All right, what best identifies Italy and Italians? Spaghetti, Mandolino, Mafia, Pommarola, Pizza…uff, will not tell you how much we dislike to be called those names but ironically that’s how we get remembered 🙂
Well…but what about caffè and cappuccino? The latter is one of the favorite beverages for breakfast and for some middle afternoon breaks, just as for the British, tea is at 5.
To make it even with the names we are called above, keep in mind Italians giggle when they see anyone gulp down a cappuccino after lunch. I am sure the stomach isn’t happy to mix wine, pasta, meat, vegetable…with milk, coffee, cream and foam on top 🙂 But apparently is all very good!
The video below is a good walk through on how to make your own cappuccino at home, armed with an expresso maker, a good coffee brand, milk and some easy to find kitchen tools. Works great if you are not in Italy and you are really craving a cappuccino.
How to make yourself a Cappuccino before you come to Italy to try it live.
Let’s assume instead that you are coming to Florence, Italy and you are renting a vacation rental property from Firenze Lodging. (Oh, that would make us real happy!) Leave the expresso maker at home and get ready to take your unforgettable guided Cappuccino Tour in Florence!
Our friend Violetta Buti who’s a licensed tour operator in Florence offers personalized walking tours in our city and one of her tours is the 3 hour cappuccino tour. Hey don’t worry, there is the academic side of it, you won’t be forced to drink 20 cappuccino’s in half a morning. 🙂
How Italian’s Order Cappuccino and Espresso
Here are some common ways Italian’s order, from Violetta’s article.
- Un caffè – Just a normal coffee in the white little cup
- Un caffè espresso – Same as above
- Un espresso – Same as above
- Un caffè basso – The BOMB, small strong coffee, it’s the first shot from the machine, pure coffee
- Un caffè alto – It’s not he Americano, but water is added
- Un caffè macchiato caldo – With warm milk
- Un caffè macchiato freddo – With cold milk
- Un caffè in tazza larga – Served in larger cup, cools off quicker
- Un caffè doppio – Just double coffee, apparently one wasn’t strong enough!
- Un caffè doppio in tazza larga – All right, you don’t want to sleep, ever
- Un caffè corretto – Liquor added, can be Grappa, Sambuca, or Rum
- Un caffè in vetro – It’s served in a glass little cup
- Un caffè in vetro macchiato – Even better, it’s my favorite: served in a glass little cup with milk, like a mini-cappuccino, the best!
Drinking coffee is done quickly in Italy – yet there is so much preparation and expectation before the actual drinking of this coffee!
Here are Some Preferences in Ordering a Cappuccino
- Un cappuccino con schiuma – With foam, you can have sprinkled chocolate on top
- Un cappuccino senza schiuma – Without foam
- Un cappuccino caldo – Hot
- Un cappuccino freddo – Cold
- Un cappuccino tiepido – Not cold, not hot, just right
This is enough to make the Starbucks menu disappear…the only thing is, here all of the above are all just coffee and milk 🙂
Here are some more references for cappuccino on wikipedia where it comes from, where it goes, popularity, and so on.
This is a list of my favorite places for Expresso’s and Cappuccino’s:
- Giubbe Rosse Caffè Storico Letteraio in Florence it was the meeting lounge caffè for the letaraturist of the Novecento. Now it’s used for books presentations, cultural meetings and it’s also a restaurant and bar.
- Caffè Paskoski in Florence, it’s located a short strolls from Giubbe Rosse and Caffè Gilli, they often host live music and it’s also a good place for Aperitivo’s.
- Caffè Gilli in Florence is another “salotto buono” the web site says it’s all from 1733 and today.
- Caffè Chiaroscuro it’s in Via del Corso a caffè store and a place where you can try almost any kind of caffè, just name one you want and they have it.
Happy Cappuccino!
Image from sieneke