A blonde bean in Rome

Black coffee, poetry and music

"Do you need rehearsed flattery? Then you'll have to go to someone else. I lie by will and lie good, but always spontaneous. Are you looking for a song to your beauty? Then you'll have to go to someone else. I sing false about the ugly. I'm in love with life, I'm so stupid that I believe in what I do. If you stay, you know what you get:

Black coffee and poetry! Black coffee and dreaming. Black coffee combined with a little self-irony."

When  I was still a teenager this was a very popular song on the chart lists in Sweden. I never fancied the band, Raj Montana Band, very much nor its singer, Dan Hylander,  as I hadn't learnt yet to appreciate the mystery of poetry but this  song for some reason hit home. I recall even buying a ticket to the bands last performance where the mythical Py Bäckman would co-perform.

However.. I lost the ticket just 10 min before the concert.. I hope someone found the ticket and made it to the gig as I lost the opportunity..

For those of you who want to enjoy the song together with me over your cup of coffee as you linger around your laptop today, click this link:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VyEqHEHt68U

for a live performance:

Black coffee and poetry - live

 

Bar L'arte del caffè - Not just to please the eye

The more I write about the bars and its coffee here in Rome, the more addicted I become in exploring them. My eye unconsciously search them out when I'm in my car, on the bus or walking around the city and I make mental notes to go back to those intriguing looking if I'm in a hurry or already have had 4-5 coffees...before it's even lunch!

I'm not only becoming more and more obsessed with it but I am also becoming more and more bold in my approach when I enter a bar to ask if I can take photos and write about them.  One day when I was out with my friend Mary around the Monti area, I noticed a cute looking bar with a gazebo on the street filled with customers. On a closer look it seemed to be more expatriates and tourists than locals but then the bar had a promising name, so as I was dying for a decent coffee I strolled into a more typical Roman bar than the outside had promised. After making eyecontact with the barista I asked cheeky: "In your opinion, is the coffee in this bar worth while?" 

I'm sure you agree it served me right to be looked at in the strangest way, but he kept his calm and plainly said: "Why don't you try it out yourself?"

When a beautifully decorated caffee macchiato landed infront of me, it dawned on me that with a name like this - l'arte del Caffe - there might be a reason for it. I noted suddenly while seated that there was a wall close to the entrance, completely filled with pictures, diplomas and articles which all proudly was presenting the fact that this bar had won several nominations and prices in national competition such as Tazzina Dei Campioni.

When we were on our way out the barista, who is also the owner - Marco Eskandar - asked: "So, how did you find it?" I had to say honestly: "Excellent!" To which he stoically replied: "Meno Male..!" 

 

Where to go and be convinced:

Bar L'arte del caffè - Er Baretto
Address: Via del Boschetto, 132
00184 Roma 
Phone number:  06 482 0444

Opening hours: 
Monday-Friday 7:00 - 23:00
Saturday-Sunday  9:30 - 23:00

 

In Rome the police drives Alfa Romeo

Look at the picture. It is quite a common scene in Rome. You occasionally find them parked right outside the bar or double parked or like the one on the picture in this entry, on the zebra crossing.
Nonchalantly he walks in and order his coffee. 

This is just a small reflection of the daily life in Rome. Ever since I first came here and saw the police driving their Alfa Romeos I was thinking of the contrast. In Sweden the police drives a Volvo. Big, silent, safe. In Rome: Slim, fast and stylish. I know I could go on and draw parallells and other comparasions from these two interesting contrast but I will leave it up to you, dear reader, to come to your own conclusions.

If you want to join the police over a cup of coffee you can go here:

Bar and Caffè Cottini
Address: Via Merulana 286
00185 Rome
Phone number: (+39) 06 488 2135   

      

 

Espresso + water = a true lovestory

My first impression of Rome may be described as scizofrenic as it seemed as if the "now" had been poured into frozen history of some 2000 years. With such an overwhelming amount of monuments I lost my sense of time and belonging and could only stand there in awe. It was hard to comprehend that the cars were allowed to drive just a few metres from the Colosseo itself! But this is Rome: No matter where you walk - stretch out your hand and you touch the past, no matter if you are exploring it on foot or by car or you are just to pick up your kids from school.

Water has played an important role in shaping the city and its history. Not only impressive fountains abound in Rome but also drinking fountains which are freely accessible on the streets to everyone. What may slip someones notice is that the water in Rome is a living link to its already impressive history with the present.

There are two main aqueducts' -  Acqua Vergine Antica (constructed by Agrippa's engineers) and Acqua Vergine Nuova, both fed from natural reservoirs, its waters travelling from the hills East of Rome. 

Imagine you sip the most wonderful espresso possible here in Rome. You ask the barista what beans they've been using and maybe you're so lucky you're in one of those bars where they have their own 'torrefazione' so you bring a package home and excitedly describe the divine brew your friends will soon experience while the promising aroma from the grounded beans goes into your expensive top-of-the-range espresso machine, only to find that it quite doesn't taste the same as you recall it. You try to find an explanation but one of the most important reasons are simply: the water.

There is a maze of facts about water and I would probably confuse you if I tried to present them all but one worth to mention is the question if the calcium is important or not. Accordinig to some experts it is said to add body to your espresso. Roy Forster, a Quality Assurance Manager in the USA claims: "You need four to six grains per gallon" but the ideal espresso water, all experts agree, can be found in Naples and maybe Mount Vesuvius and the volcanic soil has something to do with it.

The fountains in Rome however, are said to furnish the city with not only the purest drinking-water but also to have restorative qualities. On its way to Rome the water percolates through volcanic tuff, laden with calcium and magnesium. Since an Espresso consists of 95% water, you can imagine the impact the water quality must have on your coffee. 

So then, what to do? Bring back water home in a bottle? 

No.. just take a break while you are visiting this fascinating city, enter a bar and order your coffee and enjoy it for what it is, close your eyes and get dizzy as your mind transport you back in time to 19 BCE and while you are yet there make sure to send Agrippa a 'Thank You' or 'Grazie!'

Where to get lost in time? Try the Bar and Pasticceria 'Gran Caffè  Borgo' hidden behind Borgo Pio and the passetto. The pastries and cappuccino was thoroughly approved by me and my friend Nisha. 

Address: Via degli Ombrellari, Roma

  

Add some art to your cup of coffee

Once again autumn is here, leaving sweet memories of the summer behind us. Even though the fall can be described as months of decay as they gradually leads us towards the winter and not as the beginning of something new, like the spring does - I have always felt that the autumn inspires to start up again what was left behind once summer arrived.

I don't know if it is me who is out of orbit but usually my romances starts off during the fall as it once did with my late husband, we started dating in September and I recall it as a beautiful time of the year to fall in love as the leaves slowly changed into all these incredible nuances between green, yellow, orange and deep red while we were visiting museums and going to classical concerts. In the autumn the pace of life has not yet picked up to anything close to the frenzy where it was left off before summer and so many opportunities are yet available to plan the year ahead. Yes, most certainly, the autumn is my favorite part of the year.

Whenever I look back to the years behind me, the biggest projects or changes in my life took place in this period of the year and so, whenever september comes I can't help but wonder what will be in it for me this year.

In Sweden it is common that things you want to learn or pursue starts off in September. A new language, how to cook, dance, paint or anything else between heaven and earth, this is the time when your mailbox is flooded with a multitude of temptating possibilities.

Today I want to write about an café that for sure will be inspirational for you this fall. I happened to pass by this café in June but didn't have time to stop and check it out and have tried to find it whenever I was in the area first of all because it stirred in me the want to come here again to try out the coffee, and secondly because this is the kind of place I would love to spend the gloomy days in as we are nearing winter and it seems a perfect place to hide in from the cold and rain.

The café is not that hard to find as I first feared, it is in the heart of Rome down the road of Saint Peters' Church and will inspire anyone with a small hint of creativity to enjoy and explore all the possibilities that are available here after you have enjoyed your coffee and cornetto - I wouldn't be suprised to find you here to also eat lunch or take part of any of the many cultural events that they organize throughout the year. 

As you can do anything that encourages those hidden, inner, creative parts of you that you had forgotten about I encourage you to gently start with a lovely coffee and chose from one of the many options of fresh cornetti that they serve whilst reading a book or your morning newspaper. When you feel ready to face yet another day you stroll down towards the entrance and turn right where there is an art studio where they offer classes in how to paint on ceramics in their Ceramic Creative Laboratory or indulge in the knowledge on mosaics in their Mosaic School.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

For now I settled for the coffee and cornetto with a friend of a friend, James, fresh from London and here in Rome for a couple of months. I can't say he was as affected and inspired as I was by the creative environment since he was more into studying the interior of the café describing how the ceiling had come about, being true to his trade as a builder.
But isn't that an art in itself? Even though there is not yet a café here in Rome with that aim, who knows - my blog may be inspirational for other, yet undiscovered ways of enjoying a coffee.

Where to go ballistic artistic:

Arstudio café
Address: Via dei Gracchi 187a
00192 Roma
Phone number: +39 06 326 091 04
Fax number: +39 06 325 068 22
E-mail: info@artstudiocafe.com
Web site: www.artstudiocafe.com

Rome touch down - Ethiopian coffee at home

To find the truth whether the coffee beans first were discovered in Ethiopia or in Yemen, or if the beans first entered into Europe through Sudanese slaves on route to Arabia or not is not easy to confirm as several legendary accounts of the origin of the drink itself can be found when you start doing research on it . My guess is that we'll have to wait until that day when we can travel back in time to be 100% sure.

Fortunately most sources though seem all agree to that the original plants grew in Kaffa in Ethiopia and fortunately for me, I happen to share a flat with a woman who is not only from Ethiopia itself but who have the good taste to bring home a good supply of coffee from back home every time she travels back to see her family and this year it happened to co-inside with my return from my "2011 world-tour" why it is more than appropriate to do a last summer-entry about the Ethiopian way of making coffee.

The traditional way of making coffee is something we can't recreate in our little home as it would require charcoal to roast the beans, and a fire to brew the coffee over to start with. Moreover my flatmate would have to wear traditional clothing to serve it, use incence whilst brewing it and so forth which all together would at least require half an hour before having the coffee in my cup. But I agree with what a source was stating about the Ethiopian Coffee ceremony, that it takes us back to a time when conversations and relationships had a special value which today in our fast-paced world seem to have come to almost nothing.

I asked her though if we could do a fast version of it so I could have an idea to which she kindly complied so  we did the best we could with the black clay pot with a narrow spout over our gas-stove .

The water and the grounded coffee is measured into the clay pot together after it is put over the fire. Once it has come to a boil, you take it off the fire and let it sit and rest for a while on the side. The interesting thing is that even though this is the way they do the coffee also in Turkey, the outcome is totally different and where the Turkish coffee leaves a layer of "coffee mud" in the bottom of the cup, this is not what you get with the Ethiopian brew and most probably have to do with the actual clay pot and its shape.

I'm still hoping though that one day I may have the opportunity to share in the Ethiopian traditional ceremony in welcoming guests either in Ethiopia or maybe if an occasion opens up here in Rome but for now I'm quite happy with a brief glimpse into hundreds of years of history about the origins of coffee.  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Even though I cannot provide you with the address to share the coffee with us, I still can provide an address and that is to the coffee house who was the (unknowlingly) proud supplier to this blog entry:

KALDI'S COFFEE P.LC
Phone number: +251 113 72 03 46
Fax number: +251 113 72 03 46
E-mail: Kaldiscoffee3@yahoo.com
Addis Abeba Ethiopia

Coffee beans: 100 % Ground Arabica Coffee

Kaldi's tips for great coffee:

1. Ground beans just before brewing
2. Use fresh, filtered water
3. 10g coffee, 180 ml's water

Espresso machine: fine grounded
Drip machine: Medium grounded
Coffee press: coarse grounded beans

Should you fancy to read more I'm happy to share the articles I went through before writing my blog entry:

Selamta Net

Ethiopian Coffee Ceremony

Enjoy!

Memorable coffee encounters during Summer 2011 - Cyprus

Many have come to this maritime crossroad in the past over the centuries to take part of Cyprus for themselves - invaders, settlers, immigrants and in more recent times the new type of invaders - the tourists. This summer it was my turn to take part of its beauty and let her leave an imprint on my very being and I have to admit, she was very successful.

The extensive cultural ties Cyprus has with Greece are strong but the island was never part of Greece and is now a divided beauty.  Some years prior to the Turkish invasion of Cyprus she enjoyed being its own republic for a few years. The history of Cyprus goes a long way back but the most recent history includes being a colony of Britain, under British administrative control and under Ottoman Empire control for some 400 years.

I'm sorry, I got lost in history here so let's go back to what this blog is really supposed to be about - the coffee. Being here without take into account the history though is difficult as it is present everywhere - both its past as well as its present. For example the local coffee on the island is nowadays called Cypriotic coffee. The invasion had a strenuous effect on many levels not only in Cyprus but also in Greece where it used to be called Turkish coffee but due to the invasion was changed into Greek coffee.  Even the former Ottoman world still has an influence on the coffee culture of today, and the dominant style of preparation is still around, both on the Greek side as well as on the Turkish side of the island. 

I spent my vacation in a very touristic spot, Protaras, that has been more or less entirely built up around the tourist industry thanks to its famous beach "Fig Tree Bay" and the coffee around there were of quite poor quality and quite expensive. The best one we had and that takes pride in the way they roast and serve the coffee was in the Costa Coffee store in Protaras, but you have to be willing to pay around €2. I don't mind though as its part of being a tourist and the Costa Coffee store is not only clean but the interior is very warm and inviting so it is nice to sit down and have a chat while escaping the heat outdoors.

The best experience for us howerver was yet to come. 

We had the opportunity to  met up with some British expats who in turn introduced us to some newly found friends on the other side of the border. One morning we were invited to this friends’ house who couldn't have a more enthusiastic guest than me as I was really hoping I would be so lucky to be offered the Turkish traditional coffee and my dream came true.

The making of the traditional Turkish coffee is simple as anything - the finely powdered roast coffee beans are boiled in a pot (cezve), with sugar according to taste, before being served into a tiny little cup where the dregs settle thick on the bottom of your cup and you better let it settle as it is nothing you'd like to gulp down.

I had a very eager photographer with me so enjoy the photos and I'm sorry but this time I will not provide you with the visiting address but when you visit Cyprus, make sure you get over the border and find a friend of your own so you get the real treat.

Enjoy the pictures and thank you Tiffany for contributing the photos!