I lived in Rome for most of 2017 and it was a dream for me. The most significant lifestyle change was that I became a coffee drinker! I used to hate the taste, the smell, the idea of it, but living in Italy, I quickly adopted the coffee lifestyle. Coffee drinking in Italy is a lifestyle, because Italians will drink different coffee drinks at different times of day and based on what they are eating or not eating. It can be a bit confusing, but I quickly learned how to order coffee in Italy like an Italian.
During this year, I was participating in a chef training program that I had dreamed of getting into for years. But this year was significant for another reason too, and that is because it is when I started drinking coffee. When I first arrived in Rome for my year long cooking program, I didn’t drink coffee at all. I had never even liked coffee – the taste, the smell, any of it. I know it’s a bit uncommon, but there are people out there like this. But all of that was about to change.
I had fallen in love with Rome when I spent a semester studying Architecture during my study abroad semester in Undergrad. I had returned to Rome at the beginning of my Grownup Gap Year in 2015 and had stayed there for a month, the beginning of my Slow Travel lifestyle. And I had been dreaming of participating in this cooking program for years, so it really was a dream to make it in and live in Rome for a year.
The cooking internship in Rome was in a working kitchen, cooking meals for a community of scholars. There’s also a bar and the kitchen crew could order drinks from the bar, typically espresso, but in the beginning I always ordered tea. It didn’t take long to realize that a cup of tea was a bit cumbersome to drink in the kitchen. It would take awhile to cool to the right temperature and then there was no time to drink it and it would get cold. I longed for the quick and easy kick in the pants of an espresso, so one day I changed my order and got ‘un caffe’. I loaded it up with sugar, gave a stir, and then down the hatch! It was a moment of discomfort for a very solid kick in the pants to get me through my prep pile of vegetables. I went from never drinking coffee to having 3-4 espressi per day in the kitchen. Then I tried macchiato and cappuccino, and in August in Sicily a friend introduced me to crema di caffe, and I almost didn’t even need gelato anymore. Tea was a thing of the past, because there’s nothing quite like an Italian espresso to put a little pep in your step.
Now that I’m a coffee drinker, when I’m at home in the US I always order my coffee one way, Oat Milk Cappuccino, but it’s a bit different in Italy. You order different coffee drinks based on the time of day, where you want to have the drink, and proximity to meals. It can be a very delicate dance, so take note, and when in doubt, do as the Romans do.
Italian coffee drinks explained:
UN CAFFÈ is a single shot of espresso
This is perfect for a little pick me up as it’s only a few sips. Some places in Italy charge more if you want to sit at a table, so I’ll always take this standing at the bar. If the barista looks confused, I’ll just add a quick ‘al bar’ to let them know I’ll take it standing at the bar. This is what to order right after lunch to aid in digestion.
when to order this: mid-morning or anytime really, it’s the most versatile of the coffee drinks, perfect after lunch, great after dinner
CAFFÈ DOPPIO is a double shot of espresso
I’ll order this as my morning coffee without food, or if I need a big pick me up any time of day.
when to order this: good anytime, when a single espresso just won’t do it
CAFFE MACCHIATO is an espresso ‘marked’ with a small amount of foamed milk, I’ll order this with a pastry to eat at the bar mostly because I want the coffee to last a little longer than an espresso. This is a great middle of the road option, especially if an espresso is too potent for you.
when to order this: with a pastry, or if espresso is just too much for you.
CAPPUCCINO is a double shot of espresso with steamed milk and foamed milk, I’ll order this with a pastry to sit down. Unless you’re friends with the barista or the bar is empty, I would not recommend drinking this at the bar, instead sit down at a table. And you’ll notice that Italian baristas don’t have any time or patience to make designs in the milk, I love that no nonsense approach to a cappuccino.
when to order this: for breakfast if you’re sitting down. Don’t order this after a meal in Italy, see below
CREMA DI CAFFÈ this feels like a secret menu item, it’s like a coffee milkshake and I’ll order it anytime I see the slushie machine behind the bar, but I think it’s most available in Sicily and Southern Italy, and certainly more so in the hotter months.
when to order this: during the summer
And if you try these and you still haven’t found a drink you like, you can always order an AMERICANO. This is the closest coffee drink to American drip coffee, what your typical at home coffee machine makes. It is made with two shots of espresso and the rest of the cup is filled with hot water.
Why can’t I order a cappuccino after lunch?
This is a common lament from American’s visiting Italy. In the United States, we are used to having one drink that we order every time we have coffee. There is one main difference between Americans and Italians and that is Italians are obsessed with and very connected to their digestion. I know some Italians who know that when they eat cheese their stomach starts to hurt, so therefore they don’t eat cheese. And I know quite a few Americans who know that when they eat cheese their stomach starts to hurt, but they eat it anyway because they love eating cheese. This is the difference. Americans will suffer the consequences for short term enjoyment. And Italians value their digestion and act in it’s best interest. So with that being said, drinking lots of milk near a meal, slows down the digestion of your meal so Italians just don’t drink lots of dairy before or after a meal and will instead drink just an espresso if it’s too close to lunch. An espresso after lunch actually aids the digestion of your meal, so if you don’t want to be yelled at by an Italian barista, just order an espresso, “un caffe” and your digestion will thank you.
Extra bonus: No matter which coffee you order, you always get a small cup of water. It’s such a nice touch that reminds me to stay hydrated!
