(beans clinking)
- [Narrator] In a land known
for its cultural treasures,
there's one thing Italians love even more:
Coffee.
To help me learn more about
the Italian coffee culture,
I enlisted the help of
Francesco and Jacqueline,
coffee aficionados from Naples
who make it an integral
part of their daily routine
and have a near-obsession
for the beverage.
- When I wake up, the first thought is,
"Where I go drinking the coffee?"
That's lifestyle for me, at morning,
going to the bar and
drink a wonderful cup.
- That's right.
- [Narrator] Italians dearly love
the humble coffee bean, and they consume
an astounding 14 billion
cups of espresso every year.
Coffee is a passion that
goes way beyond breakfast.
- I think the coffee is very, very good.
Yeah, I go to office, then
I drink the next coffee.
- And still in the morning?
- Yes.
- And then is it a--
- I think I drink six, seven coffee--
- A day.
- All day, yes.
- [Narrator] In Italy, the basic coffee
is un caffè, which is really espresso
rather than the large, American coffee.
While the serving is
small, what's in the cup
is certainly potent, and
meant to be consumed quickly.
Italy was introduced to
coffee in the 16th century,
via Venice from Istanbul.
It's been growing in
popularity ever since,
and there are a lot of
fancy coffee variations
around the world, but in Italy,
there are a few fundamental choices,
as my friend Federico explained.
- Everybody has his own
style of drinking coffee.
- So this is espresso corto?
- Corto, si.
- And then you have a--
- Lungo.
- Espresso lungo?
- Lungo.
- And then--
- Macchiato
- Macchiato
- With milk.
Macchiato caldo, macchiato freddo,
cold or hot.
And cappuccino, of
course, is international.
And then, in tazza grande,
which made in a large cup.
Or in tazza piccola, like this,
which is a small cup.
- And then you have Americano.
- Which is, yeah, it's
not that common a name
for people here drink an Americano.
But we can say Americano
in the classical sense:
big cup of, I would say,
not very tasty coffee.
- [Narrator] Regardless
of which Italian coffee
you choose to sample,
you'll save money if you
enjoy it standing at the bar
instead of sitting.
- In the big cities it's different
if you drink the coffee al banco,
at the counter, or if
you drink a coffee here.
Because here, you pay a little more
because of the service,
and because of the bar
is occupying a public area.
So there's a tax which needs to be paid
to the local authority, which is called
Tazza Suplati Attico.
So, and you pay a little amount
just because you are
occupying a public space.
And, of course, you pay also the view.
- Yeah.
- Because inside you only see--
- That's the panorama tax.
- The panorama ...
You could say that, you could say that.
(gurgling)
- [Narrator] There are just a
few more things to consider.
The first, never order a
cappuccino after 11 a.m.
The Italians consider it
strictly a morning drink.
Another is the latte.
In Italian, latte means milk.
Order one and you may get
a glass of exactly that.
And lastly, I recommend
participating in suspended coffee.
It's a concept where you pay for
additional cups of coffee beyond your own,
so later, someone less fortunate
can take a ticket and enjoy a cup as well.
Italy is a land of delightful people
and cultural traditions
that I find fascinating.
I hope you too will get out
and explore her many wonders.
