Italian Espresso Culture: Making Italians Drink American Coffee Could Really Get You Punched!

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The Italian Perspective on American Coffee

Recently, an Italian netizen answered on social media a question that many have been curious about: Is it really illegal to order American coffee in Italy? (Original question: "Can you really not order American coffee in Italy?")

The netizen explained that Italians typically don't drink American coffee, but of course, it's not illegal to order it. However, the coffee shop owner will give you an espresso and a cup of hot water to mix yourself, and tell you: "We don't sell American coffee."

If you want refreshing coffee in summer, Italians usually order cream coffee, but it's considered a dessert, or they add ice cubes directly to espresso. But if you order an American coffee in winter, you might get beaten up 😂

At first, the writer thought this was a joke, until they found a video made by an Italian coffee shop 4 years ago (a video shot secretly and then edited with the person's permission). The content shows how Italians react when someone orders espresso but adds water to it. (Translations were provided by netizens)

"Here's your coffee, are you drinking it?"

"Is this 💩?"

"Get out! Bleep---"

"Espresso tastes terrible, this is your coffee"

"First, don't offend Italians, because this coffee is terrible"

"I only want that tiny bit of coffee"

"This is trash! Look, this is how we do it"

"What is this? Green bean soup?"

"Are you performing? No no no, I'm not drinking this"

(No translation needed - you can see that Italians immediately want to hit someone when they see their coffee mixed with water)

Cultural Significance of Italian Espresso

Espresso might just be a drink with strong, mellow flavor that can refresh and awaken the mind; or as a base for making various coffee beverages. But for Italians, it's a true life ritual, a cultural consciousness, and an integral part of Italian national identity that makes Italy unique in the world.

This January, espresso was also included in UNESCO's list of candidates for intangible human heritage!

Italians react so strongly to adding water to their espresso because every espresso tells a story about region, culture, and how the industrial era promoted rapid social development. If Italians casually mix espresso with water to drink, it's like an "insult" to their national culture.

Of course, as espresso has become popular worldwide, different regions have different ways of drinking it. Foreigners can taste it however they want, and local Italian cafes will also meet the needs of foreign tourists. But for locals, insisting on drinking traditional espresso can be considered a belief and respect for their own national culture.

The Historical Journey of Coffee in Italy

Coffee was brought to Italy from the Middle East in the mid-16th century, becoming popular among high society as "the devil's drink." By the early 17th century, a Christian priest baptized coffee and named it "God's drink," promoting the popularization of coffee in Europe.

By 1645, the first coffee shop in Europe opened in Rome, also Italy's earliest shop dedicated to selling coffee. From then on, coffee rapidly普及 and penetrated into the daily lives of ordinary people.

By 1881, the rapid development of the industrial era required everything to be faster, more efficient, and more mechanized, and coffee was no exception. People began researching ways to quickly extract coffee, and in 1884, a patent for a steam-powered machine for making coffee was successfully registered in Turin, Italy.

Italians' love for coffee is fanatical, and they made huge contributions to coffee's development. Later, this steam-powered machine underwent 3-4 design modifications through cycles of different people using it, providing feedback, and making improvements.

First, designer Luigi Bezzera acquired the patent for the steam-powered coffee machine, adding a handle and portafilter to the original steam boiler coffee machine, and researching and adjusting the grind size of coffee beans.

Coffee particles can be compressed by external force, allowing their density (the powder layer) to resist the rapid passage of high-pressure water flow, better distributing the high-impact water flow, allowing water to pass evenly through the entire powder layer and "squeeze out" a cup of balanced-tasting coffee.

Then, a cooling channel was added inside the coffee machine to avoid burnt taste in extracted coffee due to too high water temperature, and a patent was applied for in 1901.

Then, after a company named La Pavon acquired the patent, they added a pressure relief valve, solving the problem of internal temperature and pressure changing with heating flame intensity, while also adding a steam wand, forming the basic functions of espresso machines as we know them today.

The term "Espresso" - for concentrated coffee made using pressurized machines or filters - was included in the dictionary in 1920. Following this, Pier Arduino from Turin, Italy, sold these unique Italian coffee machines to France and gradually exported them worldwide, while also creating promotional posters to let more people know about espresso.

From then on, coffee-making methods in cafes worldwide changed completely. Speed and convenience became the new benchmark for cafe service, and Italian espresso began to become the foundation of the modern coffee system today.

By 1938, Italians even invented the specialized term "Barista." This word comes from an extension of "Barman" (bartender).

Conclusion

Different strokes for different folks~ Although people in different regions have different interpretations of espresso, as a culture that Italians are proud of, whether you're there or chatting with Italians, remember to respect each other's culture~ Otherwise, you might really get beaten up...

Image source: YT Fanpag.it Internet

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