Italian Coffee Culture Differences: How to Drink Espresso and Italian Coffee Traditions

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The Origins of Espresso

Espresso machines are believed to have been invented by Italians in the 19th century, but their popularity began around the 1950s. After Starbucks rose to prominence, espresso was promoted worldwide. Additionally, Italian communities around the world also helped spread espresso coffee. It's worth noting that although espresso machines may have been an Italian invention, some Italians believe that the coffee brewed with these machines is not quite authentic.

Italian Coffee Culture

Italian coffee culture is not quite what people imagine—it's not the leisurely style like Starbucks; in fact, Italians mostly only drink latte or Americano while sitting in cafés after breakfast. Italians have been drinking coffee since childhood and are quite accustomed to the strong, bitter, and acidic taste of espresso concentrate. They often order an espresso at the café and drink it quickly. Italians believe that the espresso loses its best flavor within just a few tens of seconds, so it should be consumed quickly. Of course, many Italians also add sugar, custard, etc. to balance the bitterness, which is somewhat difficult for us to imagine.

For Italians, a latte with a lot of milk is not considered coffee but more like a beverage. Additionally, the word "Latte" actually means "milk" in Italian, so if you order "Latte" in Italy, the waiter will bring you a glass of milk, not a latte coffee. You need to say "Coffee Latte" instead.

Espresso Around the World

For countries outside of Italy, smooth lattes or cappuccinos would be more common choices, but for Italians who can drink more than 5 espressos a day, what they call "coffee" usually refers to espresso.

For espresso, FrontStreet Coffee believes it's a good choice if you can accept strong coffee. After all, espresso amplifies the flavor of coffee, allowing you to more clearly taste the acidity, sweetness, and bitterness of the coffee. FrontStreet Coffee uses a blend of Colombian and Brazilian beans, with a bright but gentle fruity acidity that is quite charming at the first sip. Nutty flavors begin to emerge in the middle, and the caramel aftertaste in the finish is quite lasting. If you like milk coffee, this formula is also a good choice. The sweetness is enhanced after adding milk to this coffee, which itself tends to be sour and sweet, and the cookie flavor it carries after cooling is also quite surprising.

The Meaning and Birth of Espresso

Espresso is an Italian word meaning "on the spur of the moment" and "for you" (immediately brewed for you).

The birth year of espresso was 1946, when Gaggia further improved the piston pressure system—using spring pressure instead of manual pressure, allowing a layer of golden coffee oil—Crema—to float on top of the brewed coffee. This was the first appearance of Crema in coffee history, and this year is considered the official birth year of espresso.

In 1948, Gaggia officially established a coffee machine factory. Mass-produced Gaggia coffee machines were sought after by major cafés in Italy at the time, accelerating the popularity of espresso in southern European countries such as Italy, Spain, and Portugal.

However, it wasn't until around 1986 that espresso was promoted worldwide by Starbucks. After this, coffee professionals from around the world began to recognize and understand this type of coffee. This is only about a decade earlier than when Chinese people came into contact with espresso. Therefore, the more popular and reasonable naming convention is "Italian-style coffee."

The Significance of Espresso

"Espresso" has the reputation of being the "soul of coffee." It should not be translated as "extra strong coffee" in Chinese, because besides this, there is an even stronger coffee that needs this name. For coffee shops, "a coffee shop without 'Espresso' is not a coffee shop," which shows the importance of "Espresso."

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