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Rating: Standard, mid- to low-end Illy coffee
I used to work within a minute’s distance from the Friend’s Café. I remember it quite fondly- every time I walked in to have coffee here after lunch, a pack of ladies, ranging from 25 to 60 or so and all decked out in business attire would devour – like many Italian men- every guy that would walk into the place. And so, I would make sure to dress the part every day to not disappoint the pack. And without fail, at every conversation that they were having, all except one person who’d keep on talking. All the ladies would stop turn their heads and stare at you from toe to head to toe again. That was the ritual. I finally understood, yet again, how women feel when us guys devour them with our looks. Not a bad lesson no? But this is Italy, and this is how it goes. The place is a catch-all, bistro, café, sweets and side-kick restaurant. It’s got a very cool, modern, artsy-fartsy decorated interior. Fun ceilings, cooler red marble floor and a staff that is very friendly, and open. They’re constantly talking and will get into your business in no time.
This is what I got after paying at the cashier (which is just on the left as you enter):
Presentation: A round, clean, crisp, no over the top Illy cup. The spoon is not Illy, but a general non-descript spoon that is a bit too long for this combo. No water was given, but back in the day, I’d get a cup immediately, as this is what I’d ask every time I’d come in.
Temperature of Cup: Hot as hell, just like I remember it. Yes, another boiling cup of java.
Quantity: It was a bountiful one ounce, probably an ounce and a quarter, close to 40ml.
Temperature: Yeah, again, steam was rising out of this cup. I had to wait and wait…. And wait.
Volume/Consistency: Thin, light. Not sandy, but powdery. But overall thin. No oils, no complexity.
Crema: It was nice, a bit whirly, a bit like a nutty rich espresso should be. But it suddenly, actually about a few minutes after I waited for the coffee to cool, it started to dissipate. It didn’t really add to the drinking experience.
Odor: There was a warm coffee scent. This was great! It wasn’t overpowering, nor charred.
Taste: It was bitter, but not really over the top. What got me, was the tangy, tingling sensation that I got in my mouth. I didn’t recollect it from previous times, so something was different. It was rather flat, not full bodied, and no profundity of taste.
Overall: The thing that saves this cup, is not the cup itself, which doesn’t become rancid, so it’s not a poor coffee per se. But it’s environment, it’s staff, and the upbeat nature of the place. Maybe it’s because the baristas are so concentrated on having a good time, laughing and making the place become alive that the coffee is a bit overlooked. I didn’t mind this time.
The setup: Standard. They had the La Cimbali espresso machine and grinder duo that is the ‘standard’ set that comes with Illy. Whoever sealed that deal between Illy and La Cimbali had a fat fat bonus that year! The coffee is the mass produced, yet ever variable Illy Caffè.
Friend’s Café
Caffè Tre S.r.l.
Via della Scrofa 60 00186 Roma