I miss Italian coffee
Yesterday, I had a Starbucks cappuccino. It was amazing. VERY much like the ones from Italy.
It made me miss the coffee there even more.
As a marriage and family therapist/supervisor, I spend nearly every Tuesday morning at a Starbucks near my office doing supervision with younger therapists. I generally order iced tea in the summer, and filter coffee (I love the Veranda, or lighter, blend) in the winter. Sometimes I order a latte, but I don’t believe I have ever ordered a cappuccino before.
Cappuccinos are something I had a LOT of in Italy. Not just me. Everyone drinks them there, but, curiously enough, mostly in the morning. In the U.S. we don’t really put time limits on our coffee drinks – but in Italy, I’m told it’s not usual for Italians to drink cappuccino after 11 a.m.
Too bad.
I drank cappuccinos all over Italy, at all times of the day (and a little even at night). They were that good. I decided early on that I’d risk looking like a tourist to enjoy more of the sweet and foamy bit of heaven that most of the Italian cappuccinos were. The worst I had was in the Italian equivalent of a truck stop on an interstate, and even that one was decent by American standards. Most of them were delectable. It was a lot of fun to have a cappuccino and a pastry (also amazing in Italy) for breakfast and to feel like a local.
Now, don’t get me wrong, I also had a latte (once) and something called a Brazilian (also tasty, and very latte-like). I did not have the true Italian’s drink – basically a shot of espresso, straight up.
Next time.
Italians take coffee seriously, which is probably why it’s so good. At any time of the day and night you can see them lined up at the coffee bars, having a brew. They seldom sit down and make a day of it like we do in American coffee shops, preferring to order and drink at the counter (it’s cheaper that way, too).
Interestingly enough for this American Starbucks addict, there are NO Starbucks in Italy. Not one! But there are seemingly hundreds of coffee bars in every block, all serving amazing coffee. I can’t lie. I loved the Italian coffee, and even the Italian coffee shops, but I missed Starbucks. When I was in Italy, I was wondering what a Starbucks cappuccino would taste like, and Tuesday was the first chance I had to try one.
I’ll do it again, that’s for sure. A little taste of Italy!