My love of coffee first began when I was a child. I woke up every morning to the aroma of my parents’ coffee and thought that they looked so ‘adult’ drinking the dark, liquid that seemed to be my parents’ life-water. The morning ritual fascinated me but the bitter taste kept me from entering the adult world of my parents.
It wasn’t until I was around 11 years old that I tasted my first Starbucks Frappuccino. I knew this sweet caffeinated drink would be my ticket into the adult world of coffee.
Fast forward 7 years and I’m in college drinking more coffee than ever. Although my appreciation of it evolved, my dependency on it also reached new heights. Admittedly, my passion for coffee dwindled in college as I relied on it as a substance to keep me awake for school.
But, during my 4th year in college, I decided to study abroad in Rome, Italy. Italy is known for many things including architecture, Christianity (more specifically Roman Catholicism), and Italian cuisine but what drew me in was the coffee culture. On every corner was a “bar” which is what a cafe is called in Italy. Coffee can be drunk at any time of the day and can be considered the “comfort drink” of the country. Prior to my trip in Italy, I never drank espressos due to its bitterness but the quality of the espresso in Italy no matter the bar was too good to pass up. I learned to enjoy drinking espressos and cappuccinos sugar-free and standing like the locals. Costs of espressos were as cheap as .85 euros and cappuccinos were as cheap as 1 euro — both cheaper than bottled water.
What I loved the most about these bars was the culture. In Italy, cafes are all family owned and have been around for generations. Locals typically become regulars to one or two cafes for their entire lifetimes so baristas and customers have special bonds with one another. During my time there, I became a “local” myself in that I frequented only 2 or so bars daily. While the baristas knew little English, they recognized my face and my preferred order by the second or third week. It felt like home.
Naturally, I drank espressos and cappuccinos at least twice a day. By the end of my semester abroad, I learned how to brew Italian coffee, make cappuccinos, and even determine what a “good” espresso tasted like.
Upon returning home, I began testing coffees from local cafes and almost cutting out commercial cafes like Starbucks and Caribou out. My idea of a local cafe followed me back to the states, feeding my urge to go to local cafes and justifying my spending a little extra to support the business.
Since then, I have learned to enjoy coffee at its purest form and from multiple cultures including Italian, Greek, Turkish, Vietnamese and American coffees. Even at home, I own 3 different coffee brewing devices and plan to continue my collection as soon as I’m not a broke college student. I currently only brew Italian coffee (brand name LaVazza) at home allowing me to return to the country that taught me so much.
My experience in Italy and even as a child has made it my dream to eventually open my own cafe to recreate the feeling of a cafe I had during my study abroad.
I hope to also share my love of coffees with my sisters and host a coffee and tea (my other love) party for them. Coughsisterhoodcough.
IES Jasmine 'Werifesteria' Au
Written by Jasmine "Werifesteria" Au