Rating: Standard, low-end Roman coffee
Some places are harder to review than others, or let’s put it this way, the repercussions of reviewing a cafe might be pretty serious. Being from the US and from Southern California, when you deal with a Nicaraguan, you’re in either for the kindest treatment of your life, or simply in for some deep doo-doo. 99% of Nicaraguans I’ve met are super nice, then there’s the gangster type who are extra ruthless. With a name of ‘Nicaragua Bar Caffè’ I feel like treading lightly. But let’s forget what might happen if the owner reads this, and let’s see what this place has to offer. It’s right next to Termini station and next to lots of good options. Hell, right smack next to it is another cafe full of people to so, that’s one we’ll have to come back to soon. The place has a plaque that says it’s from 1926 or something, so maybe it’s an early Nicaraguan emigre, or a new owner. Not important in the end since it didn’t translate into cool single-origin beans…
Asking for a coffee got me this:
Presentation: Water was served immediately! Bravo! The barista was a cool, straight-faced guy who took advantage of the down time to serve me this coffee before proceeding to clean the machine. The cup was large, full of water. The espresso was milked for a double that was simply dumped into the machine’s grill.
Temperature of Cup: Very hot, no… let’s correct that, SUPER hot cup. Yikes! Already it’s a different thing than the Fondi Bar Caffè just around the corner. Can you tell where this is going?
Quantity: The cup was rather large and the shot short, it was a good extraction.
Temperature: Yup, very hot still, even after trying to fiddle with the phone while I waited and make sure folks didn’t realize I was photographing the joint…
Volume/Consistency: Thin thin, almost razor thin. Water, and cutting.
Crema: Look at those yes staring at you down there in that cup! Needless to say, the cream was thin, not persistent, and showed over extraction here.
Odor: Nope, again, none.
Taste: Well… I couldn’t finish it. That’s what I thought. Look at it there:
The taste was very bitter, almost rancid, there was a back-end metallic flavor coming out of the espresso. Then I let the espresso sit yet another minute or so, and thought, “well, let’s give it another go”. So I did, and I was able to finish it.
Overall: It was definitely not a pleasant experience, nor a decent coffee in comparison to the other locales here. It was a low-end espresso. It was flat, not rich nor silky, metallic, and yet, drinkable. So with that, I would either try the machine at a different point (when it is a bit cooler in the morning) so maybe the espressos come out better. This was late in the afternoon and it was up and running all day long.. so who knows.
The setup: They had a spartan, but good setup. There was a Wega three-group espresso machine that was based on a E-61 build and then I could see a Mazzer Major grinder. All there to kill some beans and deliver good quality coffee. The coffee was the Classico Caffè Circi, the Roman based roaster that we had just around the corner (at the Fondi Bar Caffè).
There were lots of people outside chilling, and calling in their orders. The interior of the cafe was rather small, lined with red-looking wood, and some dark 70s mirrors on the places were the wood wasn’t holding or hiding some panelling. It felt more like a summer cafe than an interior hang-out place.
Nicaragua Bar Caffè,
Alei Maria
Via dei Mille, 70
00185 Roma