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Rating: Standard, very light Roman coffee
Er Caffetiere is the hands-on big sister to the Spartaco Torrefazione Vino e Caffè which was reviewed previous to this. It sits literally across the small street from the ‘roaster’ Spartaco. This is the cafe that has all the turnaround and that acts as a pivot to the Monti area. Considered by Romans to be the ‘hipster’ mecca of the city. As I wrote in the previous post, I was told by the Spartaco staff that the Er Caffetiere serves their Intenso blend, which was a 50/50 Arabica and Robusta blend. Well… let’s see what is happening here, and give the coffee, the most important product in this game, a go.
But hold on a second, what is that large sign between the entrance and the ‘take away’ window say? PeriCaff of course! Yes, this is a Roman based roaster. And here’s what it said, if you can see my low-resolution photo.
Essentially, this is a large advert for the coffee their serving inside. I was surprised about this, especially when this bar is supposedly serving their own roasts made just across the street. Whatever, does it really matter? Especially since the roasts done by Aroma del Caffè that were sold across the street at the Spartaco Torrefazione were indeed good, so let’s just go inside and see what they serve.
Asking for a cup of coffee got me this:
Presentation: Let’s look at the details first. Yes, the cup is indeed from PeriCaff. Here’s another picture just to show the cup itself (yeah, I was a bit sloppy in drinking this shot!).
But yeah, they’re serving PeriCaff and not Spartaco Torrefazione in-house roasted beans, nor the Aroma del Caffè beans. So… with that small but important piece of information settled, let’s pay attention to what happened here. The water was given to me after I asked for it, and it was done very politely and professionally. The cup (before I drank it) was clean, short, concise and fluted, which is a style that I really like.
Temperature of the cup: Yup, just right. Perfect I’d say.
Quantity: Yup, just right. Perfect short almost ristretto shot I’d say.
Temperature: Yup, just right. Perfect temperature of espresso. could taste it immediately and savor the coffee without hurting my mouth, tongue and tastebuds in the process. Great coffee so far!
Volume/Consistency: Hmm… not ‘just right’. It was watery, thin, extremely light. Well, before judging it. I’d like to go on. But yeah, it was runny.
Crema: Light, thin, non persistent, lacking in oils, volume, and character. It had some slight marbling, but nothing to make you wonder what the taste experience would be.
Odor: Non in the roaster next door, non here either. Who knows why I write this category! But this is ‘standard Roman coffee fare’ here. No smell…
Taste: It was very light, not rancid, very thin taste corresponding to the wateryness of the consistency. It was a light affair.
Overall: Yup, it wasn’t bad in any sense, it was a coffee that lacked in thickness, profundity, but on the positive side it was a coffee that you can have two or three of at a sitting. I guess, like the hipster shallow sheen, it’s a coffee that is not for the robust Roman blue collar workers as we’ve gotten at other cafes. But rather a coffee that’s dainty and airy for those more sophisticated ‘thinkers’ with beards and button up lumberjack shirts. It’s a coffee to not fend you off and a particularly light version of what traditional Roman coffee is (and I mean this in a good sense!).
The setup: Man was this machine NICE. They had an Astoria Plus 4three-group machine that is at least 10K in the hole if you want one. A really nice piece letting you do crazy things with coffee. What I would give to see this machine put to use by a master roaster and kicking barista…. They also had an Astoria grinder to boot. And the coffee, after asking the barista, was yes, PeriCaff of course!
The interior of the locale has a small ante-room. There’s a nice mix of raw wall/brick/stone to stucco that is always fun in my opinion, especially in a place like rome where you’re confronted with history. The interior of the room you’re confronted by a portrait of the father/son duo (who are actually working the bar itself too). Very much letting you know you’re stepping into ‘their’ space, their world. Very much in line with Roman egocentrism that is so rampart in these parts. Fun place and known to get very lively in the evening.
Er Caffetiere,
SA. PE. SNC
Di Pelle Spartaco & C.
Via Urbana 72/73, 00184 Roma