Food With A Point

Whether you drink a single or a double espresso, that doesn’t really matter to Italians. What matters is that the standard of the espresso is respected. Yes, there is such a thing as the National Espresso Insititute (www.espressoitaliano.org) and it was founded in 1998 “with the specific goal of safeguarding and promoting the original Espresso”. You don’t mess with the best and understandably, the Italians have mastered the art of caffeine extraction. Morning, noon, and/or night, nothing beats a great shot and there is nothing worse than a bad one. We all have our favourite spots where to get our fix, but next time you go, see if it has the following features*:

“A hazel-brown to dark - brown foam – characterised by tawny reflexes – with a very fine texture (absence of large mesh and larger or smaller bubbles). The nose reveals an intense scent with notes of flowers, fruits, toasted bread and chocolate. All of these sensations are felt also after swallowing the coffee in the long lasting aroma that remains for several seconds, sometimes even for minutes. Its taste in round, substantial and velvet-like. Sour and bitter tastes are well balanced and neither one prevails over the other. There is no, or a barely perceptible, astringent taste.”

Standards are meant to be respected and when it comes to my coffee, it's best to do so... otherwise the uncaffeinated beast that lurks within might rear it's ugly head... Italians are right to keep that one in check!

* Text was taken from the web site of the institute in order to ensure that there was no distortion in the standard… This also accounts for the writing style...