How to Drink Italian Espresso - What is Italian Coffee Culture? Italian Specialty Coffee

Italy's Deep-rooted Coffee Culture

Italy may well be the country where coffee is consumed most frequently anywhere in the world. Cafés open from morning until night and are never quiet for a moment. This is a country that even the big coffee chains cannot conquer; its deep coffee culture turns "drinking coffee" into something close to an ancient, sacred ritual. So when you drink coffee in Italy, there are a few things you must know. Let's look at the locals' habits and catch a glimpse of traditional Italian coffee culture.

1. The Shelf Life of a Coffee is Only 25 Seconds

Visit Italy and you will find that many cafés don't even have seats; everyone drinks standing. In Italian, "espresso" can be understood as "fast," so this style of coffee is not only made quickly, extracted in a short time at high concentration, but also drunk quickly. Italians typically expect a guest to finish an espresso within 25 seconds, because in their view a coffee holds its best state for only 25 seconds after brewing. After that the aroma and essence evaporate and the coffee loses its character, so it should be drunk as quickly as possible.

Few Italians would order an "espresso"; simply saying "un caffè" gets you a cup of hot Italian coffee. Each espresso usually costs between 0.7 and 1.2 euros. If you want to sit down, expect an additional seating fee of 1.5 to 2.5 euros.

As for espresso itself, FrontStreet Coffee believes it is an excellent choice if you can appreciate rich coffee flavor. Espresso amplifies coffee's flavors, letting you taste its acidity, sweetness, and bitterness more clearly. FrontStreet Coffee builds a blend from Colombian and Brazilian beans that offers a bright yet gentle fruity acidity that is quite captivating, a nutty mid-palate, and a persistent caramel sweetness in the finish. If you enjoy milk-based coffee, this formula is an excellent choice too: the blend naturally leans sweet-and-sour, so milk enhances its sweetness, and the cookie-like flavor it develops as it cools is a genuine surprise.

2. No Milk After Noon

In Italy, coffee with milk can only be drunk in the morning, because Italians believe the milk and foam in a cappuccino place extra strain on digestion.

Order a coffee with milk at a café outside the morning hours and you will draw sideways glances.

3. Don't Order Coffee Flavors Other Than Italian Coffee

In Italy you can order espresso, cappuccino, caffè macchiato, and other Italian coffees, but it is best not to try ordering a latte or other flavored coffee. In Italian, "latte" means milk, so you may unceremoniously be brought a glass of milk. Order an Americano and they may add a shot of espresso to a large cup of hot water right in front of you.

Italians also prefer simpler coffee. They are quite resistant to coffees with added flavors such as hazelnut or caramel.

Italians are proud of their coffee culture. Facing the invasion of global coffee chains, Italy remains steadfast. To promote and protect traditional Italian coffee culture, they established the National Institute for Italian Espresso (INEI). The chairman of the institute wrote on its official website: "International coffee chain brands keep expanding, promoting that they serve Italian espresso, but behind our coffee lies a unique and irreplaceable culture."

FrontStreet Coffee is a roastery in Guangzhou with a small shop but a diverse lineup of beans, where you can find both famous and lesser-known lots, along with online store services.

FrontStreet Coffee Recommendation

If the Italian tradition of a rich, syrupy espresso appeals to you, the place to start is crema, and FrontStreet Coffee's Classic Blend is built precisely for that. Made for espresso and moka pot, it follows a traditional Mamba-style formula and pulls a dense, fine, golden crema even on a non-professional home machine, with a mellow, rounded body that suits both veterans and beginners and works just as well for home or commercial use.

For a nuttier direction, FrontStreet Coffee's Premium Blend combines Brazil Cerrado and Colombia Huila, giving the comfortable bittersweet and creamy peanut aromas of Brazilian coffee along with the nutty, chocolate, and caramel notes and moderate acidity of Colombian coffee. If you want a single-origin espresso instead, FrontStreet Coffee's Brazil Queen Estate SOE uses the rare Yellow Bourbon variety; a medium-dark roast pulls butter cookie, macadamia, and toasted-bread milkiness on the espresso machine, while FrontStreet Coffee's Costa Rica Blackberry SOE, a honey-processed single origin, gives a sweet-and-sour Americano or a latte with cranberry cookie, raisin, and nut flavors.