I am an espresso fiend and I appreciate a delicious cup of dark steaminess, capped with a thick layer of crema. Not only is it an absolute wake up necessity for me, but it's also a way of life; an addiction that I will not and have no desire to part with. So you can imagine that when I travel I am always on the prowl for the perfect espresso. So far, my search has led me to proclaim Caffe Sant Eustachio in Rome, to be the mecca of caffeine-lust.
The place is always full and you will have to line up. Although I hate lineups, I have learned that, in most cases, there's a reason for them: what's inside is really terrific. Order a Gran Caffe, a large cup of espresso that looks like about four shots at once. You'll pay at the counter on the right hand side and receive a ticket to take to the espresso bar. Depending on the time of day, there can be a 10 minute wait, but it is more than worth your patience. When you're bellied up to the bar, the barista will take your ticket and ask you, in Italian, if you want sugar. Respond with "no" or "si" and wait for the most beautiful, creamy, soul- jolting cup of coffee that you've ever had.
When my coffee is handed to me, there is a small spoon on the saucer. I'm momentarily perplexed, as I ordered it without sugar. However, I'm too eager to sip this perfect black cup of heaven. As the espresso passes my lips and slides across my tongue, to be swallowed, I'm met with a deep, rich toasted flavour that echoes itself over and over with hints of thick caramel and an indescribable nuttiness. As if this weren't enough of a treat for the senses, I begin to feel an almost instantaneous buzz, like a slow, lurching electric pulse down my right arm, spreading slowly through my solar-plexis and shooting down my legs. My blood is like lava from this strong stuff and I drink, happily swept away in caffeine rapture.
When my cup is without liquid, I open my eyes and search desperately for another drop. At this point, I learn why I was given a spoon: there, clinging to the bottom and sides of the porcelain mug is a creamy coffee-beige foam known as crema. A good expresso will have plenty of this on top and if it lingers until the end, you know your coffee was sublime. Never in my life, have I seen crema so thick that it needed to be scooped like a precious jeweled dew from the bottom of a mug. As I coaxed the soft foam around the edges of the cup and scooped with the spoon from the bottom and lifted the crema like a cloud to the heavens, it was pure grace. A snow-capped coffee buzz that I'll never forget.
If you think I'm lying, I beseech you to try for yourself. It is absolutely remarkably the best espresso I've had to date. If and when you are in Rome, you need to give it a shot.
Piazza dei Caprettari, 63
00186 Roma (Lazio), Italy
+39 066 861616
Value: Average
Price: $$ one Gran Caffe 3.25 Euro
Jenny Likes It: *****Legendary, better than sex--okay ALMOST as good as sex.
