Il Caffè

Before I talk about my daily routine and my job over here, I thought I would write a little about one of the most beloved things in Italy - coffee.

The coffee culture here is far different from that in the US.  First off, just about everything here is espresso-based, while in the US, the standard coffee (drip coffee) is brewed very dilutely, without pressurizing the water through the beans.  If you ask for a coffee in Italy, you get a "caffè corto," which in America would be a single shot of espresso.  It's nothing like the 12-20 ounce cups you get at Starbucks.  (Side note: "Venti" is Italian for "twenty," which is why if you ask for a venti size at Starbucks, that's how many ounces of drink you get.)

Speaking of which, the Starbucks culture of grab-and-go coffee does not exist here.  When you drink coffee in Italy, you drink with your companions while sitting down or standing around - not while walking or working at your desk.  For breakfast, one might go to a bar to get a cappuccino to go along with some biscotti.  After lunch, it is also customary to get a cup of coffee (again, an espresso).  This is helpful for staying awake after lunch, which is the most substantial meal of the day.

After lunch, everyone in the lab goes to the coffee vending machine to hang out for a few minutes.  There's a little lounge in the building with some vending machines: snacks, cold drinks, and coffee (Coffee vending machines are prevalent, and can even be found right off the streets!).

Wow, there are a lot of choices!  I prefer my caffè corto with a little extra sugar, so I hit the "+ zucchero" button first.  Do you know what all of these different types of coffee are?  Let's start off first by learning about espresso, then we can learn about some of the different kinds of coffee drinks you can make from it!

Espresso is made by forcing pressurized hot water through ground coffee beans.  It produces coffee that is stronger and thicker than drip coffee, which is what is typically drunk in the US.  I've tried a fair amount of espresso in America, and let me say that the espresso here is in a completely different league.  But anyway, there are many drinks that everyone has heard of that can be made from espresso.

A caffè americano is made by mixing a little hot water with the espresso to dilute the espresso's strong flavor.  A small amount of hot or cold milk can be added to the espresso instead of water to make a caffè macchiato (Italian for "stained coffee").

Steamed milk can be added to espresso to make a drink that is smooth and rich.  If the milk is foamed on top, it's a cappuccino, and if not, it's a latte (Italian for "milk").  A latte can then be turned into a moca (mocha) simply by adding cioccolato (chocolate).  Baristas (well... in Italian, the plural of barista is baristi) can get very creative with designs on the foam of a cappuccino.

I need to get to a bar before work one of these days to enjoy a fine cappuccino (the above image is from the Internet).  There are lots of great things to eat and drink over here, and there is no denying that the local coffee plays a huge role in Italy's gastronomical culture.  Stay tuned for more on Italian food and drink, along with other exciting updates on my stay!