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SAN COSIMATO CAFFÈ, PIAZZA DI SAN COSIMATO 48-49, 00153 ROMA
Rating: Standard, mid to low-end Roman coffee
The San Cosimato Caffè tends to be always busy. Its on the piazza San Cosimato, lots of locals from Trastevere, lots of tourists from around the world, all fighting for a table to chill and enjoy the morn or afternoon hours. The inside, except for winter, is empty. Today I met a group of friends, and decided to have the coffee outside. Hell, this coffee was a treat from my friend, so it was nice. However, the sweetness of this meeting, was countered by the bitterness of the drink. Let’s take a look.
This is what the waitress brought to me a the table:
Presentation: Nice, clean cup. But large, very large. The spoon was OK, and was able to dig into the deep bowl-like depths of the coffee cup to stir all the sugar you want. No water was offered. She was too busy, but probably could have obliged 10 minutes later with something. The two different types of sugars was a nice touch.
Temperature of Cup: It was very hot. Not scalding, but simply too hot.
Quantity: It was a good short-end shot. Not too much. I was content. If it was a bad coffee, the pain would have been manageable.
Temperature: It was warm, since I was in conversation- I had nothing to hurry about.
Volume/Consistency: It was light, not too oily, and a bit powdery.
Crema: Thin, darkish, and died- immediately. Didn’t add anything to the drinking experience.
Odor: Nope, just street exhaust and chatter, and the smell of potato chips from neighboring tables.
Taste: It was very bitter, very punchy, acidic all up front. No subtlety, no sense of fruit or nuts, or even, fortunately molds… It was flat in taste and left a deeply bitter aftertaste.
Overall: It wasn’t rancid, and it wasn’t boiling hot either. It was a lower end to mid level Roman coffee. It’s something that you have to cut through some heavy plate of pasta or something. Not to chill and enjoy the afternoon.
The setup: They had a very nice machine, that would be definitely capable of making some heavy, creamy, rich espresso. Or, also, light and wonderfully delicate things. The 4 group lever San Marco was very nice in terms of being a lever, but isn’t too pretty. They had a BNZ grinder that is ugly, and also, somewhat ugly like the San Marco. The coffee was a relatively new (i.e. 20 years or so) brand from Rome, called Braccio Caffè. I haven’t been blown away by this yet, but I’m 99% convinced that it’s in the preparation. The barista put too little coffee in the portafilter. It’s as simple as that.
San Cosimato Caffè
Piazza di San Cosimato 48-49
00153 Roma