Michael Sin was one of three people to buy coffee beans at the legendary Sant’ Eustachio il Caffe in Rome. (Marcello and LV also came away with beans—and boy, do our suitcases smell good.) There are two famous coffee shops near The Pantheon--Caffé Tazzo D’Oro has a corner view of the edifice. Both have ardent admirers.. Both started in the 1940s using the first Gaggia Espresso Machines. Both have variations on espresso drinks, but adhere to the simple single cappuccino as the yardstick drink. Don’t try ordering a double cap.
Incidentally, few Italians will drink a cappuccino after lunchtime. They’ll step up to the counter order an espresso for 90 cents, grab a sugar cube, put it between their teeth, crank head back and slowly pour the black, oily demitasse contents through the cube into the mouth. That’s taking a shot of espresso, man. Men seem to come back three or four times a day. It is a beautiful, bittersweet taste and when you’re standing in front of the Pantheon it’s magnificent. Some say it’s the water, which arrives via the aqueducts; some say it’s the baristas; some say it’s the beans. I think it’s the atmosphere and tradition as much as anything. The Italians are never going to innovate or attempt to get the best beans possible. Synesso espresso machines made in Seattle are more precise than the best Italy has to offer. I’ve had a better cappuccino at Peet’s—and then an even better one at Monmouth Coffee in London. Don’t get me wrong: It’s worth the pilgrimage. But I am a coffee geek, maybe even a snob. That said, Tazzo D’Oro makes the best granita in the western hemisphere, using iced coffee crystals that makes for a refreshing but rich summer dessert. Just ask Drew, David, Nick and Aaron.
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