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Rating: Standard, mid-range Roman coffee
The Montanari Caffetteria is on the strip of cafes lining the Circonvallazione Ostiense. It’s got a very friendly staff, and outside plenty of tables under the awning. When I walked in the bar was busy with a good 5-6 people. The barista, a no frills woman in her 30s was kicking out cafes left n’ right. The place has two sides, on the right hand side is the typical tobacco shop and betting thing that litters most cafes, and on the left hand the café bar and some tables, etc.
This is what I got served:
Presentation: One of these cups, that I know very well. No water offered, all in order. Cup was clean, spoon was good and small.
Temperature of Cup: It was warm, the espresso machine was at 95 degrees on all the boilers. The espresso machine is one I love and it’s rarely if ever-ever used wisely with good coffee…
Quantity: It was a short shot, very happy.
Temperature: It was on the warm side of the spectrum, I don’t like my espresso boiling-crap hot, and well this was at 95, and definitely on the upper end of the scale.
Volume/Consistency: It was a bit oily, thinner than normal, and a bit runny, but not bad. The coffee was a bit sandy in consistency.
Crema: It was darker than the photo shows, and it was persistent. It was elastic and oily in nature.
Odor: Uber dark-roasted scent, I don’t like it, but I’ll take what I can get!
Taste: Not extremely bitter, it was there, but not heavy, nor bad. It had a flat taste and opened up to a nutty after taste that isn’t displeasing at all.
Overall: It was solid mid-level, run-of-the-mill Roman coffee. Not more, and I’d say not less.
The setup: The M100 La Cimbali is a beautiful machine. I’ve seen about a dozen of these so far in Rome, and never, ever do I get a crazy good coffee out of it. It’s not the machine but the gunk they stick in it. The grinder is also a La Cimbali ENEA digital on demand. A very nice grinder. The coffee is Classico Caffè Circi, a local Roman-based roaster that roasts very strong, pungent, dark-charred roasted coffee… I’ve had some rare, but very good traditional coffee from this brand. But you’ll have to search for it, they’re not easy to come by.
Montanari Caffetteria Tabaccheria
Circonvallazione Ostiense 333
00154 Roma