Rating: Standard, mid-range Roman coffee
The L’Incontro Bar Caffè in the San Giovanni neighborhood was full of people outside. I passed by it twice and on the third time I decided to go in. The outside was rather wide and lots of tables as you can see, but I was surprised that the interior was diminutive and very small. I squeezed past four people and found my place on the bar near the register. The where some bar stools against the wall and then towards the back some more space. Either way, folks here happy, people knew each other here, and there was a relaxed atmosphere.
This is what I got served:
Presentation: Nice cup, clean, the saucer has seen its fair share of action with the faded print. I was asked if I wanted crema di caffè with my coffee. That was a nice touch. Water was given when I asked for it.
Temperature of Cup: It was borderline, but not piping hot. Not bad.
Quantity: It was a solid espresso. 30ml, 2 oz. I was a bit long for my tastes, it would have been a better drink had it been shorter.
Temperature: It was warmer than the cup but no damage done. It was borderline also.
Volume/Consistency: It was quite silky, and thin, very fine consistency, not heavy, nor runny either. It was light, and elastic.
Crema: Very fine grain, looked like fresh paint, not really over-extracted, and persistent. It did give out at the end as it clung to the cup more than anything.
Odor: Dark coffee roasted smell, this was a positive!
Taste: It was a flat muted bitter taste, it did not go anywhere near rancidness, and the fact that it wasn’t oily kept it light and airy. Towards the end the bitterness of the cup rose and it became a tad too sharp for my taste. The lack of oils brought down the experience.
Overall: It was solid mid-range Roman coffee. It was peculiar in its lightness. But had the coffee been a bit shorter, I think some of the oils in the cup would have been more pronounced. Overall, I can be definitely repeated. I feel that with the Crema di Caffè it would have been a killer cup!
The setup: They had a nice old workhorse, a Faema E-79 from the early 90s that isn’t very pretty, but very dependable. The grinder was a Mazzer, and the coffee was Nori Caffè. This is usually a very sharp and bitter coffee, so this was actually a good place to taste it!
Here's the Crema di Caffè:
L'Incontro Bar Caffè
di Russo Antonio L. & C.
Via Rimini 27
00182 Roma
Tel. 06 7049 1411