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The kitchen

Italian Coffee

How Italy actually drinks coffee: the bar ritual, the famous rules, the regional cups, and the moka on the stove.

Where to start

The Italian coffee guides

Six short reads on ordering it, naming it, and drinking it the way Italy does.

  1. How to Order Coffee in Italy Like a Local
  2. Types of Italian Coffee: Every Drink at the Bar, DecodedEspresso, macchiato, cappuccino, lungo, ristretto, corretto.
  3. Cappuccino After Lunch in Italy: Is It Really Against the Rules?Yes, cappuccino is a breakfast drink in Italy, but the 'no cappuccino after lunch' rule is wildly overblown.
  4. Regional Italian Coffee: Bicerin, Marocchino, Caffè LecceseBeyond espresso lies a map: Turin's layered bicerin, the chocolatey marocchino, Lecce's iced almond caffè leccese, and the shakerato.
  5. The Moka Pot: How Italy Makes Coffee at HomeThe moka pot has made coffee in Italian homes since 1933.
  6. Caffè Sospeso: Naples and the Suspended CoffeeCaffè sospeso is the Neapolitan tradition of paying for an extra espresso and leaving it, anonymously, for a stranger who can't spare the change.
All articles

At the bar

Italian coffees, drink by drink

What to order and what lands in your cup, every drink decoded in the guide.

  1. EspressoThe shot everything else is built on: short, intense, drunk standing at the bar.
  2. RistrettoAn espresso pulled short: less water, more concentrated, a little sweeter.
  3. Caffè LungoAn espresso pulled long: more water, milder and bigger than a standard shot.
  4. Caffè MacchiatoEspresso 'stained' with a spot of milk foam, between an espresso and a cappuccino.
  5. CappuccinoEspresso under steamed milk and foam: a morning drink, never after lunch.
  6. Caffè LatteMore milk than a cappuccino, less foam. Ask for 'caffè latte', not just 'latte'.
  7. Latte MacchiatoSteamed milk 'stained' with espresso, served layered in a tall glass.
  8. MarocchinoEspresso, cocoa and milk foam in a small glass: Piedmont's little indulgence.