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PAPPAGONE CAFFÈ, VIA OSTIENSE 251, 00146 ROMA
Rating: Standard, low-end Roman coffee
The Pappagone Caffè has got to be one of the cutest (to put it that way) locales in Rome. It’s a stand alone little late 19th century building sitting right in front of San Paolo Fuori le Mure, and right on the part that touches it. It’s sleepy, it’s got chairs outside and a sun bathed exterior that would cripple any normal person used to living in the Mediterranean. But to the tourists flocking the church or Rome itself, it’s heaven. Either way, things are slow there and quite relaxed. The two guys running the show were quite jolly and full of jokes all the time, all in line with the history of the name of their bar. Joking among themselves, and pulling jokes on the clientele. Of course, a never ending source of lost and helpless tourists does provide good material.
This is what I got:
Presentation: A rather large espresso cup. Can double for a cappuccino as well. Ok, no stress. The cup was clean, and the spoon was small enough to do its job. Water was given to me immediately without asking, nice touch. It was damned hot outside!
Temperature of Cup: It was warm, not overly hot. Good to go.
Quantity: It was a short shot, at least that’s what it felt like staring down at it.
Temperature: It was good, not boiling or nothin’.
Volume/Consistency: It was smooth, silky and had a sheen of oil that made it fluid and delicate.
Crema: It was marbled, and immediately started to dissipate. I cheated by swirling the coffee a bit in order to get the crema at ever sip.
Odor: No real odor of freshly ground coffee here.
Taste: Well, it was tangy, sharp, and opened up to a nuttylike taste but then it was very extremely bitter. It was almost rancid, and left a deeply sharp bitter taste in my mouth. Not very exciting.
Overall: It was simply a very rancid, and sharply bitter coffee. It’s consistency was quite nice, but the taste behind it, very sharp. Too sharp. So it wasn’t a real pleasant drink to have, honestly. This brand is usually very decent, so it’s not the coffee beans, it’s the preparation.
The setup: Let’s see what they had. Yes, a La Cimbaly M22, a decent machine alright, nothing bad or exceptionally good about it. The grinder was a on-demand Mazzer, very nice, and definitely able to grind the crap out of the beans to get the right tuned espresso. The coffee was Mondi Caffè this is an east-Roman roaster that offers CSC certified coffee, and is one of the movers here in Rome of third wave coffee. So, indeed it’s not the coffee but the preparation here.
Pappagone Caffè
Bar Tabacchi Pappagone
Di M. Francesconi
Via Ostiense 197 (251 actually)
00146 Roma
Tel. 06 574 5849