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POTA CAFFETTERIA, PIAZZA IPPOLITO NIEVO 13-14, 00153 ROMA


Rating: Standard, solid mid-level Roman coffee




The Pota Caffetteria is one of those nice places to discover. Funny enough, it's right next to the Arabo Caffè, which is a very good Roman coffee. But it was nice to discover because unlike the Arabo Caffè, the interior has a lot of light, and it's very welcoming. Where the Arabo is more of a local's only feeling to it, this place has more of an open door- open arms atmosphere. The couple running the place were very hospitable and treated the regulars that kept on coming and going with real affection. It rubbed off on me. You'll see why.​

Asking for a coffee got me this:​

Presentation: A nice cup of water was served immediately. It was a high, long thin glass, I liked it. The espresso cup is of the type I love. Fluted outwards, like a slice from from an inverted cone. The little handle has a small symbolic hole of a loop. A small dark-chocolate and coffee candy was also given. The spoon was sparkling and nice. And the saucer, was off-center, dinamic, cool touch. Thus, all was in order for a good espresso.


Temperature of Cup: Well, not exactly- the temperature of the cup was decidedly Roman- it was very hot, scaldingly hot. Argh... it all looked so nice. But this is indeed what Romans expect.


Quantity: Nice, short, to the point. I was happy!


Temperature: After I waited, the coffee was still damn hot. Too hot. Mamma, I didn't burn my tongue, but it felt like I would have had I drank it immediately.


Volume/Consistency: It was thinner than I expected, but it was silky, fine, smooth, and oily to a good consistency. I feel had it been a bit less hot, it would have been a lot better overall. I felt as if I was on the verge of burning my mouth... So that preoccupied me when tasting the volume of this piece.


Crema: Ahh, nice crema. It was ​even, almost like a nice acrylic paint sitting there on top of the espresso. It was persistent and definitely added to the experience of drinking the coffee.

Odor: No real coffee smell that I could discern. It was nippy outside, but my nose was clear, so I don't think I missed much. Anyhow, nothing strong was coming from here.


Taste: It was very bitter, but not over the top. It was powerful, but not pungent. It wasn't anywhere near rancid, and it was actually buttery by the time that it was cool. I waited a long while to finish this one, and it really did get better.

Overall: I would have surely placed this in a very good coffee had it not been for it's over the top scalding temperature. I think for a Roman, this is a very good coffee. A lot lighter and balanced than the Arabo cafe that's almost next door. I think I like this more in comparison.

The setup: The barista had a very nice Rancillio Classe 7 espresso machine kicking out this brew. The grinder was also a Rancillio. The coffee being served is the roman-based Moca Caffè. I like this coffee, it usually is strong, like it was here, but never (or rarely...) rancid. So I'm happy when I see it being served.

But the nice thing about this bar, was again, the hospitality, the cleanliness, and the place that makes you feel like you're at home. They had on hand two nice small bowls with Crema di Caffè, this was done the right way- no milk (which is great for me as I don't like mixing milk in my espresso), it's just frothed coffee and sugar. Really nice and powerful- but so so smooth...​

​Since the espresso was so good, I had to order another one and I had to have some of this crema:​

​It really made the coffee stand out and was really very good- if only for this you should jump into this cafe! And ah... the cornetti that they had! Small, beautiful and filled with various different jams...

Caffetteria Pota

Pota Valerio

Piazza Ippolito Nievo 13-14

00153 Roma

Tel. 06 581 3860

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