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Rating: Standard, mid to upper end Roman coffee
So after an escapade in Barcelona we return to the old school world of Rome’s café scene. The Quagliarini Caffè embodies this so nicely. It stands in a nice corner facing a busy avenue, and it has a studied old charm about it. Look at the exterior. The interior has a toned down wallpaper that’s off white with some design on it, then lots of wood paneling, and green deep marble. It’s got stools and Alfonse Mucha paintings hanging on its walls. The bar area is small, and yet there’s a big downstairs area that I’m sure get’s used for lunch and dinner (but it was lunchtime and nobody was there, so probably for dinner, and special occasions). When I walked in there were three baristas behind the counter, and at an instant one of them pulled three shots and each of them had their coffee. They practice what they preach and drink their coffee. They had it straight, without sugar. So I asked for one as well.
This is what one of them served me:
Presentation: Before the barista started pulling the shot, he opened the tap and let the water run for a good 30 seconds, as he put the portafilter on the machine, he filled a glass of water and gave it to me. It was nice and cold water. Then the cup was fun. It had been a while since I got served one of these, and a while since I’ve had this brand. I’m usually afraid of it because it’s so strong, and especially after having nice coffee in Barcelona … so let’s see. The cup was clean, the border of the saucer had the logo running on it, I liked it.
Temperature of Cup: It was warm, but not scalding, it was good and I was optimistic.
Quantity: Well, if it was good or bad, it was going to be a short experience either way. So super short
Temperature: Good temperature, not boiling hot. Nice, I was optimistic.
Volume/Consistency: Yup a good shot, it was smooth, creamy and a degree of oiliness that wasn’t heavy or thin.
Crema: It was a nice nut color and uniform, it was almost perfectly extracted, except for the three bubble dots. But perfection doesn’t exist, so I’ll take it. The crema started to dissipate almost immediately while I drank it.
Odor: No real odor coming out of this brew, no surprise here.
Taste: It had a smooth start, not really a bitter start, and it wasn’t sharp. It gradually became stronger and the bitterness of the roast started to show itself slowly. It wasn’t anywhere near rancid, and it was quite balanced, but flat in taste and of course in flavor spectrum.
Overall: The overall coffee was a solid mid range Roman experience. The service and locale, if you like this ambience, was nice, reminded me of being in a parisian traditional locale or something.
The setup: It was modern, and did the job very well. They had a Faema E-Nova as the center piece of their café. The grinder was an old Mazzer (what 5-8 years old?) and the coffee was the down-town Rome based Tazza d’Oro Caffè. I am not a big fan of this coffee, but here it was quite nice, and not a bad experience.
Quagliarini Caffetteria
Quagliarini Massimo
Via Oslavia 39
00195 Roma