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Permalink Reply by christos manousidis on January 22, 2008 at 9:30pm

I discussed with one Italian old roaster that tries to extended his work in Spain and tell me that when he roast his coffee in Spain he cannot find the flavour that he finds in northern Italy. The same blend, the same roast, the same varieties, different result!

The Italians have coffee that is difficulty to find elsewhere and is unique. We should feel the difference and we occupy the culture of each population in order to enter in the point of coffee of each region.

Yes, the same coffee that you drink in an espresso bar in Italy will not be same in the US. This is also the magic!

The flavour of each population is determined by various habits.

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Permalink Reply by Shari Coia Fulton on June 22, 2008 at 9:38pm

I would say that coffee, in and of itself is not Italian. Espresso, on l'altro mano, is very Italian - check out wikipedia - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Espresso. Espresso was invented in 1903 by Luigi Bezzera, the owner of a manufacturing business. Mr. Bezzera longed to find a way to brew coffee much faster. Wasting some time after work one day, he added pressure to the coffee brewing process, reducing brewing time. The machine that he later introduced was termed the "Fast Coffee Machine", which is where the word "espresso" comes from...espresso means "fast" in Italian! Not only did his machine reduce brewing time, it made a better cup of coffee. The quick brewing time allowed the best qualities of the bean to be extracted, avoiding some of the unfavorable qualities associated with over-extraction. Luigi Bezzera was not at all successful in marketing the machine, and he had no money.

Desidero Pavoni bought the rights to the espresso machine patent in 1905 and successfully introduced espresso to the Italian market. Photographs from the turn of the century depict Italian Klosks serving "CAFE ESPRESSO - LA PAVONI". This was a very common site in Italy. Desidero Pavoni changed the way Italians drink coffee.

Since 1905, there has been a constant expansion of the coffee market for espresso based drinks. Here in the United States, we are only just beginning the process that has been deliciously repeated throughout the world.

The caffe (aka espresso), macchiato, and cappuccino all call Italia their madre terra! The espresso bar is definitely an Italian thing. There are over 200,000 of them in Italy - a country the size of California, and is a staple of Italian culture. The latte (italian for milk) is an American invention.

Ciao!

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Permalink Reply by The Barista Formerly Known As JavaJ on June 22, 2008 at 10:46pm

Gee, thanks Jason.

Stickman...while the French invented many methods of coffee preparation in the 1800's, including a precursor to the modern espresso machine, it was different in many respects. Most historians recognize the Bezzera design as the first. But hey, espresso wasn't really espresso as we know it until 1961.

As the owner of an Italian themed espresso bar, for me it is about tradition. I learned coffee originally from Frank Young, owner of Planet Coffee in Tucson, AZ. Frank learned coffee from his limited business partner Alberto, whose torrefazione Caffe Varanini roasted one of the best shots of espresso I had in all of Italy. Frank was third wave before there was such a thing.

But your question was more about the chains, and in that respect I believe it is all marketing. If you have no legitimacy, than the way to craft it is by linking yourself to something that (at least in the mass public's mind) is legitimate.

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Permalink Reply by Sie Whange on August 12, 2008 at 10:14pm

Well that's good!Italian coffee...some say the first "coffee house" that started the culture was in Rome. others say differently. yemeni people called it wine of the arabs, ethiopians had the dancing goats, etc. you decide what floats yer boat.Thanks
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Permalink Reply by Giovanni Caffarella on September 8, 2009 at 11:53am

Well to answer the orignal question, coffee is 'Italian" because of its impact on the world and how its passion developed through tradition. This of course if respecting the British way along side the Italian way. You already know, Bel Townsend what this means. We Italians and British will have our debates over certain issues. We know the British had the arms all around the world at the time coffee was beginning and also how Venice was a powerhouse of bringing in many things from the east. The first European coffee house was accredited to Franciszek Jerzy Kulczycku, in 1683 Vienna, and today they are one of the most elegant place for coffee.

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Permalink Reply by Patrick Bock on September 8, 2009 at 12:46pm

If you visit Italy you will know why. There is a coffee bar on almost every corner. They take there coffee very serious. Baristas have to be certified and licensed. No matter where you go the shots are always perfect. Baristas have to serve as an apprentices for several years before they are allowed to pull shots and make drinks. No they did not invent coffee, but they did invent the espresso machine. Last time I heard there was about 12,000 coffee bars in Italy. Which is about the size of California. Espresso is the national drink of Italy.

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Permalink Reply by Giovanni Caffarella on September 9, 2009 at 10:23am

Thanks for the correction there. Most of the time my information is cross referenced, so I try to be accurate. My fault...

Indeed, there is many coffee cultures in the world that are based in traditions. As you may know, Italians are traditional, and for myself I have great respect for traditions of other nations. Sadly, I was not aware that Hungary had desire for coffee. If you have any information about the Hungarian traditions I would be grateful. I love to learn and have a great respect for it!

Grazie, amico!

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