The girl flipped through the menu , pointed at it from time to time, and finally pouted.

"Zheng Xiaota, I want to drink Italian coffee. It's said to be very famous, but I can't find it on the menu!"

I leaned over, turned a page, and pointed to a name on it. "Here! This is the Italian coffee you mentioned."

"Ah? Espresso, that's Italian coffee! I've drunk it a long time ago," the girl was surprised.

Yes, in domestic coffee shops, if there is no Italian coffee on the menu, then espresso refers to Italian coffee.

In China, few people drink Italian coffee and few coffee shops sell it. The more common coffees are mocha, cappuccino, and latte.

However, don't think that there is no market for Italian coffee.

Quite the opposite!

In coffee shops like Starbucks, there are mocha and caramel macchiato in the east, latte, cappuccino and American coffee in the west, all of them are "Italian coffee"!

Just like the yellow, white and black people, no matter what skin color they are, they all originated from African Homo sapiens, and it is said that they are the descendants of the Australopithecus named "Lucy".

"Hahaha, Zheng Xiaota, stop kidding me," the girl laughed so hard that she couldn't straighten her back.

1

Espresso

Espresso is the Italian name for espresso. A more accurate translation is Italian espresso, or Italian coffee for short.

I think you need to remember this Italian word and its pronunciation "esperasso" because it occupies an important position in the history of coffee.

No matter what kind of coffee it is, it can be divided into six types according to the production method, such as brewing, dripping, siphoning, pressurized, etc.

Italian coffee is a masterpiece of the pressure method, which is made through high-pressure extraction in a coffee machine in about 25 seconds.

Under this extremely high pressure (9 atmospheres!), the extracted Italian coffee has a flavor characteristic that is unmatched by other coffees.

When we observe the surface of Italian coffee, we can see a layer of fine and dense foam that reflects light, as if it were coated with wax (there are no white patterns on it).

This layer of foam is called crema.

Only under extremely high pressure can the emulsion be extracted from the coffee powder.

It is insoluble in water, like a treasure trove, sealing up an aroma that is closer to the origin of coffee.

So, if you shake the cup slightly, you can feel the Italian coffee, which has an extraordinarily rich aroma, which is unique and pure.

This is something we have never smelled in other coffees.

2

Taste

I am a coffee enthusiast and I am often told how Italian coffee tastes.

"The rich liquid passed between the teeth, spread to the tongue, flowed in the mouth for a while, and slowly slid into the throat. Although it had been swallowed long ago, the aftertaste was still flowing back in waves."

However, most Chinese people do not have a good impression of Italian coffee. They comment that it is "like a cup of bitter, sour and astringent Chinese medicine."

Because Italian coffee does not contain milk, milk foam, or other ingredients, it is just a cup of original coffee.

As for me, "what is poison to others may be honey to me" is just a matter of different preferences.

Compared to other coffees, Italian coffee has another characteristic: it is thicker.

When you drink it, your tongue can feel the obvious density and heaviness.

If instant coffee is a summer towel blanket, then Italian coffee is a large cotton quilt.

Many people intuitively assume that the thicker the coffee, the more caffeine it has.

No no no!

Italian coffee is thick, but it contains only half the caffeine of other coffees, between 90 and 150 mg per cup.

Therefore, people who are sensitive to caffeine can rest assured.

3

Italian coffee family

Today's mobile phones are divided into Apple phones and non-Apple phones, and movies are also divided into Hollywood movies and non-Hollywood movies.

When it comes to coffee, it is also divided into two sides, the Italian coffee family and non-Italian coffee.

“Is Italian coffee really that good?”

you do not say!

Let me give you some examples!

Cappuccino, which swept English-speaking countries, conquered latte in Americans. Most of Starbucks' coffee is the descendant of Italian coffee.

If you say that the "Freemasonry" or the "Rothschild Family" controls the entire world's economy, I don't believe it, but I do believe that the Italian coffee family dominates the world's coffee.

Because the most common coffee in the world today is brewed using Italian coffee as a base.

In my words, "They are just espresso, milk, and milk foam mixed in different proportions! Just like a cocktail!"

The combination of Italian coffee and milk in a ratio of 1 to 3 (up to 1 to 9) is Latte.

1 part espresso, 1 part hot milk, and 1 part milk foam make a cappuccino.

Use some milk to create a pattern on the Italian coffee to make the traditional Macchiato.

1 part espresso, 2 parts milk foam, and some chocolate, and it becomes Mocha.

Or, we don’t use milk and milk foam, just water.

Add hot water to espresso to make Americano. Add espresso to hot water to make Long Black.

There are also various other methods. As long as you have enough imagination, you can mix your own special coffee.

Once, after I finished talking about this, a friend shook his head and said with a wry smile,

“I never thought that the Italians, who are so bad at fighting, could defeat the whole world without fighting through coffee!”

4

Italian coffee machine

There is a reason why Italian coffee has such a great influence.

Who let the Italians invent the Espresso machine first!

This type of coffee machine is what we often see at the counter of a coffee shop (as shown below). At first glance, it looks very ordinary, but it is a major leap in the history of coffee.

The Italian coffee machine was invented in 1884. It is driven by steam and allows hot water to pass through coffee powder under high pressure for a short time to extract a higher proportion of purer coffee liquid.

Hot water can dissolve the soluble flavors from the coffee powder, and high pressure can emulsify the water-insoluble components.

Therefore, when the Italian coffee machine was invented, people at that time couldn't help but cheer, "This coffee is so fragrant and rich, it's simply a masterpiece of God!"

After that, Italy quickly became the world's center of coffee culture. The free-spirited and imaginative Italians continued to "tinker" with new and creative coffees.

Later, the art of coffee latte art emerged, which fascinated the urban middle class.

It is like Watt invented the steam engine, which made Britain the world's economic leader and the British Empire was born. At the same time, it also brought mankind into industrial civilization and allowed them to begin to enjoy the convenience and speed brought by various machines.

The emergence of Italian coffee machines also brought coffee shops into human life, making coffee a readily available drink. Before that, the efficiency of brewing coffee was too slow.

"Zheng Xiaota, give me one minute," the coffee shop owner said to me.

I saw him neatly fill the coffee powder into the handle, compact it, then put it in front of the nozzle, put the cup in place, start the machine, turn off the machine, and hand me the coffee. The whole production process was smooth and done in one go.

This is the process of making a cup of Italian coffee, which takes no more than 1 minute.

If you want to make latte or macchiato, it will only take about 2 minutes to make milk foam and add milk.

Italian coffee machines have brought mankind into the coffee age.

5

Thank you Starbucks

In 1983, Howard Schultz, who later became the owner of Starbucks, went to Milan, Italy, to attend a home furnishing exhibition, as shown below.

The local coffee shop culture and the wide variety of fancy coffee opened his eyes and inspired him deeply.

After returning to the United States, Schultz began selling Italian coffee, latte, cappuccino, etc. at Starbucks, and adjusted their flavors to suit the tastes Americans liked.

Starbucks continues to innovate, with new products such as Caramel Macchiato and Black Tea Latte constantly being launched.

Not only that, Starbucks coffee shops also incorporate the casual style of Italian coffee shops.

This makes Starbucks the third activity space outside of the company and home, where people can talk, gather and rest in a comfortable and warm environment.

The United States has always had a strong coffee culture. Driven by Starbucks, a trend of drinking "Italian coffee" was set off, which directly triggered the second wave of global coffee culture.

Later, with the spread of American culture around the world and the expansion of Starbucks, the Italian coffee family took root all over the world.

That year, Starbucks opened in the Forbidden City of China, and all media outlets unanimously condemned it, saying, "This is an invasion of American culture!"

In fact, this is not American culture at all. It’s clearly the arrogant Italians behind it, okay?

Although Starbucks has promoted Italian coffee to the world and made Italy the palace of coffee.

But Italians continued to diss Starbucks and reject it. It was not until 2018 that Starbucks opened its first chain store in Italy, as shown below.

6

How to drink

Italian coffee is drunk without milk, but sugar can be added.

Most coffee shops will serve Italian coffee with a few sugar packets.

Before drinking, you can ask the waiter for a glass of water at room temperature to clean your mouth and better experience its flavor.

But don't pour water directly into espresso. Once you pour water in, it becomes Americano, not espresso anymore.

However, you can take a sip of water and then a sip of coffee, so you can better taste the flavor of Italian coffee.

If the espresso you drink is very bitter, it is probably because the barista's skills are not up to par.

In my opinion, a good cup of Italian coffee, like a good glass of red wine, is an art of balance, without any sour, astringent, bitter, or one-sided "abruptness".

Italian coffee should be drunk while it is hot. If it is too hot, wait until it is at a comfortable temperature and drink it in two or three sips.

To truly appreciate the flavor of a cup of Italian coffee, you should not be too impatient. Smell the aroma, drink it, savor it for a while, and then swallow it slowly, just like tasting red wine.

Many people don't like Italian coffee, but sometimes you can try it.

When you drink it for the first time, it may taste very bitter, but gradually, you will feel the fragrance and mellowness of the original taste of coffee, which is a taste that other coffees cannot have.

Of course, don’t believe what some people say, “People who really understand coffee only drink coffee without sugar or milk.”

This kind of nonsense is suitable for those who like to pretend!