CASA MANFREDI CAFFETTERIA, VIALE AVENTINO 91-93, 00152 ROMA

Rating: Standard, excellent Lavazza Third-Wave type coffee

So just when I had a great cup of coffee here in Rome. I’m knocked out by a place serving single origin, extremely good coffee, and get this – by Lavazza non less! So I hesitate before walking into the Casa Manfredi Caffetteria as I wasn’t sure if it was a restaurant or not. It turns out its like any other café in Rome, a bit of everything. Pastry shop, icecream parlor, bistro, and of course, coffee to round it all off. The interior is very nice, light, lots of grey and white tiles everywhere, trendy new art on the walls, and it looks rather new (here it says that it's been here since 2015). I’m not sure how long it’s been open, but it looked crisp. Since it’s close to the Food and Agriculture of the United Nations, it was packed with English speaking folk in business suits. Everybody talking about some deal or the other. Go figure.

Here’s what I got:

Presentation: Yeah, I noticed something was up when I saw the light brown/gold color of the writing on the cup. Look at what I saw before I was given the espresso.

Water was very politely served after I asked for it. The cup was a barrel like shape, small, and just right. It was a short cup, the spoon was to measure. And all was in order.

Temperature of Cup: It was warm, not super hot, and actually a bit cool.

Quantity: It was a good espresso. Solid one ounce. On the mark.

Temperature: The coffee itself was a bit warmer than I imagined. I could see steam coming off it, but, when I went to taste it, it was hot, but not too hot. Within 30 seconds of waiting, I could taste the coffee perfectly.

Volume/Consistency: It was silky, thin, light, but not runny or crappy. It was very good. It had a slight chalkiness to it, but not bad. It lacked in oil density, but still a good texture. I would mark it as delicate.

Crema: It was persistent for about 2 minutes and then died out. It was thin, and uniform, perfectly extracted. It added just a touch of texture to the drinking experience, and it was good.

Odor: Blown away! It was extremely aromatic (I was a amazed!). It had scents of citrus, and rose petals. It was very open, bright, and so welcoming. I sat there for at least half a minute just with my nose in the cup, I was enjoying this so much! Felt like I was smelling a bouquet of flowers.

Taste: Here we are, it was good, it was very good. It had a citrusy taste, somewhat sweet, nothing of rancidness. There was some acidity, and then it opened up to a nutty, buttery warm taste. The mix of citrus smell and floral notes really gave this cup a kick that was so wonderful!

Overall: I was very happy. Very happy. With the exception of the scant few other Third Wave coffee places, this was excellent. From a big industrial coffee brand. It had flavor, it had different textures, it was balanced, light, and yet controlled. One of the best espressi I’ve had in Rome. Period.

The setup: They had the beautiful La Cimbali machine with independent and digitally controlled groups. The grinder I couldn’t see, but I’m sure it was a La Cimbali as usual.

The coffee, well they had it for sale here. It was a Lavazza “Kafa Forest Coffee”, Etheopian single origin 100% Arabica from the Kafa region. The bar knew this was a special coffee, the price, was 1 euro for the drink. Look below at the marketing material inside the café. It stated that this was ‘Aromatic coffee’ hell yes it was. Is this an added thing by Lavazza? Some chemical? I hope not, but it was damned good! Then the menu read: “floral aroma, retrotaste of honey and dates, and notes of ripe cherries. I didn’t pick this up in the espresso, as this is probably the cupping description. But still, great place to start learning how to enjoy a third wave espresso.