Blend Components: *preblended
La Frontera, Cajamarca, Peru 30%
Kabirizi, Rwanda 30%
Idido Washed, Ethiopia 32%
Biloya Natural, Ethiopia 8%
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| Notes on the above parameters: Shots were pulled on our Durham Training Center La Marzocco FB80 using LM double basket. |
As everyone knows, espresso is quintessentially Italian. Less commonly known, however, is the fact that as one travels around Italy, espresso flavor changes dramatically. Just as Northern Italian cuisine is very different than the cuisines of Southern Italy and Sicily; espresso in Milan is dramatically different than in the espresso bars of Palermo. As students of coffee, we've immersed ourselves in regional Italian espresso, and our espresso blends are our studied renditions of these amazing coffee traditions.
In the Italian south, colors tend to be a little brighter, food is quite a bit spicier  and more intense, and the espresso enjoyed in local coffee bars is strong and sweet. Southern Italy and Sicily are deeply connected to Mediterranean culture and owe many of their traditions to the other great Mediterranean civilizations of Greece, Turkey, and Arabia. In all of these cultures, the coffeehouse is a major part of life: in Southern Italy and Sicily, it is impossible to walk down a street without encountering a Bar, where old men sit at tables drinking espressi and playing cards, and young people flirt over cappuccinos and coffee granita. This is the Southern Italian and Sicilian interpretation of the Mediterranean coffeehouse, where people gather to drink strong, sweet coffee, and exchange news, gossip, and wax philosophic as the world goes by.
The coffee enjoyed in the Southern Italian bar is strong and intense, and is in many ways similar to the "Turkish Coffee" served in Greece, Turkey, and the Arab countries. Roasted to a deep, chestnut-brown, this coffee style balances the bittersweet tang of the roast with the fruited intensity of Ethiopian coffees, which compete with each other in a tribute to the muscular, intense strength of coffee flavor.  This espresso is traditionally enjoyed with lots of sugar, and is the perfect accompaniment to the legendary sweets made in the Italian South: from the cannoli of Sicily to the legendary gelati (ice creams) of Naples. The dark roast and intensity of coffee flavor make it the ideal espresso for milk-based coffee drinks, like the popular caffe latte. We've christened our Southern-Italian blend La Forza, or The Force, as an indication of the intensity of the blend. Combining the smoky sweetness of beautiful, unique coffees from three continents, this rich, smoky espresso will yield a consistently thick crema along with its bold, memorable flavor. - Peter |
