Italian coffee, caffè, is great. Italians make the coffee at home with a MOKA or macchinetta del caffè, a kind of little pot made of three parts, placed directly on the stove. But mostly we drink una tazzina (little cup) di caffè in bars. Here we drink the real espresso, that tastes quite differently than the home made variety.

The secret for good espresso lies in the three M rule: macchina (the high pressure coffe maker), miscela (the quality of coffee beans), mano (the hand of the barman).

Having a coffee is a ritual, an occasion for meeting people. It is curious to know that even if the coffee is often enjoyed while standing at the counter for just a few minutes, ordering a cup of coffee is a science! There are a multitude of variations:

• espresso or normale (the most common, a plain cup of coffee)
• macchiato caldo (with a drop of hot milk)                               
• macchiato freddo (with a drop of cold milk)
• marocchino (macchiato with cocoa powder)                                                  
• corretto (with a dash of liquor, usually grappa)
• doppio (double dose of coffee)
• ristretto (narrow coffee, it is stronger and even smaller than a normale)
• schiumato (with milk foam)
• lungo (double dose of water)
• al vetro (in a small glass instead of a cup)
• con panna (with whipped cream)
• decaffeinato (decaf)
• freddo (cold, ideal during summer)
• shakerato (iced from the shaker)
• americano (with too much water!!)

Then of course you can have almost infinite combinations of these. You may consider yourself a master of Italian espresso once you are fluent in ordering a “ristretto al vetro con panna” but be careful in not asking for a “lungo ristretto” because lungo is the opposite of ristretto! All clear?