An Italian Job
Wednesday, 10 March 2010 14:02
A daily shot of caffeine is what keeps many of us going, yet what distinguishes a cup of real Italian espresso from roadside ice coffee saturated with sweetened milk? Nora Lindstrom investigates.
Gorgeously addictive, coffee has a large part of the world under its spell. Now one of the most traded commodities on the global market, its conquest of the world is said to have begun in either Yemen or Ethiopia, possibly as early as the ninth century. From humble beginnings, the drink over time spread through North Africa and the Middle East, where it was occasionally banned due to being perceived as intoxicating by religious institutions.
Nevertheless, coffee gained a reputation as a Muslim drink, and only hit it big in Europe after declared suitable for Christians by Pope Clement VIII in 1600. Heavily involved in trade at the time, Italy became the obvious home of coffee in Europe. Though Finland, along with other Nordic countries, now tops the list of per capita coffee consumption, many still regard Italy as the origin of the beverage, and are willing to pay a premium for a real Italian brew. But what is it that makes Italian coffee just so much better?
“Italian coffee is so special because of the roasting procedure,” says Neapolitan Giorgio, owner of Italian restaurant Pop Café on Phnom Penh’s riverside. “Because of how the beans are roasted, the coffee is not so strong, but it is delicate and rich.” He describes how genuine Italian coffee, made primarily from Arabica beans, is lightly roasted without oil or butter. This makes the final beverage have a low caffeine content, which he claims is why espressos can be drunk throughout the day. “In Italy, people go to the bar for an espresso anytime, it’s an institution,” Giorgio says.
An espresso, or its shorter version ristretto, is considered the purest form of coffee. “A real espresso has no sugar, no milk, it’s just a very short shot,” Giorgio says. Milky coffees are traditionally reserved only for the morning. “In Napoli, there is no way a customer would order a latte or a cappuccino during the day,” Giorgio says. “If someone did, the waiter might even refuse to serve it. The customer was probably American anyway.”
Though Italian coffee culture for better or worse is yet to land in Cambodia, a respectable amount of establishments in Phnom Penh have opted to serve coffee made from Italian roasted beans, despite the higher cost compared to locally roasted ones. “In my restaurant, I try to be orthodox Italian,” Giorgio says. He serves coffee by a brand called Caffe Napoli, which he says represents value for money at US$17 per kilogram, and allows him to serve espressos at a reasonable US$1.50 a shot. Some of the better known brands are out of Giorgio’s price range, costing as much as US$30 per kilo. “Illy is very expensive,” Giorgio says. “But there is no doubt it is one of the best Italian coffees.”
In Phnom Penh, Illy coffee is served at Café Fresco’s three outlets. Though a shot of espresso will only set you back a reasonable US$1.80, prices quickly increase if you opt for something more elaborate such as a cappuccino or latte. As the early morning throngs at the chain’s BKK establishment show, many coffee lovers are happy to pay extra for a reliably good coffee. Lavazza is another well-known Italian brand, also available at a variety of cafés and restaurants in the capital and beyond. Marketing itself as “Italy’s Favourite Coffee”, the company states 14 billion cups of its coffee are consumed globally each year. Some of these are served at Phnom Penh’s Java Café, where a shot of espresso costs US$1.75.
There is however more to a good cup of coffee than simply the roast. Giorgio says the perfect espresso results from a combination of a professional and well-maintained machine, good beans, clean water, and the skill of the barista. At Java Café, owner Dana Langlois invested in an Italian Faema E61 espresso machine to ensure that the quality of the coffee beans was matched by the machine preparing the final beverage. Her choice to serve Lavazza coffee was further influenced by the company’s commitment to ongoing service and support, including training for staff.
Saing Sophanny, barista at Java and winner of a recent in-house barista competition overseen by Lavazza, is happy with the quality beans and top-end machine. “It makes making good coffee easy,” she says, serving up a well-prepared espresso complete with a beautifully thick crema.
Pop Café
371 Sisowath Quay
Tel. 012 562 892
Java Café and Gallery
56 Sihanouk Blvd.
Tel. 023 987 420
Gorgeously addictive, coffee has a large part of the world under its spell. Now one of the most traded commodities on the global market, its conquest of the world is said to have begun in either Yemen or Ethiopia, possibly as early as the ninth century. From humble beginnings, the drink over time spread through North Africa and the Middle East, where it was occasionally banned due to being perceived as intoxicating by religious institutions.
Nevertheless, coffee gained a reputation as a Muslim drink, and only hit it big in Europe after declared suitable for Christians by Pope Clement VIII in 1600. Heavily involved in trade at the time, Italy became the obvious home of coffee in Europe. Though Finland, along with other Nordic countries, now tops the list of per capita coffee consumption, many still regard Italy as the origin of the beverage, and are willing to pay a premium for a real Italian brew. But what is it that makes Italian coffee just so much better?
“Italian coffee is so special because of the roasting procedure,” says Neapolitan Giorgio, owner of Italian restaurant Pop Café on Phnom Penh’s riverside. “Because of how the beans are roasted, the coffee is not so strong, but it is delicate and rich.” He describes how genuine Italian coffee, made primarily from Arabica beans, is lightly roasted without oil or butter. This makes the final beverage have a low caffeine content, which he claims is why espressos can be drunk throughout the day. “In Italy, people go to the bar for an espresso anytime, it’s an institution,” Giorgio says.
An espresso, or its shorter version ristretto, is considered the purest form of coffee. “A real espresso has no sugar, no milk, it’s just a very short shot,” Giorgio says. Milky coffees are traditionally reserved only for the morning. “In Napoli, there is no way a customer would order a latte or a cappuccino during the day,” Giorgio says. “If someone did, the waiter might even refuse to serve it. The customer was probably American anyway.”
Though Italian coffee culture for better or worse is yet to land in Cambodia, a respectable amount of establishments in Phnom Penh have opted to serve coffee made from Italian roasted beans, despite the higher cost compared to locally roasted ones. “In my restaurant, I try to be orthodox Italian,” Giorgio says. He serves coffee by a brand called Caffe Napoli, which he says represents value for money at US$17 per kilogram, and allows him to serve espressos at a reasonable US$1.50 a shot. Some of the better known brands are out of Giorgio’s price range, costing as much as US$30 per kilo. “Illy is very expensive,” Giorgio says. “But there is no doubt it is one of the best Italian coffees.”
In Phnom Penh, Illy coffee is served at Café Fresco’s three outlets. Though a shot of espresso will only set you back a reasonable US$1.80, prices quickly increase if you opt for something more elaborate such as a cappuccino or latte. As the early morning throngs at the chain’s BKK establishment show, many coffee lovers are happy to pay extra for a reliably good coffee. Lavazza is another well-known Italian brand, also available at a variety of cafés and restaurants in the capital and beyond. Marketing itself as “Italy’s Favourite Coffee”, the company states 14 billion cups of its coffee are consumed globally each year. Some of these are served at Phnom Penh’s Java Café, where a shot of espresso costs US$1.75.
There is however more to a good cup of coffee than simply the roast. Giorgio says the perfect espresso results from a combination of a professional and well-maintained machine, good beans, clean water, and the skill of the barista. At Java Café, owner Dana Langlois invested in an Italian Faema E61 espresso machine to ensure that the quality of the coffee beans was matched by the machine preparing the final beverage. Her choice to serve Lavazza coffee was further influenced by the company’s commitment to ongoing service and support, including training for staff.
Saing Sophanny, barista at Java and winner of a recent in-house barista competition overseen by Lavazza, is happy with the quality beans and top-end machine. “It makes making good coffee easy,” she says, serving up a well-prepared espresso complete with a beautifully thick crema.
Pop Café
371 Sisowath Quay
Tel. 012 562 892
Java Café and Gallery
56 Sihanouk Blvd.
Tel. 023 987 420
| A Bar With Class< Prev | Next >Darlin Darlin Nightclub |
|---|
Total Views: 1158
Members Area
Become a member of the AsiaLIFE website in order to post events or classifieds.
Main Menu
