Everything You Wanted to Know About Italian Coffee

Since coming to Italy, I have learned a lot about coffee. Not that I couldn't tell what a good cappuccino was from a bad one, but after having so much delicious espresso in so many different forms, I've developed stronger preferences than simply a small skim cappuccino or some black french press.

For those of you coffee aficionados reading this post, you probably know a lot already about what I will be writing, but here's what I've learned about what, how and when to drink espresso over the last 8 weeks.

What is Espresso?

Espresso is made by forcing steam and hot water through finely ground coffee beans, essentially creating a small shot of highly concentrated coffee with a little foam on top.

Types of Espresso Drinks

via Mi Cajon

Often times, espresso is combined with another liquid- milk, cream or water- to enhance the taste. However, many people drink shots of espresso which is simply the highly concentrated coffee/water combination.

Caffe: A shot of espresso

Macchiato: A shot of espresso with a little splash of milk

Cappuccino: Steamed milk with espresso and a lot of foam

Latte: Similar to a cappuccino, but more milk and less foam

Caffe Lungo: Uses 3 oz of water (so 3 times as much) when making a shot of espresso. This reminds me of french press coffee.

Caffe Corto/Restretto: Uses 3/4 the amount of water as a normal 1 oz shot of espresso, so it is much more concentrated.

Caffe Americano: A shot of espresso diluted with hot water (think "watered down")

Caffe Freddo: Iced shot of espresso

Shakerato: Espresso blended with ice (you can add milk if you would like)

Ordering Coffee in Italy

There is really only whole milk in Italy, as the cream makes the flavor of the espresso taste much creamier. However, this is hard for many people to digest, so Italians do not drink cappuccinos or lattes (anything with a lot of milk, essentially) after breakfast.

For the rest of the day, they drink espresso shots after every meal (the final step after dessert). Coffee and cream both coat the tastebuds and interfere with the flavors of the rest of the meal, which is why it is very uncommon to hear an italian order coffee at the beginning of a meal.

Also of note is that in Italy, bars (aka coffee shops) are long counters where you pay first at a cash register and then take your receipt to a barista to make your drink. You drink coffee standing or pay a cover charge for seating.

For breakfast, bars are packed with Italians drinking cappuccinos and nibbling on coronetti (similar to croissants). The combination of the creamy milk and the bread is very filling!

My Five Favorite Coffee Bars in Rome