Extreme Caffeine

Italians don't just love coffee, they have a real obsession with it. Making coffee for an "educated" public can be challenging to say the least... But what can be even more challenging is to figure out just what kind of coffee a tourist is trying to order, since the authentic version is often quite different from what is served under the same name in the rest of the world. Also, knowing the correct name of the coffee you are ordering, even if you don't speak the language, can make you feel much more sure of yourself.

When looking for a shot of caffeine while touring the city, keep in mind that bar and cafe are essentially the same thing, and bar does not necessarily refer to the same type of place identified by this name in other countries... It is unlikely that you will find the name cafe on many of these establishments. Other than the more common bar, you may find a caffetteria, which may specialize in coffee alone and may or may not serve alcohol... and that's another difference from the rest of the world. In Italy, it is almost unthinkable to open a cafe  maybe with tables outside in the sun, often without, and not serve alcohol (you can try, but you'll get a lot of complaints).

So, here is a brief look at the main varieties of coffee sold in bars around Genoa. Please keep in mind that some names vary from city to city, but I'll try and make that clear as I make my way through the list.

• Caffè is a plain espresso, with no sugar for somebody who really knows there coffee, sweetened if you can't handle it. People say you cannot really tell the quality of a coffee once you've put sugar in it.
• Caffè ristretto is a concentrated version of an espresso... hardly worth the effort.
• Caffè lungo is an espresso, in the same cup, but the cup is filled almost to the top.
• Caffè macchiato is an espresso with a dash of hot milk: first the liquid part, then the creamy foam on top (it should look like a micro-cappuccino).
• Cappuccino is absolutely not that stuff with whipped cream on top that you get in other countries. The amount of coffee in one cappuccino is one espresso; of the space that's left, half should be filled with the liquid part of the milk, and half with the creamy foam.
• Latte macchiato: usually served in a tall glass, more liquid milk, less foam; the espresso coffee is added afterwards, leaving a brown mark on top of the foam where the coffee went in (hence the "macchia", or stain)
• Marocchino: same as the caffè macchiato, only it is served in a glass cup, with cocoa powder between the layers of coffee and milk, and then on top to finish. This particular coffee is known as a Marocchino only in Genoa and the surrounding areas, in just about every other city it has a different name.
• Mokaccino: also in a glass cup, espresso coffee with whipped cream on top, possibly with a little chocolate syrup either as a topping or in the bottom of the glass to mix with the coffee.
• Caffè americano: this is what you get when you just can't handle another espresso, although it is still not filter coffee. The barman should make you an espresso coffee in a cappuccino cup, and then give you a small jug of hot water on the side, which you use to dilute the espresso. Most Italians find this ridiculous, although in recent years it has become more "normal" to order one without attracting too many sideways glances or comments from your friends.
• Caffè decaffeinato: the decaf version of the espresso; add the word "decaffeinato" to any of the above and you get a caffeine-free version of what you ordered.
• Caffè d'orzo: coffee lovers beware! This is not coffee! Orzo means barley and that's exactly what it is. Actually, I think it was originally a wartime substitute, and then just stuck because it was caffeine-free. For those who wish to try it for the first time, I usually say it tastes much how you would expect wet cardboard to taste, although you can learn to appreciate it. It usually comes in two versions: small, in the espresso cup, or large in the cappuccino cup.
• Caffè al ginseng: this is one of those chemical concoctions they have come up with in recent years for those who have decided they need an alternative. It is not really caffeine free, as most of it is, in fact, instant coffee and powdered milk, and if I'm not mistaken the whole mixture only contains something like one percent ginseng extract. On the other hand, if you like sweet, milky drinks this one is good, and once you start it tends to become addictive. Like the caffè d'orzo it is usually available in a large or a small cup.
• Caffè shakerato: this is generally a summer coffee, served cold. It is made by pouring an extra-long espresso in a cocktail shaker full of ice, shaking it, and pouring it through a strainer into a glass (a martini glass, for example). There are obviously an infinite variety of these. The first distinction to be made is with or without sugar, which should be added before shaking. Then you have to decide whether you would like it alcolico (with alcohol, usually Bailey's, amaretto or vanilla, but you can really add whatever you want) or analcolico (alcohol-free).
• Cioccolato caldo: litteraly hot chocolate, a good one is so dense you can almost stand your spoon in it, so don't be too surprised when you receive a cappuccino cup containing what looks like hot chocolate pudding. "Con panna" means with whipped cream, it all depends on how much sugar you want in your bloodstream at one time.

That just about sums up the basics of ordering coffee in Italy, the list could and should be much longer, but that would go beyond my purpose here. However, if you are planning a trip to Italy, I hope you practice the name of your favorite coffee beforehand, just so you can enjoy the look on the barman's face when you ask him...