TESTACCIO CAFFÈ, VIA GIOVANNI BRANCA 68, 00153 ROMA

Rating: Standard, decent traditional Roman coffee

The Testaccio Bar Caffè is situated in the heart of Testaccio. It is on a corner overlooking the Piazza Santa Maria Liberatrice park that has plenty of old and young chilling alike under the shade. Its near a busy set of shops, and there are a few other cafes here, so it’s got competition to deal with. Walking inside I was met with a light, airy and welcoming space. It felt like it wasn’t thought out very well, it had a large wrap around bar, and some tables here and there. It’s thought out as an ‘inside’ bar experience, especially since there are no shades outside and only a meager tree providing shad to two small tables on the street.​

Asking for a cup of coffee got me this:​

​Presentation: Water was not offered automatically, but kindly given when asked. The cup was clean, crisp and cared for.

Temperature of Cup: Man, what a terrible start, it was boiling hot. I could barely grasp it before being burnt!

Quantity: Given that the cup itself was rather large, I was glad that the shot was concise, short, and the barista finished it just in time to keep it good.

Temperature: After waiting for two minutes, the espresso was at a good temperature.

Volume/Consistency: I’m not going to say it was silky, it wasn’t. But it wasn’t runny nor watery, it was good. A peculiarly nice density, had body body that I felt I could clearly make out.

Crema: Complex, marbled, persistent, and frankly one of the nicest I’ve seen in a long while. It wasn’t puffy nor fake as in Sant’Eustachio, it was good.​

Odor: What’s that damned Italian shnazola good for if not for smelling the flowers and the damned coffee!! No smell here, no real coffee smell. This is normal for 99% of coffees I’m having here.

Taste: Overall it was a decently good coffee. The presence of a nutty, bitter but in now way rancid flavor was very pleasant.​

​Overall: Very decent cup of coffee. Not much to add that it added up to a pleasant experience.

The setup: A three-group La Cimbali espresso machine and an Astoria grinder which was very nice.​

The coffee being brewed was special, it was Caffè Camilloni.​

​This is the historic cafe that used to be in Piazza Sant’Eustachio, and which was recently refurbished-redone. It’s all but gone from there now… But apparently the company is still spitting out roasted coffee somewhere in Rome. I haven’t been able to locate their webpage, but there are still place that are serving this. Hopefully in the near future I’ll get a hold of where this is operating from!​

Testaccio Bar Caffè

F.L.F. S.R.L.

Via Giovanni Branca, 68

00153 Roma