Italian coffee: what makes it SO GOOD?!

I think that its also the fact that most Italian coffee shops hand pump their shots, whereas most in the US use automatic machines.

Just an additional note that in Italy, that even the McDonald's all have expresso machines. Some have more than one. It's a whole different and wonderful experience.

It's the roasting. Italian coffee beans are dark roasted to a point where the oils begin to caramelize. Italian roast is one of the darkest. French roast is the darkest. The difference between the two is a minute or two in the roaster.

I drink strong Italian and French roasted coffees without sugar or cream (sweet and light to New Yorkers). You probably had a great cup of strong dark roasted coffee.

On top of roasting to perfection - the high quality beans is another important factor. Usually Arabica - some of the most expensive. The Illy brand uses 100% Arabica i belive. If you want to even compare to US-big brands (why would you) they often use the Robusta beans - cheaper and lower quality. Also - the Italians have it down to a science. There is a fine balance for the perfect espresso: the perfect roast, the perfect grind, the right amount of barometric pressure of the machine, the temp. of the steam (6 liters of water to make one cup!) and the quantity of coffee grounds (a lot more than you think per cup - as this maximizes the essential oils and minimizes the untasty parts).
As many may know now - the espresso actually has much less caffine than reg drip coffee. Also the darker the roast - the less caffine (as its burned off). And one MAJOR ingredient hard to bring home is the fact that you had it in BELLA ITALIA - an experience all its own!

I like to think that the biggest reason that Italian coffee tastes so good is because you usually are drinking it in Italy. The location is 50% of the experience of the drink/food.

Do you adulterate your coffee? Unless drunk black, coffee will not have any appreciable taste, tho you may taste whtever additives there are in it.
Coffee in the US is made by the gallon from mediocre beans. It is rarely good. Coffee with espresso powder added can make a good brew

I agree with you, and all other posters about the arabica beans. I also believe the water changes the taste. here in SF area we go to Peets coffee. It is outstanding but still tastes somewhat diff to Italys. I order italian and french roast online from them. Re: Illy it is arabica but not really fresh as it is prepacked in cans. Peets is the only company I know that roasts daily goes thru large quanties so you hope the beans are roasted within the last week.BTW I also think the pesto of CT is better than any I have made myself or had in a restaurant here. Good reason to go back to Italy often.

It's all of the above but the bean quality does make a difference. For example here in Portland buying Stumptown Coffee produces better results than Starbucks and buying from a local handroaster is even better.

A fresh roast is definitely one of the most important factors in good Coffee (or Espresso). I normally frequent a smaller Coffee house that only uses freshly roasted beans. If the beans are more than a few days old, the owner gives them to charity and brings in a fresh batch.

However, I have to agree that coffee ALWAYS seems to taste better in Italy!

Cheers!

Larry--Has the McCafe not made it to California? Quite a few of our Mickey D's have the espresso shop in them. I don't think their drinks are terrible, but I don't love them either. They're insanely sweet, and in an odd way.

I'm in line with Tom's comment. To add:

Italians take special pride in their coffee. Like many of the French spend years or even decades finding the right perfume, Italians spend their lives perfecting the art of the perfect coffee.

The machine, beans, grounds and blend are important, but the human touch is what makes the best coffee. That means the right amount of grounds for the machine and the exact amount of compression of those grounds prior to brewing. You can't just dump grounds into the machine and go. You have to ensure there is the right amount of air with the grounds.

My wife's family are all Italian and I've done some experimenting myself. I personally like a light tap on the grounds to compress them a bit. My mother in law like to have them peak in the middle a bit. It's the subtle differences that move it from a drink you get at a donut shop to a wonderful experience.

Pete