10 golden Italian coffee rules *

1. All the fabulous foamy forms of coffee are to be drunk in the morning.
2. After meals, Italians drink espresso, which is just called “caffè”, or “macchiato”. Careful:  
3. That doesn’t stand for the big latte macchiato but for espresso macchiato, which is caffè with some creamy milk foam on top. Literally translated that means “spotted coffee”. Latte macchiato is a warm glass of milk with foam on top in which the “barista” drowns a shot of espresso. 
4. Drink the classic kinds of coffee. The iced “café shakerato” is as exotic as it should get. “Venti quad shot, 1 pump Vanilla, 2 sugar in the raw, soy, non-fat, extra dry cappuccino” might be exactly your taste but has nothing to do with Italian coffee. What’s dry cappuccino anyways, I always thought it’s martini that you order “dry”?! 
5. Caffè deca stands for “decaffeinato” and is coffee without caffeine. You can order any kind of coffee in the “deca” version. 
6. Caffè orzo is barley coffee. Try it and judge for yourself. 
7. Many Italian bars adapted to the trend and offer coffee to go, but it’s definitely not part of the tradition as the size of a caffè is so small that you can drink it in two sips. 
8. If you want more or less water in your caffè order “lungo” for more water and “ristretto” for less water. 
9. Caffè corretto (“correct/proper coffee”) is caffè with a shot of liquor, usually grappa, sambuca or brandy is used. But don’t feel restricted, your taste is the limit… 
10. The quality of the coffee offered in a bar depends on the coffee brand, the machine used, with how much strength the coffee is pressed into the filter of the machine, the science of the milk foam and the expertise of the “barista”. Suppliers and coffee academies even offer courses just about “how to make the perfect coffee” in many different variations and with topics like “milk art”.

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