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Rating: Standard, mid to low-end Roman coffee
I’m not entirely sure what the name of this café really is. On the outside they have ‘Fantini Caffè’ then on the actual building all they have is ‘bar’, then online when I search for it, it’s Bar Gima Caffè. Ok, even after asking the cashier, she said ‘bar’. So that’s what it is. It’s on the Piazza dell’Esquilino and it’s always full of people enjoying the terrace, the nice view of Santa Maria Maggiore, and well, chilling. The interior is quite small, just a bar, and it’s all outside that they have. Folks running the place seem to be a chinese family that has decided to make Rome their new home. The service was great, even for the barista who was juggling 80 things at the same time. That’s the difference here in Rome, if you’re a barista, you have no time to spend on things, you have to move, and move fast, if not customers leave… that’s the biggest difficulty for Third Wave type of experiences…
This is what I got:
Presentation: Yup, the barista was busy. I had to wait for over 5 minutes, she was just too busy. What I got was a cup we’ve seen before, a Gima Caffè. It was clean, some spatter from the extraction an all was in order. No water was offered.
Temperature of Cup: It was hot. Not extremely hot but borderline.
Quantity: It was a very short shot, I was happy!
Temperature: It was good, not hot either, not cold, on the mark.
Volume/Consistency: It was oily, thickish and silky.
Crema: The crema showed signs of over extraction. Simple too little coffee in the portafilter. It’s almost impossible for a shot this short to be overextracted… however, the crema did add to the drinking experience.
Odor: I will admit that it was aromatic, dark roasted coffee smell.
Taste: It was sharp, punchy, bitter all up front. It opened to a flat uninteresting and very bitter, near rancid, taste. The finish left me wanting for water to wash it all down.
Overall: It wasn’t very exciting, nor memorable. It was a mid to low-end coffee. Nothing to write home about. However, the positive thing of it was that it was indeed, very creamy! Look:
The setup: They had a beautiful Astoria espresso machine and Mazzer/Astoria grinder (it turns out it’s the same company!). The coffee was Gima Caffè. This is a local Rome-based roaster. I’ve had way better espressi from them in other cafes!
Gima Bar Caffè
Soc. Pi. Ti. 2001 S.R.L.
Piazza dell'Esquilino 36
00185 Roma
Italia