With the long & rich history of espresso in Italy, it only makes sense that the espresso culture there is very seriously developed beyond the stale supermarket, sell-by, stuff we commonly read about on the coffee forums.

So, until I finally go there for my espresso pilgrimage, I have to ask...

Italy's equivalents of Starbucks & Dunkin Donuts (Illy's & Lavazza, maybe?) are very accessible, but where's Italy's version of Counter Culture & Intelligentsia? Who are they? Who are the top micro roasters in Italy? What's their espresso like? How does it compare to NA's 3rd wave roasters?

I understand that these are tough questions to answer for all except maybe people who know the Italian artisan espresso scene. Maybe this one is more likely to get answered: good Italian espresso cannot possibly be the crema-less stuff I pull from the bag of Lavazza or can of Illy that I buy from the supermarket, just like that a good (forget great!) American burger is not represented by my local McD's or Burger King (or the frozen supermarket stuff!). What does a great, say central Italy, espresso taste like? How does it compare to a NA incarnation of it like CCC Toscano?

I hope this doesn't attract debate on the differences or preferences, I'm just very curious on Italian espresso since it is not as easily accessible to me as the NA one.

The overwhelming majority of cafes in Itay sell 80 cent to 1 euro single shots that taste decent, but are made from inexpensive coffee. Every large city has fancier cafes, but they do not emphasize better coffee, but table service, drinks and good cakes, much like cafes in the rest of Europe. The best espresso in Italy in terms of coffee are sold at the showrooms of some Trieste coffee importers and roasters, especially those underwriting the INEA standards.

I have tried some of the Sandalj offerings (they are one of the major Trieste coffee importers), and they are similar to the third wave places in the US, Northern Europe, and the Far East/Australia. But the INEA program of making espresso a DOC standard drink has not as yet found wide traction in Italy. In general, making espresso using high end coffee is mostly done in these countries, where espresso is not a traditional drink; and not in the Mediterranean countries where espresso is the traditional popular coffee.

I have no personal experience with espresso in Italy, but have been drinking some Italian exports for several years. If one searches the web a bit one discovers that there are countless smaller roasters in Italy:

http://www.delico.se/index.php/kaffe-c- ... cAoddFQApw

Which of these are great, good, or bad I can't say. I can say, though, that I am still savoring the aftertaste of this morning's first cappa from Musetti, whom I've been buying here in Sweden for years:

http://www.musetti.it/home.php?id_lang=3

Are they great? I doubt it, but I don't have the cupping experience to judge. They're damn good though.

Another I really like is Cafe Agust:

http://www.agustcoffee.co.uk/

They claim to have won some medals.

A friend visiting Northern Italy brought me some wood-fire roasted beans that were great too, but I've forgotten their name!

An interesting thing about these Italian roasts are that they seem to hold their "freshness" until the package is opened (if they are properly sealed at the factory). If one freezes them immediately after opening they stay quite good for a couple of weeks after opening. I usually buy 1-kg bags, and they stay fresh for a couple of weeks while I finish them.

I suggest exploring the possibilities - we'd like to hear about your results.

PC

Mohammad wrote:Italy's equivalents of Starbucks & Dunkin Donuts (Illy's & Lavazza, maybe?) are very accessible, but where's Italy's version of Counter Culture & Intelligentsia? Who are they? Who are the top micro roasters in Italy? What's their espresso like? How does it compare to NA's 3rd wave

It's probably better to think of them as different beverages than try to compare them. They are the products of very different cultures and economics. Erin Meister's article earlier this year explains it better than almost any I've read: http://drinks.seriouseats.com/2013/04/w ... cafes.html.

Great read, thanks Marshall.

I also agree with Marshall about culture- you're not really comparing apples to apples- or in the case of the article- lifestyle to lifestyle. I can surely appreciate the Italian roots and what it has offered- but I'm on the coexist bandwagon. I find myself liking both- the traditional - and third wave- pushing the limits to a better experience in the coffee world. I believe neither is superior- but about choices available. I choose to drink espresso because of taste, not lifestyle. Choices are good and I'm personally always searching for "that next level".

Thank you Marshall! Love reading good articles.

peacecup wrote: A friend visiting Northern Italy brought me some wood-fire roasted beans that were great too, but I've forgotten their name!

Sant'Eustachio Il Caffé in Rome?
I once been there, as recommended by locals. It was great coffee experience!!

http://www.santeustachioilcaffe.it/en/index.php

Thanks for the recommendations. Sant'Eustachio website showed promise for fresh beans until I searched H-B for comments on them and found almost all not very positive impressions. I still hope to find who in Italy is taking that rich espresso tradition and improving on it (slowly) without going all the way towards the new espresso trends.

I dunno. The idea that espresso in Italy was developed to as a fast stimulant rather than a gourmet beverage ignores the history of espresso in Italy and coffee in Europe in general. Coffee has always been considered gourmet, and Bezzera's espresso machine was a work of art deserving of the black elixir it produced. The same holds for Gaggia's first lever machine, and even the little home levers like the Pavoni, Elektra, and Caravel.

The people who developed these machines, and hence espresso in Italy, clearly loved the drink for its gourmet qualities. Who would bother to create these works of functional art to make a cheap black liquid stimulant?

If you can get any beans from reputable roasters in Italy that promise to be fresh or well-packaged they would probably be worth a try.

PC