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Rating: Standard, mid-range Roman coffee
The San Silvestro Caffè was one of those nice places in Rome that seem to pop up out of a movie. It’s on the Piaza San Silvestro, and it was relatively calm, and there behold was this very nice and decidedly elegant café. There were waiters outside who weren’t hustling to do anything with you, but just to serve their clients. I walked in and it was a rather large interior and a large wraparound interior bar. There were two espresso machines, one on the left and one directly in front towards the right as you walk in. I went to be served by that one.
This is what I got:
Presentation: No water served, and I’m not sure if I had to pay or not, as it is indeed a tourist café. The cup was fluted, small, and had the cafes logo on it, I liked it honestly. The C and the A are from the front window where you see the San Silvestro and the C is placed over the A of ‘San’, so you get ‘San Caffè’ or Holy Coffee… pretty fun.
Temperature of Cup: The cup was warm, but it wasn’t scalding.
Quantity: It was a short shot and good in my opinion.
Temperature: The temperature of the coffee itself was way to hot, I was with a group of 3 other Italians and they took the coffee immediately, staring at me as if what the hell was I doing waiting so long. So obviously they don’t mind the temperature of it!
Volume/Consistency: It had a thickish, silky texture, it was definitely oily.
Crema: The crema was sandy, raspy, and yet persistent and added to the texture of the drink.
Odor: Very faint, and very dark roasted smell, I’ll take what I can get!
Taste: It was a bitter coffee, not overly bitter but without a chromatic spectrum to it. It was flat in the middle, but the finish was best, as it opened up to a lighter more complex dark-roasted coffee taste.
Overall: It was a solid mid-level espresso, not the best but by far not the worst. It was decent and repeatable. I especially appreciated the aftertaste it left in my mouth. No rancidness, no overly bitter tones, but a mouth coated with deep coffee oils. Nice!
The setup: They had two Wega Sphera machines with E-61 based groups. The grinders were both Mazzer. The coffee being served, and now I recognize the shape of the cup as it’s ‘theirs’, was the Roman based roaster Marziali Caffè. They usually have extra potent and astringent coffee, here it was toned down in the right direction.
San Silvestro Caffè
San Silvestro Caffè SRL
Piazza San Silvestro 23
00187 Roma