BOTTEGA DEL CAFFÈ TORREFAZIONE, VIA APPIA NUOVA 542-544, 00181 ROMA

Rating: Standard, solid upper range Roman roasted coffee

La Bottega del Caffè Torrefazione Drogheria is on the south of Rome, on the Via Appia Nuova, and is essentially just that- a roaster and drugstore mixed into one. There’s no fresh brewed coffee served, just roasted beans. The interior of the place is like stepping back into a 19th century drugstore, where you’ll find health products, sweets, and of course, coffee. It all makes sense in this setting. Coffee is, indeed, like sweets and medicine, a pick-me up. No fuss about it and that’s why we love it.

This is what I found inside:

Yup, twelve types of coffee. Let’s see what they are, from left to right:

1) Famiglia, 1,20 Euro per 100g: This is a full Robusta where he goes 70/30% Robusta, Arabica blend.

2) Robusta, 1,40 Euro per 100g: Here we have more 80/20 % Robusta and Arabica.

3) Bar, 1,60 Euro per 100g: This is a 50/50 % mix of Robusta and Arabica.

4) Delicata, 1,80 Euro per 100g: This is what I purchased, it is 30/70% Robusta and Arabica. The roaster explained that this was the smoothest, lightest and softest blend he had. So I gave it a go!

5) San Salvador, 2,00 Euro per 100g: This is a single-origin Arabica, mixed with Robusta, he said it was 20/80% Robusta and Arabica.

6) 100% Arabica, 2,00 Euro per 100g: Lastly, this was 100% Arabica.

Then above this glass counter he had the following, from top and left to right, top to bottom, these are all in theory single origin Arabica (even though it clearly says on the label ‘Miscela di caffè’ – or ‘coffee blends’).

7) Mexico el Chiapas, 2,50 Euro per 100g.

8) Maragogype, 2,50 Euro per 100g.

9) Colombia, 2,50 Euro per 100g.

10) Cavallino, 2,50 Euro per 100g.

11) Brasiliana, 2,50 Euro per 100g.

12) Decaffeinato, 2.50 Euro per 100g.

The owner-roaster was one of the nicest guys I’ve met in Rome so far. When I asked him when he roasted his coffee, he let on into a half-hour conversation about roasting and how he did it. Essentially, he said that he rents an industrial roaster for one hour every few months once he runs out of the more cheaper blends he sells (the ones in the glass case). The other, single origin more premium blends, he roasts on very small batches (on the machine he can only do 1 kilo per roast), but he does this monthly, again, as the coffee is consumed. And he does this on this machine he said:

This is interesting (it seemed surgically extra clean...). The blends that he’s presenting, seemed very similar (almost identical) to those that are served at Vicerè Caffè. But it might be, if we want to give the benefit of the doubt, to distribution channels that easily available to roasters at a relatively cheap price. The nice thing about the more ‘premium’ beans is that he had them in somewhat closed containers… but again, this is typical of Rome to have al the beans be soaking up the local Roman ‘humidity’… nice.

Either way, I tried the ‘Delicata’ or delicate blend, and this is what I got:

The beans were of course a mix, and rather oily. By the time I got this bag back home, it looked a bit like a bag of french-fries from McDonald’s, soaked in oil. Not that bad, but it was there.

When I ground it, I was surprised because it was a very crisp, dry and clean ground and didn’t show signs of being overly oily nor humid.

The extraction was good, and it was one of the best ‘crema’ on a local roaster that I got here in Rome. It was thick, persistent and added to the drinking experience.

What was the taste? It was very bitter, not fruity, but not acidic nor rancid. It was balanced and deeply strong. Typical of Roman coffee. Besides this, it wasn’t remarkable for taste complexity. It was decent, flat, but silky and rather oily. This was good. It wasn’t one of the best, but it was definitely decent in the traditional Roman style.