When I drank my first cup of a Hazelnut Latte from an authentic Italian Café in a nearby town, I immediately realized that Italians knew their coffee.  Golosi is a truly authentic café that offers Italian gelato and incredible tasting coffee drinks.

I never realized or tried to learn about coffee culture in Italy.  But after trying and falling in love with Golosi’s coffee (and gelato, of course), I definitely wanted to learn more about how Italians take their coffee.

I found some very interesting pieces of information during my Italian coffee culture research:

1.Don’t expect to find many Starbucks or other franchised coffee shops in Italy like we have here in America.  Coffee in Italy is supposed to be savored, meaning, you drink coffee the way it is supposed to be drank-with little additives.  Don’t go to an Italian café and order a grande Frappuccino with whip topped off with cookie pieces and caramel drizzle.  Instead, locally owned cafes with baristas and bars are more common here.

2.Don’t expect to sit for hours at a local café.  Coffee in Italy is to be drank rather quickly.  I could sit at a Starbucks for hours (if I didn’t have my kids), but if I tried that in Italy, I could get some weird looks or even worse, kicked out.

3.If you ask for a latte, you will get a glass of milk. If you want a latte, then ask for a caffe latte.

4.Don’t ask for a large size of anything.  They typically order their coffee in one size-180ml. 

5.Don’t expect to receive hot coffee; they take theirs warm. 

6.We Americans like to order our coffee to go, and then go about our day.  However, in Italy, it is rare for a café to stock disposable cups.  It is custom to sit down, take a few sips of your coffee in a mug, take a couple bites of your pastry, and then be on your way.  I like this custom.  I always feel so rushed in the morning, and rarely really, I mean truly, get to enjoy my coffee on my work days.

On the weekends when I am not working, I do what the Italians do-I make myself a cup of coffee, have some sort of pastry to go with it (or dark chocolate), and sit down to thoroughly enjoy it.  I much prefer the Italian way-it allows me to truly enjoy every sip of this delicious drink!

7.When you order a coffee drink, expect it to be made quickly.  Why? There is no ordering in Italy like there is in America.  Again, in Italy, your barista won’t take ten minutes to order your very special, personalized coffee drink with a cute little foam design. Instead, they make traditional caffe lattes, macchiatos, espressos, all with a bittersweet brown foam on top, or what they call, a crema. 

(Photo Credit:  Italymagazine.com)

This is appealing to me because at my favorite local coffee shop, if I have to wait in line, it is usually at least ten minutes, even though they are preparing their drinks as fast as they can.  Too many people have their own personalized drinks that take some time to fix up.  I love the idea of everyone choosing between a small variety of drinks, waiting in line for far less time, and then sitting down to enjoy the fine cup of coffee that Italians make.

8.Before you drink your coffee, you are given a glass of water to drink first, in order to “cleanse the palate”.  This supposedly helps make the true coffee flavor stand out.

9.Americans can order any type of coffee drink at any time of day and not be seen as crazy.  However, if you order a cappuccino after 11AM in Italy, you might a get crazy look.  Italians view this “white coffee drink” as a breakfast item.

That was fun! It is interesting to see a glimpse of how people from different cultures view and consume coffee.

My next coffee culture comparison is going to be Spain! Stay tuned! =)

Disclaimer: most information derived from the following sources: 

https://www.lonelyplanet.com/italy/travel-tips-and-articles/how-to-drink-coffee-like-a-true-italian/40625c8c-8a11-5710-a052-1479d276c4a9

http://www.italymagazine.com/featured-story/italian-coffee-culture