What is Affogato? How to Make Italian Affogato Coffee? Is Affogato Delicious?

Coffee has become a beloved beverage for everyone, or rather, an indispensable part of daily life. The ways to drink coffee have become increasingly diverse, with each country showcasing its own distinctive and creative coffee traditions. For example, Vietnamese people prefer adding milk to their coffee because Vietnamese beans are mainly Robusta, which has a rather bitter flavor profile. The addition of milk creates a more balanced and smooth coffee, masking the bitterness. Similarly, Spaniards enjoy coffee with condensed milk and have developed a rich coffee culture. Morning routines typically include a café con leche. This most popular and common coffee in Spain contains a substantial amount of milk heated with steam pressure and coffee machines, usually served in large coffee cups or glasses. Then around 11 AM, many Spaniards take a short break called Almuerzo... and so on.

When it comes to coffee, espresso-based drinks are quite commonly heard of or seen, such as lattes, cappuccinos, caramel macchiatos, mochas, and so on. However, Affogato might be less familiar to many. Some say it's a dessert, while others consider it a coffee drink—opinions vary.

The Origin of Affogato

Italians can be said to have pushed innovation in coffee to its limits. Simply combine "espresso" with "any food item" and you get a completely new name, which is why Italian coffee is also called fancy coffee. Some easily imaginable combinations include espresso with milk, cream, water, ice, foam, chocolate... but unexpectedly, Italians added espresso to ice cream, calling it "Affogato." Unsurprisingly, Affogato is Italian, translating to "drowned." This likely describes the scene of ice cream being drowned in espresso. It's now difficult to trace exactly when espresso and ice cream were first mixed together.

Affogato (also translated as "Afuchiduo") is a nearly dessert-like coffee beverage originating from Italy. Its ingredients consist of Italian gelato placed at the bottom of a cup, topped with a small cup (small amount, about 2 ounces) of freshly brewed Italian espresso. Quality establishments use chilled glasses so that the espresso doesn't immediately melt the gelato when poured, allowing patrons to savor the beauty of ice and fire merging, balancing bitterness and sweetness.

The Secret to Authentic Affogato: Italian Gelato!

American ice cream typically emphasizes a "rich and fluffy" texture, requiring large amounts of sugar and animal fats, with about 50% air whipped in during production to create a light texture.

Italian gelato is regulated by government standards, with milk fat content not exceeding 8%. In comparison, it's a refreshing low-fat dessert, and during production, only 20-35% air is incorporated, making it overall denser, with a delicate and dense texture that ordinary ice cream cannot match.

Italian gelato has a more delicate and smooth texture than regular ice cream, with lower fat content and is healthier. Italian coffee shops believe that all beverages derived from espresso belong to Italian coffee drinks, focusing on the importance of espresso. However, outside of coffee shops, most people consider Affogato to be a dessert, focusing instead on the ice cream.

Strictly speaking, this isn't a coffee drink but a coffee dessert! Its contents are: 1-2 scoops of vanilla ice cream + one shot of espresso (30ml). This coffee dessert is served in ceramic handled cups or latte glasses, with different coffee shops presenting it in various ways. Generally, coffee shops thoughtfully serve the espresso and vanilla ice cream separately, allowing you to pour the warm espresso over the vanilla ice cream yourself. This way, the ice cream doesn't melt too quickly. Of course, some coffee shops will pour the espresso for you before serving. This coffee dessert offers layered flavors and melts in your mouth! Take a spoonful of sweet vanilla ice cream with rich, bitter espresso and bring it to your tongue. You first experience the original taste of coffee beans, and just as the bitterness is about to emerge, the cold, sweet vanilla ice cream dissolves in your mouth, balancing the bitterness while preserving the aroma of the espresso.

Making Affogato Coffee

Making Affogato is also very simple, requiring only two things: vanilla ice cream scoops and freshly extracted espresso, plus of course an elegant container.

After preparing a beautiful glass, place the ice cream scoops, and then comes the most exciting part—pouring the espresso. The hot espresso poured over the frozen ice cream melts it, and the melted ice cream blends with the coffee—how romantic!

Of course, this is just the most basic version of Affogato. As Affogato spread to different regions, many variations emerged. Sometimes local vanilla ice cream is used, with caramel sauce added for sweetness, or cocoa powder and cinnamon are sprinkled on top. Some restaurants replace espresso with high-quality olive oil, and in Japan, there's even a version with soy sauce.

Some places also add alcoholic beverages when making Affogato, such as low-alcohol liqueurs (like Amaretto or Baileys), while others add whipped cream.

When making Affogato, there are no strict rules about the ratio between coffee and ice cream—it's all based on personal preference. In Italy, Affogato typically consists of one ice cream scoop paired with about 2oz of espresso. When making it yourself, you can add ingredients according to your preferences.

For example, using milk-flavored ice cream—place the milk ice cream scoop in a glass and gently pour the brewed coffee over it. The milky-colored ice cream and brownish coffee meet and merge in the glass, with rich milk flavor intertwining with coffee's bitterness. There's bitterness within the milkiness, followed by sweetness, creating an endless delicious experience. Alternatively, place a piece of chocolate on top of the ice cream. When hot coffee is poured over it, the chocolate will also melt. The ice cream's bittersweet flavor plus a bit of coffee creates an icy, silky texture on the tongue—pure enjoyment. You can also sprinkle a small amount of hazelnuts or chocolate shavings on top after pouring the coffee, adjusting the amount according to personal preference.

FrontStreet Coffee's Affogato Coffee

For the espresso used in making Affogato, FrontStreet Coffee recommends using "FrontStreet Coffee Sunflower Warmth Blend Coffee Beans." This blend uses 70% Honduras Sherry coffee beans and 30% Yirgacheffe Red Cherry coffee beans, resulting in espresso with whiskey aroma, soft berry sweetness, vanilla cream, and nut caramel flavors. Paired with vanilla ice cream, it creates an Affogato reminiscent of tiramisu flavor!

For making espresso, you can use an espresso machine or a moka pot/portable espresso maker. The advantage of espresso machines is that they produce beautiful golden crema and extract coffee more fully and evenly, but the downside is the high machine cost and troublesome cleaning. The advantage of moka pots/portable espresso makers is simple operation, suitable for home use. The downside is slightly less crema and a relatively thinner flavor.

If you like coffee and ice cream, then Affogato can satisfy both desires at once. The espresso melts some of the ice cream, making the coffee itself fuller-bodied, and vanilla ice cream pairs exceptionally well with espresso, neutralizing the bitterness. Meanwhile, each bite of ice cream reveals the aroma of espresso.

Some might ask: Is Affogato coffee actually good? FrontStreet Coffee believes: All coffee is good, it just depends on personal taste preferences. Some people prefer pure black coffee, which allows them to taste the local terroir flavors; some like drip bag coffee for its simplicity and convenience without strong coffee flavor; others enjoy lattes—coffee with milk, getting both coffee aroma and milkiness... There are many coffee brewing styles. To brew a delicious cup of coffee, you need plenty of practice. Welcome to FrontStreet Coffee to discuss coffee culture.

FrontStreet Coffee's Brewing Suggestions:

Regardless of what coffee you're brewing, to make a good cup of coffee, you need to pay attention to the freshness of the coffee beans. FrontStreet Coffee has always believed that coffee bean freshness greatly affects coffee flavor, so all coffee beans shipped by FrontStreet Coffee are roasted within 5 days. FrontStreet Coffee's roasting philosophy is "Freshly Roasted Good Coffee," ensuring every customer receives the freshest coffee when their order arrives. The coffee resting period is about 4-7 days, so when customers receive their coffee, it's at peak flavor.

For friends who need ground coffee, FrontStreet Coffee gently reminds you: If coffee beans are ground in advance, there's no need for a resting period, because the pressure from carbon dioxide buildup in the packaging during transit also helps round out the coffee flavor, so you can brew a cup immediately upon receiving ground coffee. However, ground coffee needs to be brewed promptly because it oxidizes quickly when exposed to air, meaning the coffee's flavor will dissipate faster and won't be as good. Therefore, FrontStreet Coffee recommends purchasing whole beans and grinding fresh before brewing to better experience the coffee's flavor.

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