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Rating: Standard, mid- to low-end coffee
By the Porta Maggiore, south of Termini, you reach a piazza that has a crazy configuration, there are tram rails that cross it, a few streets and then parts of the od Roman walls, it’s a mess, and hence, very Italian in character. Oh, and it’s also quite dilapidated so yes, more Italian. There are about 2 or three cafes on this semicircular piazza thing preceding the Porta Maggiore. The Maggiore Bar Caffè has a very touristy air to it, tons of hand written signs on the outside, the interior has that late 1960s wood, marble and brown-mirror glass feel to it, and a staff that seemed lost at what they were doing, even though they knew perfectly well what was going on. But I was treated very nicely, there was a healthy mix of 50% English and 50% Italian, so indeed tourists and locals.
This is what I got:
Presentation: A cup I know, we all know now, and I had to get ready for it. This is a ‘tough man’s’ coffee. No water was offered, but I had to ask as this was surely going to rip a whole in my stomach…
Temperature of Cup: It was good, just right.
Quantity: It was a solid espresso, not too little, not too long. Decent.
Temperature: Good, so far, better than I imagined!
Volume/Consistency: Thin, not oily, runny, not too interesting, and chalky to boot.
Crema: Well, …. Over exracted – look at those bubbles, is that soap in there?! Had the barista stopped a good 4-5 seconds before, it would have been just right. But he was engaged with other things so there went my coffee…
Odor: Dark dark roasted smell, not appetizing, but better than nothing!
Taste: It wasn’t necessarily uber bitter, but simply flat, old tasting and without any type of distinctiveness. It was a coffee that needed either milk or sugar to get it going. As it was, it was chalky, runny and unappetizing.
Overall: It wasn’t rancid or terrible, simply very dull and not made with care. It was a low to at best mid range Roman coffee.
The setup: They had a kick-ass setup. A Royal Espresso Monza model espresso machine, which can kick out pure gold, and an even better thing, an Anfim Grinder that simply rocks. The coffe was Classico Caffè Circi, which is a local Roman roaster. I’ve had really excellent coffee of theirs (By the Quirinale actually!), and this doesn’t reflect their potential at all.
Maggiore Bar Caffè
Eredi
Crisciotti Vincenzo SNC
PIazza Porta Maggiore 17
00185 Roma
Tel. 06 702-7941