phideltacity

Before traveling to Italy, I was of the firm belief that Italy had a coffee culture. Now on my iminent return I proclaim to stand corrected.

Up front I will admit that Italy has coffee of superb quality. And if all that was needed to claim coffee as a cultural asset Italy would be a clear leader in the field.

However just having good beans and producing a pleasant brew is by far insufficient. What Italy lacks is a clear understanding of the beverage. An understanding of the distinct notes and how they can be used to achieve different and pleasing effects.

To an Italian there seem to be basically two types of coffee, which I will describe by their appearance as black and white. Either coffee is served black or with an inordinate amount of milk. Although there exists in theory, a cafe macchiato, an espresso with very little milk added, it is served in thimble cup sizes that take any pleasure that could be derived from its consumption and moves it squarely into the realm if fiction.
Any attempt by the wary connoseur to increase the serving size inevitably leads to the serving of a cappucino, a drink though famous and enjoyable in its own right, quite distinct from a cafe macchiato in a non bonsai size.

In depth discussions with several barristas lead to the inevitable conclusion: while Italians have and work with the most excellent resources, they lack the fundamental understanding of what can be achieved with them.

So my opinion of Italy in terms of coffee has wilted in the face of reality. At the same time my opinion of Vienna as th coffee capital of the world has only been increased.

I declare Vienna the reigning undisputed coffee capital of the world and hereby challenge any other city to scratch at its supremacy. The world can only become a better place for coffee lovers as a result.