SETTIMIANO CAFFÈ, VIA DI PORTA SETTIMIANA 1, 00165 ROMA

Rating: Poor, terrible coffee in Rome

So after some reviews from chaotic and beautiful Naples, we’re back in Rome. Right next to the Porta Septimania in Trastevere you’ll find Setimano Caffè. It’s a plant bathed place, in a corner, and looks like a supreme chill-out locale. Right behind to the John Cabot University, it’s a place that surely gets tons of US students relaxing. Hell, all the baristas spoke better English than I do so, it’s probably a haven for American students seeking out a place to relax and read. It’s in a very idyllic setting without lots of traffic and I found it pleasing. Inside you’ll find a relic-like décor of glass, mirrors marble, brass and insufficient lighting, all looking like the place hasn’t been renovated since 1968 when it probably got it’s last facelift.

This is what I got served:

Presentation: All in order, clean cup. Rather large, bowl shaped. Spoon was OK nothing special. Water was served immediately and kindly after I asked.

Temperature of Cup: It was warm, not too hot.

Quantity: It was a short shot in this rather large cup.

Temperature: It was warm, not as hot as I imagined it. Decent temperature, probably brewed at 95C or something along those lines.

Volume/Consistency: It was thin, very thin. Raspy, a bit sandy.

Crema: It marbled, moving from dark to light brown in an interesting design. It was semi permanent, it opened a well in the middle and stayed there.

Odor: Dark dark charred coffee smell.

Taste: Well, up to here we have an OK coffee, but then I tasted it, man, it was simply poor, thin, and rancid. Yeah, quite rancid. After getting my palate trained in uber-bitterness of Naples, this wasn’t there, it was metallic in taste and rancid.

Overall: So yeah, I didn’t bother. No thank you. It seems that the boiler needs some serious servicing, or at the very least change the filters in the water purifier (if they use one).

The setup: They had a 1980s looking Faema with a Mazzer grinder. The coffee is Trombetta Caffè, I’m not a big fan of theirs as the coffee seems to always be simply charred instead of toasted. But I’m willing to change my mind if anybody knows of a good place where it can be had.

Caffè Settimiano

di Mella Valter e C S.A.S.

Via di Porta Settimiana 1

00165 Roma

Tel. 06 5810468

#SettimianoCaffeTrastevereRoma #TrombettaCafferoma #CoffeeInRome #MazzerGrinderRome #Faemaespressomachinerome