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Rating: Standard, mid to upper range Roman coffee
Across the street from the Al Cavallino Bianco Caffè, which is stellar, is the Trani Bar Caffè. It’s got a totally different feel. Where the former is all upper class, old world elegance, the Trani Bar is all about a straight, clean, no frills working class coffee. It’s interior is lined with black tiles, lots of steel and tones of grey, it has the expected mirrors so that folk can check themselves out in all the poses they can imagine while having coffee, and it sells cigarettes and other goods people who need to find an out from the stress of their life depend on. It's actually quite a cool place and I'd definitely return to it.
This is what the barista served me:
Presentation: I initially didn’t like this cup. It was large, chunky. But then when I looked at it more, it was solid, robust, it started with a thin lip and became thicker and heavier at the bottom. A mix between northern cups and Neapolitan cups. Interesting. The spoon was a bit gritty, but it was clean enough. No water offered, and I didn't ask. If I'm a 'man man' I can ask for something if I want it, at least that's the impression I got of how it rolls here.
Temperature of Cup: Crap. It was cool, a bit too cool for my taste. Read on.
Quantity: I think it was a normal sized espresso, on the shorter size, even though it looked long in the cup. The cup was really tapered down inside, so it looked bigger than it was.
Temperature: Yup, full burnt tongue. Man, was it harshly hot- and it stunned me for a bit. I had to wait a few minutes and not give up on this drink.
Volume/Consistency: It was thin, not oily, and cutting. The temperature of the brew did all the dirty work of killing the potential of this coffee.
Crema: It was dark, and for the first half, quite persistent. Then all the sudden, it got scared or something and dissipated onto the sides of the cup. It didn’t want to contribute to the drinking experience at all…
Odor: Dark roasted faint odor. Positive!
Taste: It was a light, woody flavor that I found after the coffee cooled down enough. It was not overly bitter and didn’t go into the rancid side. It had a dark taste, almost chalky, or chocolaty. All this is very positive!
Overall: It was a solid mid to upper range Roman coffee. It started out as utter crap when I burned my tongue, but at a lower temperature, in spite of it’s lack of volume, it had a particular, and distinct taste profile that is a very positive thing here in Rome!
The setup: The setup was nice, it was a vintage/new looking Wega machine. A throwback to the futurist 1920s-30s styling with the group sinks. The grinder was a Mazzer, so consistent quality. The coffee was Sao Caffè, this is south Roman (Pomezia) based roaster that operates it’s label with Trombetta Caffè. So yes, another offshoot of the ultra-saturated coffee brands here in Rome.
Trani Bar Caffè
Bar Latteria
Trani A.
Via Emanuele Filberto 8
00185 Roma
Tel. 06 446 7079