On our RTW trip, we found some famous international foods and drinks that just didn't quite live up to the hype. Pisco sours from Chile tasted like inferior margaritas, Argentinian steaks were extremely expensive and under-seasoned, and Turkish doner kebap paled in comparison to its Greek counterpart, the gyro. Fortunately, we found many other examples of iconic foods and drinks that met and exceeded our expectations- one of my favorites being Italian espresso. As an extreme coffee fanatic, I was seriously excited to drink up as much espresso as I could physically handle during our few weeks in Italy. I was not disappointed.
Hard to Find a Bad Espresso
One thing that stood out in Italian coffee culture, especially when compared to the U.S., is that it was hard to find a truly bad or even worse than average espresso. In the U.S., you have to seek out great coffee shops that really care about coffee, whereas in Italy, you can pretty much walk into any cafe or even just a corner bar and find a top of the line espresso machine, someone who knows how to use it, and, at the minimum, an average espresso.
Technically Solid
Using hefty Italian espresso machines and high quality beans, grinding and dosing coffee to order, tamping properly, and not over-extracting are just a few qualities that nearly every Italian bar and cafe exhibited. We generally found great espressi with balanced acidity and body and a nice, thick crema on top.
Cafe Culture
Now that we're back in the U.S., one thing that stands out to me when I think back to Italian cafes is the importance of cafe culture and taking the time out of your day to enjoy a good coffee. Instead of drive-thru windows and to-go cups, in Italy you'll find plush velvet seats beckoning you to sit down or marble counter tops at the bar that elevate the whole coffee experience. There's just something so timeless and classy about Italian cafe culture that pulls you in and commands respect.
As we visited Italy near the beginning of our RTW trip, I spent the rest of our trip trying to find a coffee experience that would live up to the ones we had in Italy. Nothing came close. Italy is a one-of-a-kind place, especially when it comes to excellent espressi and ubiquitous cafe culture.
