STiR coffee and tea magazine

36 STiR coffee and tea / Issue 1, 2018 (February / March) By Dan Shryock Creating a New Coffee Culture in Italy BOLOGNA, ITALY Caffé Terzi is a narrow shop with a modest street profile. Inside, a long bar leads from the door to a few tables in the back. Manager Elena Naldi and her staff opened their doors 30 minutes ago and already customers are standing two deep waiting for their morning coffee. House espressos here sell for 1,10€ ($1.35). Ask for a specialty coffee and on this day the beans will originate from Guatemala, Rwanda, India, or Ethiopia. The price per espres- so will be higher, as much as double. Each pull is handmade, unique. Naldi is in constant motion, producing espresso after espresso. Her Faema machine is working non-stop. No time to talk, she says with a smile. Caffé Terzi, located near the University of Bologna, is like countless other neighbor- hood coffee bars. It's the place Italians typically start their day, energized by the espresso. Yet despite the millions of cups served across the country, few are drinking single-origin arabica as they are here. "Coffee is a habit for Italians," says Cristina Caroli, national coordinator for the Spe- cialty Coffee Association in Italy and a café owner herself. "Italians are asking for blends. They are used to blends. They are not asking for something special." Specialty coffee shops here are trying to change ways by convincing consumers to try something new. It's not easy but bars like Caffé Terzi and Caroli's AROMA are making progress one customer at a time. A "one-minute pleasure" The habit starts with the routine espresso, Caroli says. "They don't think about what they are doing. It is one-minute pleasure. They are runners." This pleasure is ingrained in the culture. "Espresso in Italy is strictly connected to our way of life," Naldi says later. "We start in the morning drinking espresso. Espresso is always present in our breaks, after lunch, and sometimes after dinner." Espresso is synonymous with "taking a break," she says. It's a private moment shared with strangers standing at the bar. That moment is short and sweet, thanks to a dose of sugar in most cups. And then, just as quickly, it's over. Theresa Sandalj agrees. She has been watching the Italian coffee culture evolve nearly her entire life. Her family founded Sandalj Trading Company in 1945 and her father, Vin- cenzo, was an industry leader. Theresa joined the company in 2013 and she sees an inherent challenge in advancing specialty coffee. A busy weekday morning at Caffé Terzi Leonardo Lelli examines fruit on coffee trees during a 2013 visit to Brazil Elena Naldi, manager at Caffé Terzi in Bologna, Italy Photos by Dan Shryock Photo courtesy Torrefazione Caffé Lelli

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