DEL CAPO BAR CAFFÈ, VIA NOMENTANA NUOVA 1, 00141 ROMA

Rating: Standard, very good Lavazza coffee

The Bar del Capo Caffè aims to please that segment of Roman society that loves to sports, and more than that, to bet on sports. It’s interior is equipped with the capability to watch and place bets live on sports events. I hadn’t seen it before, as usually betting ‘houses’ are small little monolocale frequented by young 20 year olds dressed in sweatpants and the like, aiming to make an easy buck off their sports knowledge. There were also slot machines here, plenty of m’, and a very large, wraparound bar. When I walked in there was a group of about 5 women in their early 20s dressed up ready to go out (it was Friday evening after all) arguing with the barista and her daughter barista. They were having a heated discussion over the actions of some ‘boy’ who simply couldn’t make up his mind about some non-present woman.

Either way, between their amusing chatter, they found the time to serve this nice cup:

Presentation: Yup, Lavazza. I used to feel a let down when confronted with something like this, but now I take it as it comes. Sometimes they know how to brew it. And this was one of them. The spoon was small, the cup short, stout, and I liked the handle, very ‘round’. Hadn’t noticed that before. No water was offered, and it felt like I would have been able to get one without a problem.

Temperature of Cup: The cup was warm, a bit tepid and yet not bad. Good.

Quantity: It was a short shot, good, compact, almost felt as if it could have been a ristretto had it been in a different, larger cup.

Temperature: Ouch! It was warm, a lot warmer than I imagined from the temperature of the cup. But I didn’t get burnt. I waited about a minute and it was at a good temperature.

Volume/Consistency: It was thick, sandy, but not heavy. It felt crunchy and yet somehow not over the top. It was good.

Crema: It was dark, very dark, and yet while I was waiting to drink it in that one minute after I tasted it, it opened to reveal the dark interior of the coffee. It dissipated rather quickly.

Odor: Dark-roasted smell, nothing fancy, but good, it was freshly ground coffee.

Taste: It was a lighter, non-rancid taste, it was round, oily and actually very pleasant. It turned out to be a very rich flavorful cup, look at how oily it is down in there after I finished it!

Overall: It was a very good espresso. I was happily surprised. Its temperature was good, it had a nice thickish consistency, not rancid in any way, and it’s bitterness was very controlled. It was a solid mid to upper range coffee. Not roasted in Rome, but quite good.

The setup: They had a vintage E78 Faema espresso machine. The grinder was also a Faema. This is a Spartan, simple setup, but very good if you know how to hone it. And in my opinion, this was honed in very well. The coffee was the commercially manufactured Lavazza.