Italians are powered by a (single) espresso ❤️🤩

The portion is considered too small: you just have to cross the border and enter a good coffee shop (where they will have an Italian espresso machine) to realize what I am talking about. Coffees are served much longer because baristas feel embarrassed to serve portions like those that are actually served in Italy. What can I say, even the eye wants its part.

The coffee served is not Italian: in places that serve espresso abroad (I'm talking about Europe / United States) where the "specialty coffee" has now taken hold. A new school of thought in which the beans undergo a more careful selection and are roasted more lightly than the standard Italian recipe. The result is a more aromatic, less dark and less bitter coffee. In Italy we are beginning to see a bit of change in the same direction, but as usual we are the last in the class and we continue to drink burnt coffee and we are also proud of it.

The real Italian export that is appreciated in the world are the espresso equipment for which we are undisputed leaders. Virtually all brands of espresso machines are Italian (and owned by Italians, not like Lamborghini) and many brands of equipment such as coffee grinders and water softeners. The espresso machine industry, as much as it is instantly said that they are "just bins that heat water" is surprisingly exciting once you appreciate the efforts of major manufacturers to introduce increasingly sophisticated innovations. The coffee grinder industry is equally competitive, with tools designed for specialized uses for all kinds of circumstances. These are the all-Italian products that are in the midst of a golden age. It is not a boast. In the rest of the world they don't drink it because they don't like it, not because they don't know how to do it. Even when they come to Italy they order it very rarely and if they do it must be a long espresso. I have been working in bars for years and I have never seen a foreigner drink an espresso with pleasure.

Coffee is the national drink of Italians, an indispensable daily ritual.

But what are the 8 obviousness, which are not so obvious, that distinguish an Italian at the bar?

An Italian who enters a bar: 8 times out of 10 he does it to drink a coffee.

The best way to start the day? coffee + newspaper = GOOD MORNING!

"Shall we drink a coffee?" is the excuse most used by Italians to have a chat or "tow".

An espresso, must be expressed! Because it is prepared quickly and just as quickly it should be drunk: standing, at the counter!

What time do you have coffee? Coffee in Italy has no opening hours! You can order it at any time (day or night).

In Italy you say "coffee", you say "espresso"! You never order "an espresso" but simply "a coffee".

The "allowed" variants? Long or narrow, hot spotted or cold spotted, correct, Moroccan.

Cappuccino? Never after 10am!

If cappuccinos were served in the table behind yours and it's 2 pm .. well you found the group of tourists (certainly not Italians)!

Espresso coffee was born in Italy at the beginning of the twentieth century and is one of the most loved drinks by Italians, but it is certainly not the only type of coffee drunk in the world. First of all, coffee is always obtained from the same beans, which can be of Arabica or Robusta quality: the blends differ in composition, roasting, processing, but does not change the substance. The significant differences from country to country mainly concern the methods of preparation. 

The espresso is prepared by percolation at high pressure using special machines. Percolation allows you to get coffee very quickly: for this reason it is called espresso and was born precisely to satisfy the need of Italian bars to coincide the time of preparation with that of consumption. The espresso bar also provides a precise preparation procedure, in compliance with some fundamental rules:

-the water temperature should be between 85 and 95 °C

-the centrifugal pump pressure of 9 atmospheres

-the dose of coffee in the filter of 7 grams

-the infusion time of about 25-35 seconds.

The main difference between espresso and other types of coffee, consumed in the rest of the world, lies in the fact that the latter are not obtained by percolation at high pressure, but by simple infusion in boiling water, so as to have a less concentrated and longer drink. Despite this, each culture has its own preparation techniques from which different types of coffee are derived.