What is an Affogato? The Perfect Fusion of Ice Cream and Coffee | Affogato

If there's one food that can take on the heavy responsibility of being a "summer heat savior," then FrontStreet Coffee believes that role must undoubtedly be ice cream. In the world of coffee, there's a classic dessert made by pouring espresso over ice cream—it is Affogato!

In Italian, "Affogato" means "drowned," so most people understand this name as describing the scene of ice cream being drowned in espresso. However, because it also carries the meaning of "suffocate," some interpret it as referring to this coffee dessert being so delicious it's breathtaking. Regardless of how you interpret it, Affogato is truly well-loved. The reason lies in how the sweetness of ice cream perfectly intertwines with the rich bitterness of espresso, creating a strong contrast. With one bite, you can experience the smooth, cooling sensation and the intense sensory impact of conflicting flavors.

With its unique textural experience and coffee dessert properties, Affogato has gained wide popularity among coffee enthusiasts worldwide. In different regions, it has evolved into various versions featuring local specialty ingredients. However, what FrontStreet Coffee wants to share today is not some exclusive recipe for Affogato, but how to make a perfect, most basic, and classic version of Affogato. Because most exclusive variations of Affogato are built upon the classic version with additional ingredients, establishing a solid foundation is extremely important. It's worth noting that we should never underestimate the making of a classic Affogato. Although it appears to be simply pouring espresso over ice cream, in reality... well, it actually is just pouring espresso over ice cream...

However, the choice of ice cream and coffee, the equipment used, and the proportions are all crucial details in crafting an exceptional Affogato. Without proper attention to these details, you might end up with a coffee "beverage" that has jarring flavors, inferior texture, or lacks cooling sensation. Therefore, it's best to be somewhat "meticulous" to ensure we can create a breathtakingly delicious—Affogato!

How to Make a Breathtakingly Delicious Affogato

First, let's talk about the choice of ice cream. If you frequently eat Affogato outside, you'll notice that the vast majority use vanilla-flavored ice cream rather than other popular flavors like chocolate, mocha, or strawberry. This is because the aroma and taste (sweetness) of vanilla ice cream are just right—they won't clash with the bitterness of coffee, while also not overly masking the coffee's flavor profile (relatively speaking). Compared to other ice cream flavors with bitter, sour, or stronger aromas that can easily overpower coffee, vanilla ice cream better showcases the coffee's characteristics. For this reason, vanilla ice cream has become the standard recipe in the classic version. (Of course, its versatility is also a factor.)

Next is the choice of coffee beans. The roast level of coffee beans determines whether the extracted espresso will be predominantly bitter or sour. When making Affogato, FrontStreet Coffee recommends using medium-dark to dark roast coffee beans for espresso extraction. Why? Because compared to the fresh fruity acidity of light roasts, the rich, caramelized aroma of dark roasts is more suitable for making Affogato. There are two reasons: first, dark roast coffee has a more prominent aroma that won't be easily masked by the ice cream's flavor; second, only a bitter espresso can create a strong contrast with the sweetness of ice cream, forming a unique taste experience. Light roast espresso, with its concentrated acidity, when mixed with ice cream, cannot be balanced by the ice cream's sweetness, resulting in a jarring taste experience. Therefore, compared to light roast beans, espresso extracted from dark roast beans is more suitable for making Affogato.

Then there's the ratio of ice cream to espresso! For Affogato, the ratio is also crucial. Because the temperature difference between espresso and ice cream is significant, too much espresso will cause the ice cream to melt excessively, easily turning it into a coffee-flavored "beverage"; while too little espresso won't properly "drown" the ice cream, leaving you with just ice cream as you eat. Therefore, choosing the right ratio is extremely important! Through testing, FrontStreet Coffee found that a ratio of 2-2.5:1 (ice cream to coffee) works best! This way, the coffee won't over-melt the ice cream, while ensuring the espresso doesn't run out before the ice cream is finished. From start to finish, every bite allows you to experience the perfect fusion of espresso and ice cream!

Finally, coffee expert James Hoffmann, author of "The World Atlas of Coffee," shared a tip in one of his videos: when making Affogato, it's best to chill the cup in advance—chilling the cup. This can effectively reduce the melting of ice cream, allowing us to enjoy more deliciousness on our taste buds. Of course, if you have enough time, you could also follow the popular online Affogato-making method: make a hole in the middle of the ice cream in the cup, then pour the espresso into the hole. The result will be different from the conventional method—both delicious and visually appealing.

Above are some details to pay attention to when making Affogato. As for the actual preparation, there's not much to say—once the ingredients are ready, you can simply dump them into the cup! Of course, you can also adjust the ingredients according to your preferences—adding cookie crumbs, drizzling caramel sauce, adding sweet wine, or even soy sauce are all options! FrontStreet Coffee is just introducing how to make a classic version of Affogato, not saying that Affogato must be made this way! Finally, our store does NOT offer this product!

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