There is a book entitled Cafe Life in Rome by Joe Wolf. I read that little piece of fiction cover to cover in preparation for my trip. I was foolishly hoping that it would save me some time by pointing out the best spots. After what seemed like 23 hours, I landed in Rome. I hopped into a taxi, and pointed the driver to my hotel Villa Grazioli. Don't let the name mislead you, that one is really a Villa. I chose to visit Rome by day, but to wake up to bird songs on one of the seven hills surrounding the City. For four days, I'm going to live it up like Cicero; less the charm, the wit, the political intrigue & the money. Viewing Rome from a distance gives a nice perspective. A private garden and a restored 15th Century estate is a priceless bonus.
Espresso bar in Transtevere
Rome is divided to roughly six areas worth visiting. In my sleep deprived condition, I chose Trastevere (Across the Tiber, in Italian). This is a place that hasn't changed much since the 14th century, and perhaps preserves the Rome we imagine better than anywhere else. Narrow cobble street roads, small buildings in rusting colors, vibrant street life, and plenty of cafes and restaurants.
A typical sidewalk restaurant
I threw the dice and randomly picked four different coffee shops to sample. The Italians do not distinguish between a Bar & a Cafe. They all serve espresso, so very often the cafe is named Bar. They do distinguish between a Pasticeria and all other food & drink establishments. Those shops do not sell alcohol and focus on pastry, espresso & gelato. Semantics aside, I entered the first joint. This was a very typical Italian espresso place. There is a long bar and no chairs. The clients drink their coffee standing up and leave promptly to go to work. I ordered a shot, paid 75 cents, and waited my turn. The barista flap the doser once, presses the portafilter against the grinder plastic tamper, inserts the p/f and pulls the shot. 35 seconds later I get a shot with a nice head of crema, muted acidity, and pleasantly sweet. He practically broke all he rules: That coffee was preground hours ago, he did not wipe clean the basket, he did not flush the grouphead before the shot, he did not level or tamp with any force. He practically did nothing, and still, it was a better shot than I got from many contestants in U.S. Barista competitions.
Standing room only, the most common espresso bar
I move on to the next shop, same routine same result. The coffees have a very similar taste profile too, even though they used different blends. This one had a little better acidity. I decided to really push it and go to the place where nowhere in the world do you find a good espresso. Rome central bus & train terminal. There are at least seven bars there. I walked into the first one and watched the barista prepare a macchiato. I liked the color of his shot and ordered one. This one took 42 seconds to finish, and it was the best of the day. The same happened in the next shop. At that point I figured out I'm done with. In American terms, these are the diners of the Italian Market. Getting that level of coffee, let alone espresso in an American diner is unthinkable.
Can you find this at your local bus terminal?
The distinguished barista. Checkout that mountain of sugar in front of him
One of the coffee bars at Roma Termini
Pizzeria. They sell it by the pound there.
Stay tuned for my installment tomorrow, where I'll be reporting from the Pantheon - home to Rome's top two roasters: Tazza D'Oro & Caffe Sant Estanchio.
.
.
. I live in New York, and the only thing you can get in a New York subway is mugged.
