RE ARTÙ CAFFÈ, PIAZZA DEI CINQUECENTO 62-63, 00185 ROMA

Rating: Standard, mid-range Roman coffee

Right out of Termini station and on the same side as the Nori Caffè, you’ll find the Re Artù Bar Caffè. It’s a huge three locale space with an ample café area, then two extra rooms that are a kind of restaurant thing in the best way that Rome is- simply an amalgamation of different things and offerings all in one place. I was a bit skeptical about walking in, but when I saw the bar there and the big sign advertising this, I said, well, what the hell. On walking in, I paid the cashier, and was met by a very friendly and courteous barista who was simply happy to be serving me and the others a nice cup of java.

This is what he served me:

Presentation: Before serving he asked me if I’d like the coffee in a cup or glass, and I said to do what he felt like. He gave me a nice glass espresso cup. It was quite worn, but very nice in shape. Fluted, very narrow, and leaving me in full sight to enjoy the crema of this espresso. He served me a large cup of water without asking. Very nice indeed- and this to say that it’s at a tourist highway, that speaks a lot of this locale.

Temperature of Cup: Yes! It was perfect. Warm, not boiling hot, and felt like I’d have a good espresso.

Quantity: Well, short as hell and I’m glad!

Temperature: It was very good. Warm, not scalding, again, and just right to taste.

Volume/Consistency: It was very smooth, but a bit light, oiliness was decent, and it was silky. There was a sharper end to it, raspy towards the end.

Crema: It was thick, persistent, dark brown, foamy, not over-extracted, and creamy. Lots of Robusta here. I don’t mind.

Odor: It was a dark sharp roasted coffee smell. Quite strong and not necessarily inviting, but I’ll take it.

Taste: It was a bitter smooth start. It wasn’t a rancid nor extremely sharp taste, but not soft in any way. It went then into a flat dark roasted coffee taste that then finished with a smooth bitterness that wasn’t altogether displeasing.

Overall: It was a bit lighter and flatter in taste than I would have liked. It was mid-range espresso that didn’t have enough flavor profile to push it into a high quality espresso. I would rate it on a blind test as a mid to lower end Roman coffee. But in terms of service and presentation, definitely a good show. I appreciate this.

The setup: They had a beautiful Astoria workhorse espresso machine. I love these machines. The grinder was a Mazzer/Astoria and the coffee, the roman based Gima Caffè. They usually give very rich smooth coffee, here it wasn’t its best iteration. It’s odd, I think, that with Nori Caffè being next door, they’re not serving their roasts…