* Il Caffè Italiano * The Italian Coffee

The first post will always put a little fear xD However, it was assumed that we talk first about coffe , no?
Just Start !


The coffe in Italy is a real institution. We drink it very often at home and abroad, and this drink time is always a time for socializing and meeting .The phrase that you most often heard is : " I'll buy you a coffe " ( ti offro un caffè) but....what kind of coffee?
That's right: what kind of coffee you want?
The first distinction that we do is : mocha coffee or espresso?

CAFFE' ESPRESSO

ESPRESSO

Espresso is coffee that is usually done at the bar with the appropriate machines and is obtained by infusion under pressure.The word "espresso" derives from the speed with which we had prepared the coffee.The result is a drink very concentrated, denser than the mocha coffee or normal infusion coffe: we also have  a foam on the surface, typical of espresso.

CAFFE' FATTO IN CASA

MOCHA COFFEE

This is the machine that you will find in all Italian homes xD.

We call it "Macchinetta del caffè " or simply    "Macchinetta ".

We can not talk about real house without the coffee maker!

La Macchinetta consists of several parts and it can be of various sizes (measures would be how many cups of coffee can do ^ ^).

How we use it?

To understand how it works, let's refer to the cross section shown on side figure. We fill the lower part (the boiler) with water up to the safety valve; we fill with coffee powder the funnel (without pressing it), we screw the upper part (the pot) and set on the stove.

The fire heats the water, hence rising pressure within the boiler. Such a pressure (by the water steam which can't escape) pushes down against the water surface, and this forces the water itself to go up inside the funnel's pipe, then through the powder and further up until tapping into the pot.

Coffee can be either very strong or not compared to espresso.

Finally :In Naples some families still use the old Neapolitan coffee maker (including Roberta's family!)

This is the typical Neapolitan coffee maker where the water is placed above and below the coffee.The drink is not obtained by pressure but by infusion: the coffee is very strong and can be stored for a long time.

Do you think we're done? Wrong!

Now that we have come to tell you how to make coffee , we will tell you the countless ways to propose it : Espresso, Lungo, Doppio, Macchiato, Corretto, con latte, Americano, con nocciole , ecc... .

Espresso:  

Is the coffe made at the bar or at the home : the important fact is that the coffee is short and strong with foam on it !

Macchiato: 

It is a kind of espresso with the addition of a spot: milk or cream

Caffè lungo:

It 's a coffee "diluted" with water. We Italians do not usually like it very much.

Caffè corretto:

Coffee diluted with alcohol: usually grappa

Caffè doppio:

Two espressos are placed in the same cup. It 's very different from caffè lungo that is a diluted espresso!

Caffè alla nocciola:

From now on we'll really bad xD

It 's a hot coffee with cream or essence of hazelnut.

Caffè alla nutella:

Now I'm getting hungry * ç *

Just start that nutella is a kind of chocolate really love in Italy.

This coffee is a delight * _ *

Caffè Shekerato:

It 's a cold coffee made with ice and sugar syrup. It can be of different flavors like hazelnut ^ ^

In the photo below is the " Caffè shekerato alla nocciola ", Sheker hazelnut coffee.

Finally, the Cappuccino

is not real coffee, but many Italians like to drink it in the morning or at least in cold days.

Good coffee makes delicious cappuccino, especially if the foam is soft but compact!Ah .... hunger ç_ç

We can actually talk for hours of coffee, especially because the discussion does not end with what kind of coffee you want:  favorite cup? small cup, large, cold, hot, glass cup? And you want to add sugar?What kinf of sugar?
In short, if you not try all types you will never know what kind of italian coffe you like !