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Rating: Standard, low-end Roman coffee.
The Caffè Litro Vineria e Cibo is not a place I would normally review. It's strictly a wine-restaurant bar in the Monteverde neighborhood, thus out of my radar. But I was urged on by some good friends who frequent this place. I couldn't resist! The place is known for its great selection of organic, alternative wines and cuisine. Everything was excellent, so given the hyper-awareness they display towards their wine, we tought, hey, maybe that care spills over onto their coffee. But let's give it a go before we give our opinion of their coffee. The outside of the place is extremely hard to photograph, simply because it's sunk down in the basement of the building and has no proper 'facade' just a patio area and there you are. So if you're going to look for it, just look for the white fence in front of the bus stop.
At the end of the apperitivo we did, we ordered coffee out on the terrace and this is what I got:
Presentation: No water was offered, because we already has ordered some, but this place looks like it’d charge you for it if you just came in for a coffee in the morn. The cup was clean, and I liked that it was black. It didn’t have a logo on it, so it means to me they’re worried about the customer’s impression of the whole ensemble. Good start.
Temperature of Cup: The cup temperature was good, not boiling, not scalding, it was decent. No stress of being burnt.
Quantity: It was a short shot, a good ristretto in US standards, and a drop of coffee by the rest of the world’s standards!
Temperature: It was good temperature, could taste it immediately.
Volume/Consistency: It was not runny, but not creamy. It was silky, but raspy if I remember correctly. Kind of sandy.
Crema: It was thin, persistent, no signs of life in it other than ‘brown’. It was picture perfect for aesthetic reasons, but not for the pallet.
Odor: No real smell, except charred beans emanating from the cup. It was nippy outside where I was having the espresso so, couldn’t tell very well, but I wasn’t overwhelmed by a pleasant fruity smell. They left this for the wine!
Taste: Well other than extremely, very bitter, there was no other taste reference happening. I had had wine, cheeses- you name it at this place, but none of the potential flavors that a great light-roasted coffee can have were exploited here. What a pity!
Overall: Well, after the connoisseurship of their other plates and wines, I was let down to get this coffee. It is indeed ‘Roman’, typically roman. But couldn’t we think of a simpler, better cared for coffee? As you see it was rather thin, no oils, and left me with lots of bitter taste to finish what was otherwise a great meal.
The setup: Well, with this machine they should be churning out amazing espresso! They had the Faema Legend machine, and then an Anfim grinder (love the boxy shape they have!) And the coffee being brewed was Classico Caffè Circi, a local East-Roman roaster. I’ve had way better coffee of theirs, and am still looking for the god-shot that gives their full spectrum.
Litro Vineria e Cibo Caffè
Via Fratelli Bonnet 5
000152 Roma
tel. 06 4544 7639