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Rating: Standard, solid Roman coffee
The Coffee & Eat Caffè sits in the Marconi area, in a side street and almost not visible from the chaos of different buildings, shop signs, etc. It’s essentially a local’s only café. You won’t run into it accidentally… As you’ll see below, there’s no photo of the espresso machine. This is because when I walked in, the barista/owner was talking to his regular clients that somebody had tried to brake in the night before. The alarm had sounded two times, and it appears that the door was forced. Looking into the café, I could tell it was because the place has 2 pin ball machines and a few slot machines. They were looking to get the coins/cash from these things… I assume. Or, maybe a thug from a different slot machine mafia wanted to scare him. Here in Rome, as elsewhere in Italy, if you don’t put in slot machines in cafes, the mafia kicks your ass, or blows up your store (as they did just a few months ago in Milan)…. So whatever, that’s the rat life of Romans… The place is nice. It’s small. It’s got a small bar on the left with the espresso machine tucked away in the leftmost corner and almost impossible to see. Then on the right hand side about 4 small tables and two small 2 seat sofas. And get this, books!! Yes, it has a small library of books available for purchase and presumably light reading while you’re there. One of the first times I see books here in Rome in a café. In fact… book stores are rare here in Rome in comparison to other major cities… makes one wonder! In the back are the pinball and slot machines I mentioned. Let’s get to the coffee.
This is what the owner/barista gave me:
Presentation: A cup I recognize. It’s been a while and usually this is a short, tight, punch in the mouth type of coffee. Spoon was whet from the washer. No water offered, who has time for this crap when somebody just tried to break into your cafe?
Temperature of Cup: It was warm, not scalding, we’re doing good.
Quantity: Long shot. It’s actually a full 1 ounce espresso (30ml). Long by Roman standards.
Temperature: It was warm, and good. Not too hot and I could really taste the whole coffee. I was happy.
Volume/Consistency: Smooth, buttery, not thin, not watery – was on the mark in terms of oil to smoothness. I was happy!
Crema: Light, with some texture that looked good. Not over extracted, but rather showing the bean mix in the bag.
Odor: None really. Probably a slight smell, but it died by the time it got to my nose.
Taste: It was bitter, almost rancid, but didn’t get there. It was hovering, almost pushing itself over to rancidness but never quite got there. Maybe if it would have been hotter, I would have perceived it like that.
Overall: It was a silky, bitter, and astringent coffee. Nothing to sing home about, but it was solid, not offensive, and with some sugar as most Romans drink their brew, probably quite a decent trip.
The setup: I couldn’t photograph it, but it was an Astoria espresso machine and grinder. The coffee was Caffè Negresco, a local Rome-based roaster. Their coffee is usually quite astringent, pungent, and bitter as heck. This version was good in my opinion.
Coffee & Eat Bar Caffè
Via Antonio Roiti 16
00146 Roma
Tel. 06 5576566