which coffee are you?

to properly greet a new monday morning, i’d like to talk about the most classic of all italian classics {even more classically italian than lambretta} : espresso and his large coffee family.

what does coffee mean to you? 

espresso is made by forcing hot water under high pressure through ground coffee

the first associations that come to my mind are-taking a break, meeting someone-. “vieni a prendere un caffè?” {come have a coffee} is one of the most common things to say to a friend, a coworker, someone you want to have a little chat with. so, coffee means social interactions, relationships.

and, by extension, culture. in Europe ,where the first coffeehouse opened in Venice during the 17^th century due to the connections between the city and the Ottoman empire, coffeehouses had been the center of political debates and the birthplace of literary movements. now, cafes are simply the most popular place for gatherings. 

drip coffee is made by pouring boling water over grounds and a filter

there are many many ways to make a coffee. i usually use moka at home, and drink espresso at the café. i was not familiar with other brewing methods {except Bosnian coffee, mentioned here}, so i was glad to spend some hours at Goppion, a local coffee maker, to learn something new. 

drip coffee pot

whenever i see a big coffee pot I think “american movie”, or “Gilmore girls”, and in my mind i called it “american coffee”. i obviously was wrong, as caffè americano does exist, but is made of espresso and hot water. apparently, when American soldiers were in Italy during WW2, they liked espresso but always added some water to dilute it. i don’t know if the aim was to soften espresso or to have a larger quantity, like they were used to.

there are many ways to brew coffee. here you can see the V60 and the french press

i finally tried the pour-over method, i had only see in hipster magazines like Kinfolk before. i really like it, and i think the whole setting must be very relaxing, like a ritual {to better understand what i mean, look at this video}.

moka poetry

speaking about rituals, i have to confess that, despite the different coffee tasting, in the end i stick with my all-time favorite. rising early, setting up the moka, waiting for that warm sound, smelling  the aroma, choosing the mug… those five minutes are a morning poetry, the perfect way to start a day.

now i’d love to know how all of you like to take your coffee! have a nice week ♥

making coffee with moka

{thanks Goppion caffè for the wonderful day}