Coffee is a religion in Italy. There is an ideal temperature for brewing coffee; too cool results in a bland taste, while too hot will introduce too much acid and bitterness. Most Italian coffee shops and good restaurants know what the proper temperature should be, and they will not brew it hotter or cooler no matter what you say. They are correct, in my view. The most important thing about coffee is the taste, not the temperature.
Lattes and cappuccino are made with steamed milk, especially in Italy. Again, there is a proper temperature to ensure the fullest flavor, and any real barista knows exactly how to achieve that temperature and taste. I have not seem Italians slurp their espresso in one gulp, like downing a shot of tequila. Instead, they sip it, like one would sip a "wee dram" of single malt scotch. It is a moment of relaxation, to be savored. Of course, the espresso cup is very small, and filled only half way, so it never takes long to drink, but that is the best way to enjoy real Italian espresso. I buy illy coffee, which seems to be the dominant brand in fine Italian restaurants, and make it myself, since I have an espresso machine at home and another at the office. I used to be one of those who ordered a 20 oz cup of black coffee and took a long time to drink it, but one I became accustomed to the Italian approach, I would never go back. The difference is similar to that between sipping Lagavulin or Laphroig neat and drinking blended scotch with 6 ounces of soda. One does not dilute perfection. <G> Dan Matyola http://www.pentaxphotogallery.com/danieljmatyola On Mon, Apr 22, 2013 at 11:41 AM, Bipin Gupta <[email protected]> wrote: > Yes Daniel, I agree that coffee in Italy is good. Generally there are > two types of Black coffee in Italy:- a) straight shots in small cups - > you are supposed to raise your head up and tip the coffee instantly > into your mouth. So that it doesn't burn you it is a bit tepid. A big > no no for me, as I like to enjoy my cup of hot hot coffee slowly while > reading the news paper or watching TV. b) the regular capucino. > All I said was that wherever we went in Europe (except Britain) we got > luke warm coffee. And we normally don't take cafe latte. > I just could not get the girls to understand that I wanted my coffee > "piping hot". Poor English maybe on my part (or my Scottish accent > perhaps, from my days at GM in Motherwell, Scotland), even though I > have a GCE (General Certificate of Education) from the University of > Cambridge, Great Britain. > So we would search out STARBUCKS in European cities for a good cup of > "hot" coffee. And here in India (or in my frequent visits to the US) I > don't normally patronize Starbucks. > Black coffee brewed in old fashioned percolators are perhaps the best. > I buy fresh roasted Peaberry Coffee with 15% Chicory from the stores > near my house. The aroma while you are in the stores is awesome. > Dan, here in Bangalore you have stores selling freshly ground coffee > ONLY and nothing else. I should send you a photo of these quaint > little stores with their roasting ovens and grinders, weighing & > packing machines and bags & bags of coffee beans. > I suppose a welcome cup of coffee is good any where in the world. > Thanks for patiently reading my post > Bipin. > > -- > PDML Pentax-Discuss Mail List > [email protected] > http://pdml.net/mailman/listinfo/pdml_pdml.net > to UNSUBSCRIBE from the PDML, please visit the link directly above and follow > the directions. -- PDML Pentax-Discuss Mail List [email protected] http://pdml.net/mailman/listinfo/pdml_pdml.net to UNSUBSCRIBE from the PDML, please visit the link directly above and follow the directions.
