Caffé Italiano!
Few things – or aromas – are as closely associated to Italy as coffee – caffé. Yet in Italy there isn’t just “il caffé”: there are a multitude of ways to enjoy your coffee; every Italian generally has a preference for one kind or the other.
When in a bar ordering a caffé, what you will get is a “caffé espresso”. However you might ask for (and hear people around you asking for) a “caffé lungo”, which is an espresso diluted with a little more water, or for a “caffé ristretto”, which is exactly the opposite (an espresso with even less water than in the regular one – basically a dose of pure caffeine).
Again, you might hear orders for a “caffé doppio” – which is two regular espressos in one cup; for a “caffé al vetro”, a regular espresso served in a glass; or for a “caffé in tazza grande”, which means a regular espresso served in a cappuccino cup, which is much larger than a regular espresso cup.
Then comes an all time favorite: the “caffé macchiato”, an espresso with a drop of foamy milk – or, seeing things from a different viewpoint, a cappuccino with much less milk. An interesting variation of the “caffé macchiato” is the “caffé macchiato con latte freddo”, where the milk is regular cold milk rather than foamed up with steam.
In case you feel homesick, the closest you might get to what we consider an ordinary coffee is called – not by chance, as you might guess – “caffé Americano” – which is actually an espresso served in a cappuccino cup with a pitcher full of boiling water next to it, so that you might dilute it to the point you wish.
Finally comes the “caffé corretto”, which is a regular cup of espresso with about 2 cl. (about 2/3 ounce) of rum; at times you must specify whether you wish it “corrected” with “rum 40 or rum 70”. Rum 70 is a bit stronger and if you don’t ask for it you’ll be poured rum 40. Other spirits such as Sambuca, grappa, cognac and whisky are also popular when requesting a caffe corretto.
Now you might believe that Italy’s coffee “situation” is complicated enough like this. What we haven’t told you yet is that you might have any of the previous kinds combined with another. Therefore you might ask, for instance, for “un caffé lungo macchiato al vetro” (we won’t translate this to leave you the fun of figuring out for yourself what you’d be asking for). The only absolute “don’ts” are: never order a “corretto macchiato” (your common sense should anyhow advise you against this) and don’t ask for particular types of “caffé Americano” – it will generally be presented with a milk pitcher next to it in case you want some.
In case you want to keep things simple, you might simply order a cappuccino – however here the “don’ts” are even more imperative: never order a cappuccino at any time after 1 P.M., but especially never, ever order a cappuccino with your meal: not only will people laugh at you, at times in a rather impolite way – it’s most likely that you won’t even get served!
—Camillo Mekacher-Vogel