Can you recognize a good coffee? All the secrets in a cup.

We are Italian. For ancient Rome, for Michelangelo, Raffaello, Leonardo, and Caravaggio. We are for the canals of Venice and the pink Dolomites. For the sun of Sicily and Neapolitan pizza. But we wouldn’t be Italian if we weren’t capable of making a good coffee. In fact, how many of you have complained about coffee when traveling around the world? And how many foreigners in Italy are fascinated by our world of espresso? A word that we introduced, which has turned into a sign of cafés around the world. Now, “espresso” is synonymous with coffee in a cup, yet there is a whole world behind this word.

First of all, the production techniques for making a good coffee are many: the green bean, at the end of its long journey from exotic countries to Italy, is enhanced by these techniques before being enjoyed in a cup.

The most important and well-known coffees in the world

The most important coffee cultivars are two, Arabica and Robusta. Both are flowering plants belonging to the Rubiaceae family. The genus Coffea includes more than 100 different species, of which the two mentioned represent the majority quantitatively in the world. The Arabica species is characterized by being finer and more delicate with a significant range of aromas and fragrances. Softer and with a lower caffeine content compared to other species. The Robusta (as its name somewhat suggests) produces a bean with a less extensive range of fragrances and aromas but has a remarkable structure and a much more intense bitter gradient. The caffeine content is significantly higher. 

There are multiple territories of origin for coffee: South America, Africa, and India, especially, and each of the aforementioned regions has famous small plots that define the final quality after roasting, which can be done with hot air, wood, or gas-heated braziers. 

Anecdotes and curiosities about coffee

Coffee comes from a Turkish word, kahve, although some others define the word as coming from the region of Caffa in Ethiopia. Pellegrino Artusi in his famous book “La scienza in Cucina” defines Mokha (a city in Yemen) as the best coffee cru available on the market at that time. Coffee arrived in Europe thanks to the sea conquests of the ancient English pioneers and, even earlier, Venetians. Since the 1500s, in fact, in Venice and particularly in a city governed by it, Trieste, the tradition of the black Middle Eastern beverage began. The tradition of coffee is mostly Italian and is deeply rooted both in the ancient lands of Trieste and in its Liberty cafés. The tradition also took hold in the south during the Spanish conquest and the Bourbons. In fact, it is there where the famous coffee extraction technique with the inverted pot was established.

Do you know what the best coffee in the world is?

It is a type of coffee called Kopi Luwak, and it is eaten and digested by a little animal called civet. Once digested and expelled, the small beans are collected by hand and then roasted. Its cost is around 500 euros per kilogram.

How coffee is extracted

Espresso coffee is extracted using the high-temperature steam technique that passes through the coffee powder at a specific grind fraction. But today, many other extraction techniques are being refined that make this product a must at the table and not just in cafes. Eastern, Japanese, and Indian stills and extractors make the coffee less dark and dense but enhance it as a beverage that has all the power of the roasted bean and its aromatic value. 

The coffees of Spaghetti & Mandolino

Our selection of coffee is mainly based on the search for some of the best cru that can be appreciated worldwide, coming from the best harvesting areas. A journey for connoisseurs and curious minds of this fascinating world. 
We start with Coffee Hat and its Nespresso compatible capsules: from South America comes Panama Catuai, a high-altitude coffee gathered at about 1700 meters, sun-dried directly with an enveloping flavor with hints of ripe cherry and notes of hazelnut and chocolate. Then the Women’s Project Colombia Arabica 100%: a solidarity project offering a product with more acidic hints including pineapple and notes of caramel and almonds. The coffee Bababudan, Indian, very chocolatey, or the legendary coffee Habanera from Cuba that smells of tobacco, cocoa, nuts, and cereals.
We continue within the capsule panorama with those of Caldo Aroma compatible with Lavazza: Caffè Napoli, Caffè Venezia, and Caffè Torino, exquisite blends of Robusta and Arabica absolutely to try.
We travel again in the fantastic exotic world of coffees with Altromercato, which presents us with BioCaffè, 100% organic Arabica, a blend of high-quality Ethiopian and high-altitude Latin American coffees. Or the Tris Caffè Monorigine, an elegant package for three organic coffees from Mexico, Nicaragua, and Ethiopia. 
We conclude with the Pasticceria Venezia of Vicenza, which, besides creating sweet artistic masterpieces, has recently engaged in coffee production. There are two offerings in beans: Caffè Miscela Nera and Caffè Miscela Oro. The first is a very fine blend of South American Arabica (70%) and the finest Robusta from the Far East (30%). The second is obtained from a very high-quality 100% Arabica: Panama San Sebastian Estate, Rwanda Ishema Women Wet Mill, and Brazil Sao Paulo Sorocabana.

It’s almost time for a coffee. Shall we have a cup together?

Bernardo Pasquali 

S&M