6 Ways to Drink Coffee Italian Style

As many coffee enthusiasts are aware, the first stop on the ancient bean’s European tour was Italy. Coffee’s spread across the world mimics humanity’s own to a great degree. Born in Africa, migrated to the middle east and then Europe, Coffee is the Ethiopian prince on parade of the beverage world, having adopted Italian style.

As with most things the Italians grow fond of, Italy adopted Coffee, nestled him lovingly to her bosom and taught him how to behave. Like that saucy plump American the Tomato, or that slippery Chinese noodle, Coffee was whipped into Italian shape and has never come back.

So, now Italy is the height of coffee culture. Whether you’re going to Italy and don’t want to be too obviously a Yankee or just want to be able to more authoritatively sneer with derision the next time you’re dragged into a Starbucks here are 6 ways to do coffee Italian style:

1. Caffè: Okay, You caught me. This just means ‘coffee’ in Italian, but they make it differently. Typical American mix? 1 tablespoon grinds, 2 cups water. Italian mix might just reverse that. They serve it in a smaller cup but it’ll still serve for two cups of my normal morning brew. Don’t even think about asking for vanilla, heathen.

2. Caffè e Latte: Literally Coffee and Milk. It’s almost like what you’ll get at the corner chain but made Italian style: strong and hot. The secret you need to know to avoid being the subject of the model in the corner’s giggling? Don’t order it after 10 AM. This is a breakfast drink. It’s got milk in it? Welcome to breakfast. In Italy this is most often prepared at home by pouring the coffee into a glass with heated milk. This makes it much smoother than pouring cool milk into hot coffee.

3. Cappuccino: For the Italian, Cappucino (literally Little Hood) is a way to get even less milk in their espresso drink. Think concentrated Caffe e Latte. In America we get double brewed coffee with milk and a something frothy on top and call it a cappuccino. Practice this maneuver: take a sip, scowl, put the cup down and say, “No, I ordered a cap-puc-ci-no,” slowly as if talking to a child. Then leave. Again, this is a breakfast drink. It’s best served in a porcelain glass which retains heat quite well and made with real espresso, very little milk and powder de cacao on top. Civilized.

4. Espresso: An after meal drink. If you want milk or cream in your espresso, order a Cappuccino, and wait til breakfast time to do it. As you may be aware, espresso has about three times the caffeine as a regular cup of coffee. This is accomplished by forcing extremely hot water through very finely ground coffee. Now, the Italians make it stronger than we do. They use less water, just like in their regular Caffè. The two things to remember with espresso are first, make sure you really want an espresso. If your eyelids are staying open of their own accord you might want to reconsider. Second, when it arrives drink it at a good pace. Due to its complex chemistry good espresso’s flavor degrades when it gets cool. As long as the crema - the reddish brown foam on top - remains liquid it’s good espresso. So, why is Espresso the basis of so many coffee drinks? Despite its size, a typical espresso has the concentrated flavor of several cups of regular coffee. Traveling in Italy and drinking an Espresso you should take Mark Twain’s gunfight advice: Take your time… and hurry up.

5. Ristretto: Ristretto isn’t so easy to define. It’s the espresso lover’s espresso. In a world of sports cars it’s the formula one racer in Honda’s clothing. Originally making a ristretto meant using the same amount of water as a regular espresso but forcing it through the grinds more quickly, resulting in a bolder, more exaggerated espresso flavor. This was accomplished with a hand pump. Hand pumps have fallen out of favor and automatic machines aren’t as controllable, so a modern ristretto is often made by simply using half the water and just as much coffee while grinding the beans much more finely. What’s the result? After drinking a ristretto you find yourself clinging to the ceiling, tonguing the coffee mud residue from the inside of your mouth fondly recollecting the time, not so long ago, you were a mere mortal unable to count the hairs on top of the caffé patrons’ heads. I would not be at all surprised to find that there was a ristretto in the first paragraph of ninety percent of the police reports regarding American tourists. Be careful. If you leave a ristretto alone next to a red bull the ristretto actually climbs out of the cup and holds up the red bull for its lunch money.

6. Coretto Grappa: Espresso with grappa. This is a digestivo, an after dinner drink. So, what’s grappa? Grappa is a brandy traditionally made from the leftovers of the wine making process. Original grappa was a waste reduction liquor, not valued for its flavor but for its potency. Nowadays grappa has been elevated to the same status of traditional fine drinks sort of in the same spirit as bourbon. Grappa is bold and powerful and the perfect compliment to a good espresso. Think Irish coffee but more compact, more complex and with a little more oomph. Cognac, sambuca or other spirits are sometimes added but Grappa is just right. How right? Correto is Italian for ‘corrected.’ By adding the grappa the coffee has been shown the proper path. The Spanish do this too, but they call it carachillo.

So those are six of the most popular ways for Italians to enjoy their coffee, or for you to enjoy your coffee while traveling in Italy. Don’t despair though, there’s a coffee drink for you if you miss your breakfast blend. It’s called an Americano. What is it? Espresso - with water added.