FENICE BAR CAFFÈ, VIA DELLE CONCE 12, 00154 ROMA

Rating: Standard, mid to low-end Lavazza coffee

In the south neck of Testaccio, right next to an overpass of the train tracks you find the La Fenice Bar Caffè. It looks to be quite a new locale, it’s pretty slick and alternative, all white, and yet, there’s an air of relax and chill about it. The name, the phoenix is pretty cool… it’s got very high ceilings, and simply all white, without much furnishings, I liked it. When I walked in it looked like the young couple running it (or bro and sis), were relaxing killing time. I got treated very well and the place seems to want to come alive in the evening as a cool hangout place. I’ll try to return in the evening some day.

This is what I got:

Presentation: Yup, nice cool Lavazza cup. Water was served immediately without asking, and all was in order, I really liked the spoon. It is just like the others, but it’s being new had a nice effect.

Temperature of Cup: It was warm, not terribly hot. I was happy.

Quantity: It was a short shot in this small cup.

Temperature: The espresso was warmer than I expected given the temperature of the cup. I didn’t get burnt, but it was borderline.

Volume/Consistency: It was thin, and a bit powdery. I could describe it as chalky in texture as there was a high concentration of coffee in the cup. This is usually a good thing, in my opinion.

Crema: The crema was dark, almost uniform except for a second of over-extraction, but nothing bad there.

Odor: Dark dark roasted coffee, but since it’s Lavazza, we know it’s not charred.

Taste: It was a bitter strong up front it wasn’t rancid in any way, and the coffee flavor hit a plateau very quickly, quite flat as these dark roasts always are. The more I let the coffee cool down, the more nutty buttery flavor started to become more pronounced. But funny enough, at the end, the finish flavor there was a flavor of ashes or burnt, which was interesting to note.

Overall: It was a mid to lower end Lavazza. It wasn’t oily enough for my tastes, and it lacked a dimension of flavor that Lavazza is capable of having.

The setup: It was brand new. Beautiful. Look at this Rancilio machine! The grinder was a Mazzer / Astoria, and the coffee, Lavazza Caffè of course.