義大利有句諺語是這麼說的:“Una volta assaggiato il caffè italiano, nonse ne vuole più toccare nessun altro tipo.”『一旦嚐過義大利的咖啡,你將不想再碰其它咖啡了!』義大利和咖啡的淵源可追溯至16、17世紀,在威尼斯港口與北非、埃及貿易的蓬勃發展之下,咖啡得以引進義大利,當時天主教認為其是伊斯蘭酒,即魔鬼飲料,而試圖禁止,但羅馬教皇品嚐後認為可以飲用,並在1600年為咖啡洗禮,從此咖啡被廣泛接受,進而風靡整個歐洲。時至今日,咖啡已經和義大利人生活息息相關密不可分;從早晨醒來喝一杯咖啡開啟新的一天,中餐晚飯後喝上一杯幫助消化,工作學習期間用咖啡提振精神,和朋友同事小聚又在bar裡享用咖啡,平均一天下來喝上十幾二十杯是很正常的,和其它國家不一樣的是:義大利的咖啡文化來得更為濃郁些。首先可以從他們的主打咖啡–Espresso中窺見一番,espresso是義式濃縮咖啡,以熱水藉由高壓沖過研磨成很細又密實的咖啡粉末後萃取出來的咖啡,小小一杯,味道香濃又強勁,喝得也快,二三口便能飲盡,之後伴隨的是無盡的甘醇回味。
如今風靡世界的咖啡都是以濃縮咖啡為基底所變化調和出來的,在義大利點咖啡並不難喲!1.濃縮咖啡 un caffè espresso ( per favore, grazie! 請,謝謝! ) 2.卡布奇諾 una tezze( 1杯 ) di cappuccino是牛奶、奶泡和濃縮咖啡各佔1/3混合而成,上方的奶泡讓咖啡持久溫熱香濃 3.瑪奇雅朵 macchiato ( 被玷汙 ) 咖啡和牛奶互相被玷汙≠=latte( 拿鐵、牛奶咖啡,1/3濃縮咖啡加2/3牛奶;外國人的說法 ) 4.維也納咖啡( 鮮奶油咖啡,臺灣很多咖啡廳翻成"康寶藍" ) caffè con panna 濃縮咖啡上方擠上一坨鮮奶油 5.烈酒咖啡 caffè corretto ( 修正後的 ) = caffè al liquore ( 烈酒通常加的是白蘭地或威士忌 ) 6.冰濃縮咖啡 caffè shakerato( 搖出來 ) 7.冰咖啡 caffè freddo ( 冰 ) = caffè americano ( 美式 )義大利人很少喝冰咖啡,他們認為咖啡就是要喝熱的( caldo ) 8.濃的濃縮咖啡( 水較少 ) caffè restretto;淡的濃縮咖啡( 水較多 ) caffè lungo (長) 9.低咖啡因的咖啡 decaffeinato ( 不如不喝! ) 10.摩卡奇諾 moccaccino (“摩卡咖啡”有加巧克力粉或巧克力醬的咖啡和“卡布奇諾”的混合 )。下次就可以正確地點出自己想喝的咖啡了吧!
來到義大利羅馬千萬別錯過行家才知道萬神殿旁的"鹿角咖啡館Caffè Sant Eustachio"。
Caffè Sant Eustachio is Rome’s most famous coffee house, located in the heart of Rome, around the corner from the Pantheon. It is considered by many locals to serve the best coffee in the city. The coffee bar opened its doors in 1938 and the present owners have had it since 1999. The original floors and decorations have never been changed and the coffee is still roasted in the old-fashioned manner. It serves a unique blend that was prepared in a wood-fired roaster. Little has changed over the decades; it is still a small hole-in-the-wall and roasts its beans and prepares its coffee in the same way. The beans are obtained through fair trade cooperatives.
The recipe and process are closely guarded. The espresso machine is shielded from view like top secret technology. The owners say that it's a combination of things that make the coffee so good: water from the ancient aqueduct, the correct pressure of the machine, the blend and roast of the beans, and the skill of barista, along with the secret creamy sweetener they put into the cup. It all combines for a perfect pick-me-up in a truly Roman setting. Senators, secretaries, and tourists mingle together in this tiny joint, which is named for the 1000-year old church in the piazza of the same name.
Address: Piazza Sant Eustachio, 82, Rome.
(Le café de Ethiopia Star Harra et le gâteau aux pignons au jus de citron et à la vanilla."衣索比亞哈拉摩卡咖啡"+"松子香草檸檬磅蛋糕"。)
〝咖啡〞源起於非洲的衣索比亞,是我最愛的“野生咖啡豆”的原生產地,雖然衣索匹比亞內亂不斷且飽受旱災之苦,但在咖啡的品質和產量上仍是世界咖啡豆的主角。最好的咖啡都產自衣索比亞東部:西達摩(Sidamo)、耶加雪菲(Yergacheffe)和哈拉(harrar),西部的琴碧(Ghimbi)也很棒。位於衣索比亞東北部的首都Harrar的哈拉摩卡是衣索比亞最高海拔的產區,它和葉門馬塔里咖啡豆都是其貌不揚、性格獨特,野性強、複雜度高,尤其是迷人的“葡萄酒酸”與“深厚的黑巧克力”味道令我深深著迷。衣索比亞六大咖啡產區咖啡如下:
1.Limu:生長在海拔1400米至2000米之間。水洗咖啡質量上等,有濃郁的果香酸度適宜,帶著葡萄酒的醇烈,年產量29,000噸。
2.Dimma:生長在海拔1400米至1800米之間,日曬處理、微酸、有果香,回甘厚實,年產70,000噸。
3.Ghimbi:生長在海拔1500米至2300米之間,是美食家級的咖啡,酸度適中,帶著水果的香氣,年產量34,000噸。
4.Yergacheffe:生長於海拔1500米至2200米之間,摩卡風味,帶有艾香及香料的氣味,年產量約28,000噸。
5.Sidarmo:生長於海拔1400米至2200米之間,酸度適中,質量上等,年產量37,000噸。
6.Harar:生長於海拔2700米至2700米以上的高地上,是世界上最好的咖啡之一,中等酸度,醉人的風味,帶著微醺,乾果之香氣,是純粹的摩卡咖啡,年產量約26,000噸。生長在2,000公尺以上高海拔山區地帶,非常與眾不同的特殊風味及氣息,外形較不均,但其甘醇及香氣卓越生豆,顆粒較小,且多大小不一致。
特性 : 酒酸,質感厚重,潤滑伴有清淡的果香,豐富平衡。淺烘焙(清香):香氣屬於茉莉花香,酸質細微,口感較為單薄有些許花茶的感覺,有近似白袖子的甜,此烘焙度花香氣十分顯著,喝一口咖啡後用手封住杯口數秒後再把滿杯的花香吸入很棒;中烘焙:可可的香氣,酸質極小,口感有發酵茶的茶香順口,甜味入口是巧克力甜後端,湧現一波波的花草酸,此烘焙度甜味取勝;重烘焙:苦巧克力味濃郁,酸質無,倒有葡葡酒的黏稠感,有巧克力的香氣及葡葡酒香交錯混合。
還有我也很愛的單品咖啡豆:"安堤瓜(花神)"和"薇薇特南果",其咖啡豆產區在瓜地馬拉這個國家的8大產區中最負盛名,"安堤瓜(花神)"質優主要原因是栽種咖啡的海拔都位於火山區且地勢很高,而且不像其他產區多少都受海風或是大湖區的高溼度空氣吹拂,安堤瓜的獨特微型地理形成她獨特的風味:
(1)多功能的火山沃土:安堤瓜境內就有三大火山 Acatenango(目前本火山已經獨立為瓜地馬拉第8個產區),Fuego and Agua Volcanoes,其中Fuego—是活火山,活躍的能力長帶給安堤瓜咖啡區肥沃的火土外,還有獨特的"火山浮石",是火山岩漿噴出後的冷卻物,具有多孔性與隔熱性質,非常適合在土壤裡保溼,因為安堤瓜區是7大產區雨量最少的,咖啡生長非常需要足夠的水分,這裡的火山浮石的保溼能力,恰巧可彌補雨量不足,同時生長的咖啡果更具獨特的產區風味。
(2)高密度的遮蔭樹:除了遮蔭還可以預防霜害,以及形成獨特的微型氣候,安堤瓜區由於夜晚寒冷在12月到2月間會偶發霜害,這時高密度的遮蔭樹就發揮功效,避免咖啡樹結霜,同時安堤瓜區的地下水水位不深,這些遮陰樹容易吸取水分,與周邊的咖啡樹形成一個適合植物生長的微型氣候。
(3)日夜溫差劇烈:對咖啡漿果的甜度與獨特風味的形成幫助很大。
(4)海拔高:高海拔生長的咖啡樹,豆質堅硬、生長出的咖啡香氣較上揚同時風味也比較能突顯。
乾香:花香、高山冷杉香氣、茶香、莓果、奶油、甜檸檬。
溼香:焦糖、甜香、花香、榛果巧克力、茶香、杏仁、蜂蜜。
啜吸:乾淨度佳、奶油般的油脂、茶香、甜萊姆、酸甜細膩、榛果巧克力、酸細致多變、花香明顯、酸甜變化細膩、餘味的甜巧克力與莓果酸甜不錯。
位於環太平洋火山帶的中美洲,從來就是精品咖啡界的要角,從早期的天王"牙買加藍山咖啡"到近日崛起的"巴拿馬藝妓(Geisha)咖啡",都是中美洲咖啡的極致之作!由於火山區的特殊土質、位於板塊活動邊緣的豐富地形、再加上加勒比海與太平洋的多變天氣,在如此多變的風土條件之下,孕育出中美洲咖啡多變、豐富、活潑的風貌。"薇薇特南果"是瓜地馬拉的三大精品產區之一,區內所產的咖啡以豐富活潑且比重高的果酸著稱,並常以如此獨特風格於瓜地馬拉的咖啡杯測比賽中奪得獎項。入口時,明亮的酸味在口中恣意綻放,並在舌沿及上顎轉為甜味;中溫時甜桃香味更為明確,入口後酸味雖然不若高溫時活潑,但舒適度絲毫不減,而隱約流露出的巧克力香氣,更是別有一番風味,是一款值得細細品嚐,豐富且層次多變的咖啡豆。
Chocolate, smoke and spice flavors lace Guatemala's famous "Antigua coffee". It's medium body, unique flavor and powerful aroma will please any coffee drinker. With a wonderfully sweet and honeyed character, intensified by notes of spice and chocolate and a bright white grape acidity, Guatemala Antigua Coffee is one of experts’ favorite brews. Grown in the Highlands of the Antigua District of Guatemala, this fragrant coffee is one of the most flavorful and nuanced coffees in the world. Antigua (Spanish for "old").
Huehuetenango, at the foot of the Cuchumatanes, the highest non-volcanic mountain range in Central America, is one of the best regions in Guatemala for coffee production. In Huehuetenango, currents of hot air sweeping up from the isthmus of Tehuatepec cross paths with cool air descending from the Cuchumatanes Mountains, allowing the cultivation of coffee at altitudes up to 1,900 meters, with the best product coming from the higher altitudes. Huehuetenango is in the northwest of Guatemala, on the border with Mexico. It is primarily a mountainous region,with altitudes ranging from 850 to 3,700 meters, though the region has an extraordinary variety of ecosystems (from subtropical forest to pine thickets). The indigenous population, the majority of the local inhabitants, descends from various Maya tribes, including the Mam, the Akatecas, the Chuj, the Q’anjobal and the Jacaltecas, each of which has a distinct language and culture. Their historic isolation from the Guatemalan population and the inter national coffee prices crisis of the early 2000's have made the indigenous in habitants of Huehuetenango among the poorest in Central America. Coffee is practically a monoculture in Huehuetenango and the local economy depends on its export. The only means of escaping this damaging situation is through diversification: developing high-end quality coffees and introducing other products (hot peppers, anise, vegetables) in areas that are not so suitable for growing coffee.