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Rating: Standard, towards the bottom of the Roman coffee gamut
It was after dark and it seemed appropriate to stop by the Gran Caffè La Notte and have a look. The place is on a corner, right across the ‘Caffetteria Il Bonsai’ – which as we know – was excellent, and was also full of people in its midst. The locale is divided in two parts, on the left there’s the slot-machine, cum Las Vegas part, and then on the right where I was, there was the cafe portion. The area inside is not so big, so understandably (and this being Rome after all), people preferred to be outside. Either way, let’s see what is happening here.
Asking for a coffee got this placed on the bar (I had the coffee at a table, so the bar is actually a dark green marble, and not the white you see below):
Presentation: I liked the cup immediately. It was from a coffee brand that is served at Nino Bar Pasticceria in Ciampino. So we were off to an optimistic start here. Water was served only after asking, but it was done so very politely and obligingly.
Temperature of Cup: It was almost, just a degree or two below being too hot. If I held it in my hands for over 5 seconds I got the impression that it was too hot. But it wasnt.
Quantity: It was good. In this small, fluted, cup it was a short espresso. I like it even shorter, ristretto. But I didn’t order that, so I’ll admit it was perfect, without being overly temperamental abou things.
Temperature: It was hot, more than I expected, and I guess what happened was that the cup was at a good temperature (I didn’t get to see where the barista got the cup from, i.e., if from the top of the cup pile on the machine, or from the grill directly in contact with the top of the espresso machine). Either way, what probably happened was that the cup was tepid, and the espresso hot as hell, and that it was warming up the cup when I was touching it.
Volume/Consistency: It was thin, watery, runny. No creamyness either.
Crema: It was dark, foamy, persistent, and some marbling that broke into crema-bergs as I drank it.
Odor: Nope, non here again. Should I give up searching for an aromatic coffee? no!
Taste: It was bitter, very deeply bitter. It wasn’t rancid, but given the temperature and the bitterness, it was giving me the impression that it was there. Had I drank the cup more quickly, it would have seemed rancid.
Overall: Even though the picture above shows an oily tar-ish drink, the experience of it wasn’t like that. It was flimsy, bitter, and not full, thick, aromatic nor sumptuous. I say that it was a mid- to low-level coffee because I know that this coffee brand is so much better than this!
The setup: I couldn’t see the grinder, nor the face of the machine because the setup was not facing me, but they had a Casadio three group espresso machine, kicking out the brew. Then the coffee being served was the Golden Brazil Caffè a really decent roaster based in Ardea on the East coast from Rome.
Gran Caffè La Notte
Max & G. di Piloni Massimo SNC
Via Giovanni Volpato 31-35
00146 Roma