In Italy, a spiritual search for the essence of espresso

#1: Post by **Bak Ta Lo** » May 14th, 2012, 11:41 am

In Italy, a spiritual search for the essence of espresso
By Erin Meister, Published: May 11
The Washington Post

(I really want to go try this "secret" coffee mentioned in the article, below snippet. I wonder what is going on behind that curtain! Sugar in the portafilter, Cuban style?)

Erin Meister wrote:...at Sant'Eustachio il Caffe, where the techniques and coffee blend are so proprietary that the bartenders are hidden as they produce drink after drink for the drowsy masses. (Since it opened in 1938, a reported 4,000 espressos a day have been passed across this bar.)

Signs around the cafe proclaim, "Il caffee senza zucchero va richiesto all'ordine," or "Coffee without sugar must be requested when ordering." Asking for a shot amaro, or bitter, might earn coffee cred back home, but you'd be missing out here: Whatever alchemy takes place behind the curtain yields delicious results, and it's best to trust the master at the machine. The frothy, almost meringuelike crema on this espresso is unlike any other I've tasted, and while there's a noticeable kiss of sweetness, it neither overpowers nor distracts from the coffee's deep roasted-chestnut flavor.

Part of the secret is that the blend of 100 percent high-altitude-grown, deeply aromatic Arabica coffee beans is still wood-roasted in the style of the 1930s and '40s, giving it a distinct smokiness that tastes not unlike the specks of char on a perfect pizza crust. The other part? I sense that if the baristas told me, they'd have to kill me. Instead, I'll happily stick to doing as the Romans do (con zucchero, per favore)...

(Note all the espresso hounds after the author for not knowing her stuff, in the comments section. It gets raw and rough when the poster stays anonymous.

)

#2: Post by **Marshall** » May 14th, 2012, 11:51 am

Bak Ta Lo wrote:(Note all the espresso hounds after the author for not knowing her stuff, in the comments section. It gets raw and rough when the poster stays anonymous. )

I think it's more a matter of Italians doing their usual regional rivalry.

May 14th, 2012, 1:46 pm

Forza Napoli!! Roma Merda!!

http://users.rcn.com/erics/ · #4: Post by **erics** » May 14th, 2012, 6:47 pm

The author of the article which Jeremy linked certainly has credentials - http://counterculturecoffee.com/coffee- ... -people/98

#5: Post by **Possepat** » August 21st, 2012, 6:17 am

Just got home from my first trip to Italy (Fiancee's family is from Abruzzo region). I spent two weeks in Lazio (Roman region) and the aforementioned Abruzzo region. I didn't have a single solitary great shot while there. I went to as many cafes and bars as I could specifically seeking out the most reputable ones. Sadly every establishment I patronized in these regions told the same sad story... a mazzer doser overflowing with preground coffee. My Italian family thought I was crazy for not adding 3 packets of sugar to a single shot. I understand this practice as the espresso I tasted was so harsh. But on the plus side as I said before you can get a shot ANYWHERE.... it wouldn't surprise me if I went to mass there and received a shot instead of wine after the communion. (JJ)

It was a great trip though, cheap wine, beer, and tobacco, and watching the people drive and curse each other was worth the price of admission alone. Next time I'll be sure to do more research and check out better cafes.

Sincerely,
A slightly more cultured Canadian

#6: Post by **michaelbenis** » August 21st, 2012, 6:34 pm

There's something else in this that's easily and often overlooked: the Italian palate includes and cultivates bitter amongst its pleasures, from endive, chard and chicory vegetables to Campari and rhubarb aperitifs, not to mention a wealth of digestifs that "Anglo-Saxon" palates can only compare to cough mixture.

Tastes are not only physiological, they're cultural, too.

#7: Post by **Possepat** » August 22nd, 2012, 5:46 am

Some meals seemed to consist of only digestifs and I loved them all, Limoncello,Mirto,Ginsyana.

#8: Post by **Randy G.** » August 22nd, 2012, 8:00 pm

michaelbenis wrote:There's something else in this that's easily and often overlooked: the Italian palate includes and cultivates bitter amongst its pleasures.. Tastes are not only physiological, they're cultural, too.

There are so many examples of that in various cultures. Tastes as well as textures and social moires (like roasted grasshoppers - I think we westerners would hit the trifecta with that one).

The example I often use is cloves. The aroma alone turns my stomach. I do not even consider them a food product. I have sensed the aroma of cloves in various concoctions when it was so subtle that my wife had to read the ingredients as she was certain I was mistaken. Shopping in a mall during the Christmas season is a nightmare for me. Iirc, Trader Joe's has a holiday spice coffee that has cloves in it... that should be a felony.

#9: Post by **malachi** » August 29th, 2012, 2:11 pm

Bak Ta Lo wrote: (I really want to go try this "secret" coffee mentioned in the article, below snippet. I wonder what is going on behind that curtain! Sugar in the portafilter, Cuban style?)

Calcium

#10: Post by **malachi** » August 29th, 2012, 2:12 pm

michaelbenis wrote:There's something else in this that's easily and often overlooked: the Italian palate includes and cultivates bitter amongst its pleasures, from endive, chard and chicory vegetables to Campari and rhubarb aperitifs, not to mention a wealth of digestifs that "Anglo-Saxon" palates can only compare to cough mixture.

I would say that bitter is actually accepted (or increasingly accepted) in the US palate as well.
See over-hopped beers, artisanal dark chocolate, bitter greens in salads, etc.