Italian food stereotypes, no grazie! I really had a lot of comments, and it’s exactly from there that I’m starting this new post.

Some of you mentioned the magic word “coffee”, and since I have been for long time a manager barista in a very good coffee shop, I actually think I could be able to explain stuff about coffee… of course Italian style!

First I’d like to say that, as lots of food, even coffee is often victim of stereotypes, and it’s written or called using Italian words that sometimes don’t even make sense.

Whether coffee is for you life juice, an observance or simply a guilty pleasure, I thought maybe you would like to find out something more of this fascinating world. So in the following days I’m going to write about:

-          Espresso

-          Cappuccino

-          Latte art

Let’s start by saying that coffee is not Italian…… – sorry, we are not perfect – but in some way we made it an art. Once again I’m not saying the Italian way is the best or the only one, I’m not trying to start a kind of religious movement – that would probably make me rich – I just want to clarify what a real Italian product is and how Italian words are often used in inappropriate ways.

And if you think about it coffee has been discovered in the northeast region of Ethiopia, and cultivated first in the Arab world, but thanks to multinational like Starbucks, every single day in 33 countries  (Argentina, Australia, Austria, Brazil, Bulgaria, Canada, China, Czech Republic, France, Germany/Deutschland, Greece, Hong Kong, Hungary, Indonesia, Ireland, Japan, Malaysia, Mexico, Middle East, New Zealand, Peru, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Russia, Singapore, South Korea, Spain, Switzerland, Taiwan,Thailand, Turkey and United Kingdom) millions of people walk in coffee shops pronouncing Italian words without any understanding! – Don’t get me wrong, there is nothing bad about it. In Italy  I have been singing for 23 years songs in English without any understanding, but if somebody is curious, I can give some answer about coffee.

(I wonder if they are going to use English names when the first Starbucks will be open in Italy….. oh, I know they will get in Italy too! Anyway….)

So just remember, it can taste good, it can be the sunshine in your day and it can even have a trendy Italian name, but it’s not an Italian coffee.

It’s important to know we do not have brewed coffee in Italy, and if you ask for a coffee – un caffè per favore – everybody knows you mean an espresso, the only coffee we have in Italy. That’s why, and I hope nobody will get offended, I call brewed coffee “dirty water”.

Beside coffee shops, il caffè can be prepared at home with the caffettiera, also called moka, even if electrical machines are becoming popular more and more popular at home as well.

Italians, especially in some regions of the country, pay special attention to the preparation, the selection of the blends and the use of accessories, all part of the culture of drink it and get together.

Well, this was just the appetizer: I hope you enjoy this topic and I’ll see you for the next coffee.©

If you enjoyed this post you may want to read:
Tired to fake Italian,
Italian food stereotypes, no grazie!
Here your espresso Sir! (Made in Italy)
Cappuccino, sweet pleasure for breakfast only
and How to make a prefect foam cappuccino without a machine!

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