Coffee in Italy

For an Italian there are sacred things, mom, pasta and coffee.
Coffee in Italy is an institution, it is an important part of the social life of every Italian. Italians are known for drinking an average of 4/5 coffees per day.

The history of coffee in Italy began in the 1600's but it was already spread centuries before in the Orient. When it was discovered, coffee was considered as a beverage having magical properties and for this reason Arabs initially hid its existence, hindering its exportation. In 1400 were established the first coffee shops in Arab countries and this beverage, besides being used as a medicine, was considered as a good occasion for social meetings. At the end of 1600's coffee was introduced in Venice thanks to a botanical doctor, Prospero Alfino. According to the legend, after a journey in Egypt, where coffee was already common, he brought the beverage to Venice, describing it as having a "taste similar to chicory". Just for this reason, Alfino had catalogued coffee as a medicine and in fact the first place where it was sold was the pharmacy.
Italy is the only country in the world that when you go to the bar, the Bartender always remembers which is your coffee.
Nowadays there are various ways to drink coffee, each person has his own particular. Let's see which are the most requested:

Espresso: exists only in Italy, is the Italian coffee for excellence, all over the world know us for our espresso coffee. L 'espresso is a coffee to 2 sips, to know if it is a real espresso, just take a sugar bag, if the sugar falls slowly drawing a sort of smile ... it is a real espresso and if the sugar falls to the bottom of the coffee it is a fake. Remember coffee in Italy always smiles to you.

Caffé Macchiato: also called only “macchiato”, is another typical Italian coffee, consisting of an espresso with a small amount of hot, foamy milk.

Cappuccino: normally is drink for breakfast at the bar, together with the croissant (croissant and cappuccino is really a classic Italian breakfast). Let's see now the recipe for cappuccino. First you have to put the milk in a metal pot. Put the jug under the metal case of the cappuccino machine. At this point, open the steam valve and whip the milk; to obtain a nice foam, you will need to move the jug slightly with delicate movements from top to bottom. When the milk is well whipped, put it into the coffee cup... and the cappuccino is ready.

Caffé Corretto: it is an espresso coffee to which is added some liqueur Grappa in the north of Italy or Sambuca in the center and in the south of Italy. It seems that originally it was the workers of northern Italy, who during their breaks used to add a drop of grappa to their coffee in order to find some warmth and relief from the cold temperatures.
Then there are various alternatives to the classic espresso coffee, such as, for example, the long coffee “caffé lungo” that are more or less 3/4 sips, then there are those who want it warm and those who want it with a very hot cup and finally those who can not tolerate the cup and drink it in glass “caffé in vetro”, a habit from Tuscany.

Whatever your coffee is, what you can not do is to come to Italy and not try one.