Check back soon
Once posts are published, you’ll see them here.
Rating: Standard, decent mid-range Roman Coffee
When I saw the name of this place, the Rosa Caffè Bar, I couldn’t stop thinking about Marcel Duchamp’s alter ego Rose Celavie… or as we know “rose c’est la vie”. And walking inside, I think it would have been a great place for Duchamp to hang out in his feminine persona. It was packed with people, there where conversations humming everywhere, people entering and going, all in a 1970s decadent decor that while definitely dated, was just right for the place. Felt immediately comfortable and as if I could start speaking to anybody in there. The barista knew almost everybody by first name and it was simply that kind of place. It’s literally hugging the Unicredit Rome headquarters, and I wonder if the uptight execs ever make into this joint…
Paying first and then asking for a coffee got me this:
Presentation: No water offered, but would have given if I had gotten the barista’s attention.
Temperature of Cup: Great, on the spot and we had a nicely tuned machine. It wasn’t extremely early in the morning so we can’t blame it on the boiler not having properly warmed up.
Quantity: Short shot = Great shot, and this is what we had.
Temperature: Ahh yes, good temperature as well. Hot, not scalding, not boiling.
Volume/Consistency: It was indeed a bit less silkier than I imagined. It had body but a bit on the watery side, it was a pity as it looked like a great shot.
Crema; It was dark, but not persistent, and also thin. As I started to drink the coffee I could tell this and 2 and 2 make four, so I realized that the extraction wasn’t all there.
Odor: Aha! Wonderful odor of warm coffee being brewed. This is one of the first places in Rome that I walked into and was overcome with a warm coffee smell… just like in the old days of walking into a decent coffee house and actually smelling coffee! This is definitely a bonus here!
Taste: It was very bitter, doubly stronger than the espresso down the street at Gran Caffè Federici, and not rancid in any way.
Overall: A solid, well built espresso that wasn’t mind blowing, nor third wave, nor the best in Rome, but definitely a workhorse that can grow on you. Worth stopping in to get a real fix for coffee. I’m sure with a bit of sugar it would have opened up quite a lot.
The setup: There was three group 1980s La Cimbali with two 80s LaCimbali grinders. It was a busy machine, constantly pouring out tons of espressos. Maybe that’s why the temperature was right, it was constantly being filled by more fresher water. The coffee is one that I’ve run into a lot lately, which is the Classico Caffè Circi. I had a slightly better version of this East-Roman based roaster in a previous post here (at a cafe near Termini). But it’s been solid so far, almost as good as Caffè Gran Santos which seems to be around more in Monteverde than in the South EUR or Portense areas…. go figure how this coffee mafia works here in Rome!
Rosa Bar Caffè,
Eredi Rosa Filippo S.N.C.
Viale della Tecnica166, 00144 Roma