Ciao!

My name is Serena and I’m the new Italian blogger. I thought I would start with a topic dear to all Italians: il caffe’!

We like our coffee very concentrated, like a shot of adrenalin, so do not expect a pint mug, even when you order “un caffè lungo” or “americano”. I can’t start the day without my little cup of coffee made in the moka, the traditional Italian caffettiere. I take it with me wherever I go: to Egypt, to England, etc.…

But let’s see what the most common choices at the bar are:

espresso: the standard small cup of coffee

caffè macchiato: as above but with a small “stain” (macchia) of frothy milk

cappuccino: a nice espresso with more frothy milk served in a slightly bigger size cup

caffelatte: it literally means “coffee and milk”. It is an espresso with more hot milk than the cappuccino (and no froth!), served in a bigger size cup.

latte macchiato: a big cup or glass of hot milk stained (macchiato) with a little coffee

caffè lungo or americano: a diluted version of espresso, that is: it will reach the top of the smallest coffee cup!

For the strong hearted there are also:

caffè ristretto: a concentrated version of the espresso. It is literally a teaspoonful of extra strong coffee!

caffè corretto: an espresso “corrected” with liqueur or spirit, usually grappa, but you can choose whatever you like. My favorite liqueur is sambuca. Caffè corretto is normally drunk after a big meal as a digestive.

A few notes:

If you don’t like hot milk, you can always ask for a cappuccino or caffelatte etc. with “latte freddo”. By the way: don’t forget that latte in Italian means simply milk. So if you order a “latte” you won’t get any coffee with it!

Traditionally we drink our coffee on the run, that is standing at the bar. For this reason in Italy you’ll find that there are two different charges: at the bar (with no service) and at the table (with the service)!

A little note on customs: if you order a cappuccino or a caffelatte or latte macchiato after 11 am, you will be immediately recognized as foreigners, even if you speak Italian perfectly!

But coffee it’s not the same all over Italy. When many years ago I went to Naples for the first time, I went in a bar and ordered an espresso. It was very nice and creamy, but… so sweet! In Naples they serve it with sugar by default. I must admit that I like my coffee bitter with no sugar, so the next time I ordered un espresso senza zucchero (without sugar). A stunned silence followed, and I could feel that everybody was staring at me. After that I didn’t dare order a coffee “senza zucchero” again, but I did discover my favorite one: caffè freddo (cold coffee). The best drink on a hot summers day!

Enjoy your caffè e salute!