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Rating: Standard, very expensive low-end Roman espresso
The Caffè delle Arance on the Piazza Santa Maria in Trastevere is your standard Roman tourist spot. It’s frequented by everybody that wants a view to this important and historic plaza. So, yes, you have to pay a particular price for that. The espresso, at time of writing, was 3.5 euro. That’s a whole 3.5 times more than you’d pay at any old (and probably better) bar in town!
And this is the ‘view’ you’re paying for:
But let’s not jump to conclusions, the word ‘cafe’ is in the place’s name… so let’s judge it on what they do. Asking for a coffee … on the terrace, gets you this:
Presentation: This is an OK presentation. No water, of course! is offered. Nothing is free here. There’s a sugar and spoon, and looks quite decent.
Temperature of Cup: Temperature was good, the cup is nice, shallow, and round, very round.
Quantity: The volume is quite a lot, you’re getting a very generous espresso here.
Temperature: Temperature was very good, could drink it right away. Good points, all, so far.
Volume/Consistency: Here is where the first big problem is found, it was really quite a light drink. The volume is out of sink with the consistency… felt like I was drinking a drip coffee.
Crema: It had a decent thickness, looked like cake, but yet too uniform, no oils see, but.. to its benefit, it was quite dark.
But as you see below, it didn’t last very much, just on the first taste it started to fall apart.
Odor: Had almost no odor, not sure if it was the fact that it was windy outside, but barely a hit of anything there.
Taste: The taste was not bad. It was watery, but in this, it was not terribly bitter, not terribly rancid. It was OK!
Overall: The reason I say this is a standard low-end Roman coffee is because that’s what it is. For the cost of this espresso we should be getting an artisan roasted bean served by an experienced barista. None of that was presented here. The coffee was way better than some other less flashy places, so… yes, low-end coffee that is quite standard!
The setup: They had a La Spaziale semiautomatic, I tend to like these machines… and it was branded by the beans they were serving, which is Hausbrandt Espresso… reminds me of ‘brann’ which in some nordic languages means ‘burn!’ This is sad because this is a Northern Italian roaster which should know of it’s light and delicate roasts in that region…. In any case, the Mazzer grinder does a good job at neutralizing the charred nature of the coffee, turning it into something worthwhile.
Its almost impossible, if not simply, impossible, to drink the coffee inside the cafe. There’s just no room to stand in there.
The only place to stand is while you’re waiting to use the loo. Oh, and how wonderful: On top of the espresso machine it says ‘Attention: the prices to consume coffee at the bar are the same as those on the terrace’ and it gives examples, espresso: 3.50, etc… so yes… you’re paying a for a super premium espresso in this joint… The ‘bar’ is clearly labeled below the counter as ‘Caffè al Banco’. Don’t you just love these Italian shabby-chic manners!?
But that’s the price to pay to have coffee at Caffè delle Arange…. you can’t see them on the picture below, but towards the left they have some commemorative baskets with ‘arance’ or oranges to show they’re still true to their roots.
Caffè delle Arance S.R.L
Piazza Santa Maria in Trastevere, 2/2a
00153 Roma
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