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Rating: Standard, mid- to low-range Roman coffee
The A & G Café is on the same street as the Oasi Caffè, and shares some of the same characteristics- it’s a straightforward mono-locale that offers coffee and anything that might go with it. It’s a different world than the Oasi Caffè. Where this latter café was a bit chaotic and very low-key, the A & G Café is tidy, very manicured and while it has a strict middle-class décor, it’s well manicured. The duo attending the business when I walked in seemed to be a father-daughter team and the barista was very friendly, always offering a smile to everybody.
Asking for a coffee got me this:
Presentation: Yup, crisp, very crisp gleaming white cup. Look at the saucer on this! It’s like a 1940s flying saucer. Oval and slightly dynamic, I really liked it. I must say that the other guy next to me had the same cup and saucer combo but on the outside it was a bright Fiat 500 green…. Very jealous! The spoon was to size, and everything seemed tight. No water was offered, but the barista seemed happy enough to comply with this request had I asked.
Temperature of Cup: The temperature was very good. Not scalding as it usually is with this brand coffee… I’ve usually had pretty terrible experiences with Danesi!
Quantity: It was a good full one ounce, probably a bit more. This is a big barrel cup that I’m not to excited about, but it was very low in there. So good.
Temperature: The espresso itself was also perfect and on the spot.
Volume/Consistency: Wow… silky! It was very nice, thickish, soft and creamy.
Crema: The crema was interesting, it was syrupy, shinny, and yet had the blond top that I don’t like- a sign of over extraction. Had the barista pulled off just a bit earlier on the extraction it would have been tons better. It was very persistent throughout the drink and added to its texture. That’s positive.
Odor: Dark-dark roasted coffee smell… while not too enticing, it is a good thing not often had here in Rome.
Taste: It was very bitter and actually almost pushed itself into the rancid state. This was a disappointment because it was quite a silky and rich espresso. I wanted this to be more complex and colorful… it just never got there.
Overall: Had the specter of rancidness (or near rancidness) not been so great it would have been a good espresso- but it is solid mid-range, and veering into the lower end of the acceptable (drinkable) espressos in Rome. Maybe a shorter shot would have done the trick?
The setup: The espresso machine was a propriety Danesi Caffè, with a Mazzer grinder, and another who’s brand escapes me. The coffees, is Danesi. They are a local Roman roaster that churns out crazy bitter coffee. This was a decent version as usually I simply cannot drink it since it’s so rancid. But this cafe showed some promise!
A & G Café
A & G Caffè di Natale A. e G. SNC
Via Padova 48
00161 Roma
Tel. 06 4402146
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