Today fellow Italian coffee aficionado Michele Di Pietro and I take a look at Italian coffee culture and the must-know details on how to order coffee in Italy.
What is an Italian coffee?
An Italian coffee in Italy is an espresso served in a small espresso cup. It's almost like a shot of coffee rather than a cup of coffee. All Italian coffee drinks start from an espresso.
When you walk into an Italian coffee shop – called a bar – if you want an espresso just order a caffè. Probably like every Italian in the country, and all coffee drinkers worldwide, you have your own favorite coffee drink but you need to know how to order it.
Italian coffee bar protocol
The stand up coffee in Italy
An Italian coffee shop is called a bar. Although coffee bars do serve alcoholic beverages the main activity is coffee beverages of all kinds. Most Italians stand up at the bar - the banco - and have a quick chat with friends over coffee.
Pay first, drink afterwards
First you have to pay for your coffee and then bring your receipt - the ricevuta -to the banco where you order your coffee from the barista (coffee preparer). Don't be shy: everyone is up at the banco vying for the barista's attention to place their order. Speak up to get the barista's attention!
A word to the wise! Don't throw away your ricevuta. It's unlikely but every once in a while there is an Italian tax authority checking receipts as you leave a bar or other commercial establishment. It's illegal to throw away a receipt right away so make sure you hold on to this proof of payment until you're well away from the bar.
The sit down coffee in Italy: at a table
Maybe you would rather sit at a table and relax while you drink your coffee. That's fine but you'll pay a premium, and in some cases near double the price of your coffee. That's frequently the case in city centers and areas with lots of tourists. When you get out of the city center sometimes there's no premium at all to drink your coffee at a table and your best bet is to ask first so you have no surprises.
Coffee bar bathroom protocol
Every bar has a bathroom and they are always unisex. Make sure you take a napkin along with you because often bar bathrooms don't have toilet paper. They also often don't have a toilet seat so be prepared. Sometimes you need to ask the barista for the bathroom key and other times there is no locking mechanism at all. On the positive side a coffee bar is a great place to make a bathroom stop and almost all bars will let you use the bathroom even if you haven't purchased a coffee in their bar.
Coffee order dos and don'ts in Italy (well, there's really just one…)
Almost anything goes when it comes to your coffee order but there's just one thing Italians are very quirky about and that's what time of day you can drink a cappuccino or other coffee beverage with milk. Anything goes up until about noon but when lunchtime rolls around cappuccinos roll out.
Restaurateurs are now used to Americans and other foreigners ordering a cappuccino after lunch or an evening meal and usually take it in stride but bottom line is it just doesn't cut it.
Guess what? I've lived in Italy for nearly 40 years and I love my espresso coffee without sugar, but always with a little bit of creaminess. I've gotten around the coffee rule by ordering an espresso, and then ordering a little bit of hot milk on the side. Then I splash the milk into my espresso myself and that seems to fit into Italian coffee culture protocol.
Ordering a coffee (a caffè) in Italy - an espresso
If you want a double it's called a doppio.
If you want your espresso even stronger then order a caffè ristretto.
If you prefer a weaker espresso then order a caffè lungo. Caffè lungo is made using the same espresso water, but if you'd like an even weaker espresso beverage order a caffè americano. It's an espresso with a big splash of hot water, usually in a larger cup.
Maybe you want a shot of alcohol in your coffee? In that case you should order a caffè corretto. You need to specify what shot you would like – Sambuca, grappa etc.
Ordering a coffee and milk beverage in Italy
The sky is the limit and there are many choices!
Maybe you want an espresso with just a spot of milk: order a caffè macchiato.
If you want more than a spot of milk but still in your espresso cup then you should ask for a caffè molto macchiato.
Instead of milk you may prefer an espresso with a dollop of sweet whipped cream: order a caffè con panna.
Another delicious, almost dessert-like espresso, is made with a shot of espresso, a little bit of cocoa powder and a layer of foam and it's called a marocchino. It's often topped with a sprinkling of cocoa powder.
If you want your caffè macchiato without any foam – schiuma – then you should ask for a caffè macchiato senza schiuma.
The espresso coffee in this photo is molto macchiato with a sprinkling of sugar on top. Take a look at the espresso cup and you'll see it's in a transparent glass espresso cup. Lots of Italians love their espresso in a transparent glass cup and they specify that in their order: caffè in vetro.
Espresso cups are different depending on the bar you are in. Frequently an espresso cup will feature the name of the espresso coffee brand, or if you're in a restaurant it might have the name of the restaurant on the cup.
You can also purchase some lovely espresso cups like this hand-painted cup from southern Italy.
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You might also opt for a sprinkling of cinnamon sugar or cocoa powder.
If you want your cappuccino with more milk and less foam then you should order a cappuccino chiaro. If you prefer less milk and more coffee then order a cappuccino scuro. Perhaps you prefer a cappuccino that's made only with frothy milk: order a cappuccino secco. And if you want a cappuccino without any foam at all then order a cappuccino senza schiuma. On hot summer days you might prefer a cold cappuccino so order a cappuccino freddo.
Similar to a cappuccino is a caffèlatte (one word). A caffèlatte is an espresso with hot milk – sometimes topped with a little bit of foam. It's usually served in a transparent tall glass.
Also served in a transparent tall glass is a latte macchiato (milk with a spot of espresso), made with steamed milk, a shot of espresso and foamed milk on top.
A few Italian regional coffee variations
Here are a few:
This is an espresso based coffee drink that has an anise flavored Lecure added.
Bicerin - Piemonte
A delicious coffee beverage best known as a traditional hot drink originally from Turin, it's made with espresso, chocolate and milk.
Caffè allo Zabaione - Bologna
A delicious mix of espresso and zabaione that you often find even in Rome.
Granita di caffè - Sicilia
This is a semi-frozen dessert, similar to a sorbet or a coffee slushy.
You'll find it throughout Italy and often served with different simple syrups other than coffee-based. Along the seaside it's often called a gratta checco. Seaside vendors walk along the coast toting a huge block of ice. They use a metal scraper to scrape off slushy ice, which they put in a cup and top with a simple syrup.
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Such excellent tips, thank you Wendy!
Thank you Elise! Coffee is so essential in Italy and it's great to know all your options plus the do's and don'ts in coffee ordering.