Hmm, I haven't really found a good rule how to find a good coffee here. Some places with a good reputation in my opinion serve really bad coffee. Some lowly neighbourhood cafés serve really good coffee. One factor that I use personally for decision making is the nerd factor. If the baristas / owners seem nerdy / dedicated I tend to trust them. If they seem superficial, "just doing their jobs", or such, I'm not expecting good coffee.

Paying attention to the coffee brand might actually make sense. I'm not 100% sure of this but it seems that some brands make sure the bars their coffee is served at have their machines dialed in and maintained correctly. For example Caffè Carraro has been pretty much a guarantee so far. That's where the lowly neighbourhood cafè (well, bar really) example came from, the place down the street that is more known for drunkards and very cheap wine actually serves really good coffee, Carraro brand. I really don't think the owners cares one bit about coffee quality.

My experience of Tazza d'Oro and Sant'eustachio in Rome were actually contrary to most I've heard. Expensive and low quality. Especially in Sant'eustachio the coffee just a bitter mess with a very unjustified price. I would personally have avoided the place, as I would most of the "historical cafès" that every town here has, but the wife wanted to try it. Never again.

Hence my qualifier that if you prefer brighter, more "3rd wave" coffees, you wouldn't agree with me. But I stand by my opinion: If you like medium dark roasted milk chocolate notes (Tazzo D'Oro was a bit darker; I bought their beans as well but have yet to open the bag), the Sant Eustachio was/is wonderful. As in wonderful enough that i just placed an order for 4 more kilos of it!

Just returned from two weeks in Tuscany and Rome where I tried numerous cafes. I found good consistency in the espresso I tried from nicer cafes and restaurants and as well as more mundane places like train stations. Tastewise it was traditional (as expected), which was what I was wanting to experience given the 3rd wave shots I usually drink at home. Thanks to all for the suggestions in this thread.

ojt wrote:
My experience of Tazza d'Oro and Sant'eustachio in Rome were actually contrary to most I've heard. Expensive and low quality. Especially in Sant'eustachio the coffee just a bitter mess with a very unjustified price. I would personally have avoided the place, as I would most of the "historical cafès" that every town here has, but the wife wanted to try it. Never again.

Yes Caffe Greco is on same league, touristic. You get the best bang of buck it not buying anything, just getting the atmosphere.

I'm one of the many that had pleasant experiences at both Sant Eustachio and Tarrazo De Oro, but only the main shop near the Pantheon. I visited another, smaller Tarrazo de Oro cafe previously that was disappointing.

One name I rarely see mentioned but is one of the true, few third wave cafes in Rome is Faro, Luminari del Caffè. They have well trained Baristas and an excellent selection of goods.

Firs dissapointment was on streeview english in window, but: you can trust italians in internet, their net-pages never works
Got something in german pages: https://qrco.de/faromenu

SutterMill wrote:I'm one of the many that had pleasant experiences at both Sant Eustachio and Tarrazo De Oro, but only the main shop near the Pantheon. I visited another, smaller Tarrazo de Oro cafe previously that was disappointing.

One name I rarely see mentioned but is one of the true, few third wave cafes in Rome is Faro, Luminari del Caffè. They have well trained Baristas and an excellent selection of goods.

Yes, both shops you mention I visited were the ones by the Pantheon, and if you like traditional Italian blends, they were IMO excellent! Sant Eustachio was my favorite of the two.