I returned a few days ago from a week in Venice. I was staying in a part of town that sees only a few tourists and where the (coffee) bars cater for the local trade. The espresso in these establishments was too bitter for my present tastes, so I tried adding a little sugar. The locals pour one or two packets in their cups, but I experimented with about an eighth to a quarter of a packet: this just took off the edge of the bitterness and left me with a drink I preferred. I also found that espresso macchiato did not require any sweetening. Back home now, with my SOs prepared at the just the grind, water temperature and extraction pressure I prefer, I have no impulse to sweeten my espresso.

Italian espresso blends generally have some Robusta content. That's what gives it that special burnt rubber flavor. While Robusta is known for producing more crema, I didn't find the caffé on our trip to Rome particularly exceptional in this regard.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/21519888@N ... 387066168/

Perhaps the roasts aren't that fresh. Also, the baristas don't grind coffee fresh for each shot. They keep ground coffee in the doser-where it will stale quickly, if it wasn't already stale-and dose from there.

I didn't add sugar to my shots in Rome, just because I wanted to study the inherent flavors in the cup. (Most any place I order a shot in the US uses 100% Arabica beans.) Interestingly, I had a couple shots that were really well-balanced. Not at all acrid and not too ashy.

I mostly liked being able to go someplace where espresso is the standard order. (Order at the bar; drink at the bar. In and out in under 3 minutes.) I've read that less than 5% of the orders at a typical cafe in the US are for espresso.

Lucky you! I would love a whole week in Venice. I'm planning a little trip to Italy now, and looking forward to enjoying some coffee. I'll be moving around a lot, starting in Bologna, doing a bicycle trip to Venice, then Naples, Amalfi coast, and near Rome (Nemi.) My hotel in Naples appears to be very near a place called Bar DeGa, of YouTube fame.

I started out liking espresso because of trips to Italy, and have since had my taste preferences drift into home-pulled 'third wave' stuff, but think I'll be very happy to have a couple weeks of the old fashioned Italian caffe normale, 'when in Rome' style, with sugar.

Do you have any tips on bar protocol and etiquette in a busy bar? Do you generally pay someone at a register then tell the barista what you've ordered?

In my experience, the bars where you pay in advance at a cash register, usually located near the entrance, will give you a paper receipt that you then take to the barista. Things are probably less formal outside of the cities. Even in Rome, you could order direct from the barista at roughly half of the places we went to.

Biking to coffee bars and trattorias sounds like a perfect Italian vacation. Enjoy.

I just got back from France. The espresso that I had which was pulled well tasted like burnt tires. I had heard robusta tastes like this but MAN it really does. Sugar is necessary. Adding juuust enough is really difficult however, and I always added too much.

My wife used to roll her eyes when she'd hear me describe the taste of Robusta. Then in Rome she broke from her habit of drinking cappuccinos and mixed in some espresso shots. She quickly acknowledged that the "burnt tires" flavor descriptor is pretty darn accurate. It's not just 3rd Wave coffee snobbery.

I just found this fun (coffee) bar crawl story from Milan in Sprudge:

http://sprudge.com/milan-italian-espresso.html

8 "surprisingly complex, sweet, and juicy" shots (in spite of the Robusta) at 8 venues in 1 hour.

homeburrero wrote:My hotel in Naples appears to be very near a place called Bar DeGa, of YouTube fame.

Please share your experience! I'm envious! I've watched the De.Ga videos many times leading up to my purchase of a L1 (while also considering just going Bosco!).

redpig wrote:Please share your experience! I'm envious! I've watched the De.Ga videos many times leading up to my purchase of a L1 (while also considering just going Bosco!).

Will do. Hope the bar is where I think it is, took me awhile to ferret it out on Google, and there is no streetview image on that street. And I really hope Rosario is still working the Bosco there. In some earlier discussions back when I first joined this forum there was agreement that it was a worthy pilgrimage site for leverheads.

Sugar is the usual complement for Italian espresso. Bitter is not necessary a brewing defect. In many parts of the world bitter is part of the normal dietary lexicon, one which most westerners are not that familiar with. When balanced it can be good.

Absolutely right ! Bitter can be very nice.
Nothing better that an Angostura bitter (no pun intended), Fernet or Underberg after an heavy dinner, or just because you feel like it.
Campari and fresh squeezed orange juice, one favorite for the summer.
And horseradish and/or a nice Dijon with cold meat, another classic.