Ordering Coffee in Rome

If you follow me on Instagram it might seem like the only thing I do all day long is wander around drinking coffee. These days, that is pretty much spot on. I LOVE coffee, for many reasons. I of course love the pick me up it gives me, and the taste. But I also love the social aspect as well as the cultural interactions.

Yes, for me, each little cup carries a bit of culture with it. Where you drink it of course matters: there is an entire country between a Bicerin in Torino and an Espressino in Bari. Time of day too, makes the entire experience change. Are you standing at the bar with people on their way to work at 6am? Or are you bypassing the card playing old men lingering over their macchiato at 10:30?

I could go on and on (and I do in chapter 6 of my book, Eating Rome as well as on this radio show) but for now, I wanted to share a few of the more well known coffee drinks you can order next time you make it to Rome.

Caffè

This is what most people order. Otherwise known as an espresso (no ‘x’ in case you were following the current internet conversation). This is what most Romans head to their favorite bar to drink. Usually served in a heated, ceramic cup, the coffee is usually sipped (not gulped!) standing up, at the bar. To appear very Roman, order yours in vetro, in glass.

Caffè Macchiato

Stained coffee. Stained with milk, that is. A short shot of espresso with just a tiny drop of milk. If you want to get particular (and Romans are always so about their coffee) then specify if you’d like it macchiato caldo (hot) or macchiato freddo (cold). Or, you can be like my husband’s partner Corrado. He orders his tiepido. Yes. Tepid. Yuck.

Caffè Doppio

I’m pretty sure this double shot of espresso was invented for crazy Americans. Who have no regard for being careful of how much coffee they drink. I order this all the time. I especially like to order it in front of my husband, who is sure I will keel over and die from too much coffee.

Cappuccino

A shot of espresso topped with foamed, hot milk. Again, there are endless variations. For instance, a cappuccino senza schiuma. A cappuccino without foam. Not so sure what the point of that is, but it’s very popular.

Latte Macchiato

A big glass of warm milk, with just a dash of coffee to stain it, to take the warm milk taste away. I love latte macchiato, since it really is pure comfort food disguised as a coffee drink. In Rome most people consider this a drink for children, or if you’re feeling poorly. Or American.

Marocchino

This is a shot of espresso, a topping of hot, foamed milk and a generous sprinkling of cocoa. Since this is always served in a small glass, the milk-lightened coffee is on show. Hence the completely racially offensive name. (Although, I’ve also seen it called Moretto, which is as racially insensitive as Marocchino). In the south it’s called an Espressino, which is I think the name we should all adopt.

Monachella

This one is called Little Nun. Which is kind of cute. In this case it’s just like a marocchino, but the black coffee is wearing a wimple in the form of a dollop of whipped cream.

Caffè Shakerato

This is one of my favorite summer time coffee drinks. First of all, I love the name. Shakerato is just the Italianized version of shaken. In this drink a room temperature shot of espresso is poured into a cocktail shaker with ice and a bit of sugar. After about a minute of vigorous shaking, the creamy foamy cold coffee is poured into a stemmed glass.

Granita di caffè

Hard to include this treat in a discussion of coffee, since it’s more like having an ice cream. But the amount of caffeine and sugar in this one packs such a wallop, that it will keep you going much longer than any straightforward coffee drink. Granita di caffè is black sweetened coffee, that has been slowly frozen and broken up so that large frozen coffee crystals form. You order it at a bar and the barista will dig deep into a frozen container sunken into the counter to scoop up the icy treat. Your only decision will be whether to have whipped cream on top and bottom, or only on top.

Affogato

Just in case you happen to be in a gelateria that is also a coffee bar, or a coffee bar that is also a gelateria, get one of these. This is a shot of espresso into which a spoonful of gelato has been added. My favorite combo is with zabaione gelato, and there is a bar near the Pantheon (Fiocco di Neve) that specializes in this. But really? Feel free to make your own whenever you manage to get coffee and gelato on the table at the same time. Play with your food.

Caffè Corretto

“Corrected” coffee. Corrected with the addition of grappa that is. Or any other alcoholic beverage of your choice. In theory this is a morning pick-me-up, usually drunken by farmers or people working in the market who need something just a bit more than coffee to kick start their mornings. Why not?

Caffè Americano

This is the coffee that was invented to appease the tourists who come to Rome and can’t handle the intense little cups of espresso. It’s a shot of espresso, that is drawn out with extra water. So in the end, it’s kind of like drip coffee. And actually not that bad. And if you really want to drive your Italian friends crazy, order a caffè americano doppio. They may even call an ambulance just in case for fear you have overdosed on caffeine.

 

 

This is an excerpt from my book Eating Rome: Living the Good Live in the Eternal City

If you’d like to join me in Italy, drinking all kinds of coffee all over the place, you can. We host tours in Umbria, Puglia, Sicily, Abruzzo and Parma. You can find the full schedule here.