Coffee in Italy
Beyond espresso: the regional drinks nobody exports.
Caffè Latte
The milkiest of the standard espresso drinks, and the one with the most room for latte art. A double shot under…
Cappuccino
Equal thirds of espresso, steamed milk and foam in a cup no bigger than 180 ml. Scale that up and it stops…
Doppio
Two shots worth of coffee pulled through one basket as a single drink. Almost everything sold as an espresso…
Espresso
Nine bar of water through finely ground coffee in under thirty seconds. Everything else on this site with…
Espresso con Panna
A shot with a spoonful of softly whipped cream on top. Two ingredients, and the only thing to get right is how…
Espresso Macchiato
An espresso with a spoon of foam dropped on it. Macchiato means stained, and that is the entire brief: enough…
Latte Macchiato
The reverse of everything else on the menu: milk goes in first and the shot is poured through it. Done properly…
Lungo
More water through the same coffee, rather than more water added to it. That distinction is the whole…
Ristretto
The same coffee, stopped early. Thicker, sweeter, less of it, and contrary to what you will read almost…
Caffè Shakerato
Espresso, sugar and ice, shaken hard in a cocktail shaker and strained into a chilled stemmed glass. The thick…
Bicerin
Thick drinking chocolate at the bottom, espresso in the middle, cold cream floating on top, in three bands you…
Caffe d'Orzo
A dark, toasty drink that tastes of malt, bread crust and a little bitter chocolate, with no caffeine at all.…
Caffe Leccese
A hot espresso poured over ice and sweet almond syrup, stirred until cold and lightly creamy. It tastes like…
Crema di Caffe
A pale, airy, half-frozen coffee cream, sweet and intensely coffee-flavoured, eaten with a spoon from a small…
Espressino
A small glass with chocolate in the bottom, espresso, and soft milk foam on top, often with more chocolate or…
Marocchino
A small glass of espresso layered with cocoa and a thick cap of milk foam, bitter chocolate first and soft milk…
Affogato
A scoop of cold gelato drowned in a hot shot. Two ingredients, thirty seconds, and the best dessert to coffee…
How to Use a Moka Pot
Nearly every bitter moka pot is bitter for the same two reasons: cold water in the boiler and too much heat…
How to Use a Neapolitan Flip Pot
Naples brewed coffee this way for a century before the moka pot arrived. No pressure at all: you heat water in…
Tiramisu Latte
A latte under a cap of whipped mascarpone cream, dusted with cocoa. The mascarpone is the whole drink, and it…