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Rating: Standard, mid to upper range Roman coffee
I smiled when I walked on this café. It’s not ‘The Coffee Bean’ that Americans know but simply ‘Coffee Bean’. The place is in Ostiense, close by the San Paolo Fuori le Mura gargantuan giant church. The local is long and shallow inside. You walk in and there’s a long bar, and to the left some tables. It seems that they have a large room in the rear of the locale. The nice thing is that they have a heated croissant rack, so when you take your croissant out, it’s all nice and warm and well… amazing. The barista was nice, she was complaining about back pains associated with standing all day. And gave her age as being 31 years old. The clients that asked her this weren’t regulars, but appeared to be Italian tourists going to the larger church nearby. Either way, the place is bathed in grey décor, all shades of grey and seemed to have a crafty feel about it. More of a chick hangout (without being sexist) than an old geezer or wannaby hipster boy place. So, nice for a change.
This is what I got presented:
Presentation: Yup, one of these cups. Something reminds me of Pirelli tires, and of formula one racing, something about the white, red and the way the logos are placed on it. No water was offered, but all was in order.
Temperature of Cup: Cup Hot. Yup, hot. Had to wait a good 2 minutes.
Quantity: Short shot, so I was happy, if it was good, then it’d be twice as nice, if it was bad, quick n’ dirty.
Temperature: By the time I gave it a go, it was perforce at a decent temp.
Volume/Consistency: Smooth, light, not sandy, but slightly powdery, and not very oily, but there.
Crema: Marbled, a bit over extracted at the end, probably just over extracted by 2 seconds at most.
Odor: Dark roasted coffee smell. Not bad.
Taste: It was softer, smoother, and not as bitter as I expected it. It was flat in taste, no type of berries or any other type of fruit or nutty things, but it wasn’t bad. It had a monotone dark-roasted coffee and the texture of it made it into quite a soft, smooth, and pleasing drink.
Overall: I am usually saddened by Palombini coffee, but this time, it was OK, it was decent, and definitely repeatable. I’d give it a mid to upper range coffee experience.
The setup: They had a machine I don’t see often in Rome, a Nuova Simonelli that was very nice. An Astoria/Mazzer grinder, and the coffee was Palombini Caffè, which is a EUR based roaster here in Rome. BTW, I love the Nutella jar on the coffee machine, this way it's warm, and well.... for those that like this ... great to have on whatever you spread it on!
Coffee Bean Caffè
Gallo S.A.S.
di Gallo E. & C.
Via Ostiense 355-359
00146 Roma