VINTAGE BAR DAL 1937 CAFFÈ, CESARE FRACASSINI 28, 00196 ROMA

Rating: Poor, low-end Treviso roasted coffee

I was on my way to the Due Fontane Bar Caffè when I decided to make a pit stop here. I said, well let’s have something worthwhile to compare to. And hmm, yes. It gave me quite a good reference point for anything that is just a bit lighter roasted and just a bit better prepared. The Vintage Bar dal 1937 Caffè is a small, monolocale, long and just a bar on the left hand side and some stools against the wall on the right. It’s got maybe 2 and no more tables in the back and seems very friendly. It’s supposedly been around since 1937 so that might be an indication of quality. Let’s see what they gave me.

This was placed in front of me after a while, as the barista, a very polite woman in her 40s was busy having a laugh with a client:

Presentation: Nice new cup for me. No water offered, the cup was used – seen lots of action and the saucer faded. The handle on the cup was dark and showed signs of rubbing up against glass cups and the sort in the dishwasher. The spoon simple, broad, to the point.

Temperature of Cup: Very hot. Quite literally too hot.

Quantity: Sort shot, I like espresso this size. The cup doesn’t give you lots of wiggle room, so I was happy from the get go.

Temperature: After waiting quite a while the coffee was OK and a nice temperature. This tells me that the espresso itself was just as hot as the cup…

Volume/Consistency: It was very thin, flat, and not oily or silky, nor syrupy.

Crema: It was light, and started to decompose while I waited for the cup to cool down.

Odor: Nope, that was dead long ago.

Taste: Very burnt taste, felt like I was putting charred coffee grounds in my mouth. I waited and gave it another good tasting. Flushed it in my mouth, very thin, flat burnt coffee taste that then opened up to rancidness.

Overall: Really, I dared not to finish it and ruin my stomach before arriving to the Due Fontane Bar… so I let it go. Unfortunately this was off, and maybe deserves a second chance?

The setup: I couldn’t tell what the espresso machine was, it was either a Royal Espresso or a Faema, but I might be completely off. I also couldn’t see the grinder. The coffee was a north-Italian Treviso-based roaster Venturato Caffè. I am quite disappointed in this tasting, and maybe I should contact them to see where else I can try their coffee here in Rome, as northern Italian roasters are usually quite better than what I tasted.