Do Italians Make Better Coffee?

For many Italians the coffee served by branded outlets is far away from proper Italian coffee.

23:02 14 August 2015

Arguably, Italians make better coffee. Howard Schultz came up with an idea to build Starbucks while sipping espresso in a Milan bar. He then took a good product, repackaged it, and globalised it. Sadly, somewhere along the way, the coffee that is being served at Starbucks and other branded outlets have taken out Italy out of the coffee.

 

Award-winning barista James Hoffmann of London's Square Mile Coffee Roasters, said: "I think a caricature of Italian espresso was what was exported. "Global espresso culture is now a long way from what is considered traditional Italian espresso.”

 

With 8.5bn kilos of coffee being consumed by globally every year, it’s easy for every cup to get commercialised, regardless if they are being called Italian names.

 

To preserve the integrity of authentic Italian coffee, the Italian Espresso National Institute or INEI is offering certificates to those who do it the right (Italian) way.

 

"International chains of cafes are spreading, calling the coffee they serve Italian espresso," writes INEI's chairman Luigi Zecchini on the organisation's website. But, "behind our espresso... there is a unique and unrepeatable culture."

 

Looking for differnt types of coffee? Try secrets of Japanese coffee culture.