Coffee-2.0: in the future you drink your own coffee blend!
Italy is one of my favourite countries. The stylish people, great food and good coffee certainly contribute to this. Recently I had the luck to visit Milan, Venice and Trieste in one week for the Italian coffee brand illy. You understand: The combination of traveling and coffee made me smile the whole week.
When I visit a city I find it impressive to see the beautiful buildings and architecture, but in my opinion the real culture is in the food and drinks.
When I was little I went to Italy for the summer holiday with my parents almost every year. And we always went to a big city like Milan, Florence, Venice or Rome to dive into culture and history. Like it should be, as they say, part of education while growing up. When I now visit a city I find it impressive to see the beautiful buildings and architecture, but in my opinion the real culture is in the food and drinks. I experience cities the best while I’m visiting nice restaurants and coffee spots. For me it is about the taste that becomes a memory.
Coffee of the future…
The journey in Italy started in Milan. At this moment there is the World Expo where Illy connects different coffee countries with each other. They took us on a virtual journey to coffee plantations all over the world. You may not think about it, but before you drink your espresso, the bean of your coffee travelled already more than thousands of kilometres. You can learn everything about coffee with this special tour. You even get special glasses so you can see all kind of videos.
Illy is predicting that we can all make our own coffee blend in the future.
Did you know that the Italians think that the way we drink our espresso is really weird? We wait to long before we drink our coffee and our sips are way to small. So from now on you should pretend like you are an Italian and drink your espresso hot and in one shot. And do not be surprised when they look strange if you order a cappuccino after your dinner. This is a coffee you should only drink in the morning. So that you know ;-) Especially for the Expo 2015 Illy asked four upcoming artists from coffee producing countries to design coffee cups. You can buy these cups at the coffee expo: the Sustainart II collectie. A perfect cup to drink your espresso!
I think coffee really is a personal thing. There are so many coffee cultures and variety of types and tastes. Maybe you like your coffee mild, but your lover likes strong and robust. Illy is predicting that we can all make our own coffee blend in the future.
Based on the tastes we like the most as an individual, you can create your own blend of 8 grams of coffee beans. Because each and every espresso is made of 8 grams of coffee beans. A high tech coffee machine is processing your preferences and creates the perfect espresso. About 25 cc of the best coffee with a beautiful cream topping! Bring it on. I can’t wait for this machine :-).
Coffee art in Venice
Did you knew it’s only 3 hours by train from Milan to Venice? During your trip you see mountains and vineyards. A beautiful journey! Normally I’m always looking for the latest hotspots when I’m traveling. Places not really discovered by middle of the road tourist yet. Where you can sit between the trendy locals. Venice is gorgeous, but hotspots are hard to find. So basically I just enjoyed the beautiful picture perfect views, the delicious Italian ice creams and the many boat trips on the canals.
If you visit Venice before the end of September 2015, you should definitely visit the photo exposition of Sebastiao Salgado in the Casa dei Tre Oci. Beautiful black and white photo’s about coffee. From the farming at the plantations in India, Tanzania and Indonesia until the export. The exposition is in the heart of Venice near the San Marco square. You can’t miss it!
Venice is gorgeous, but hotspots are hard to find. So basically I just enjoyed all the beautiful picture perfect views.
Back to school!
I was six years old when I visit the Venice part of Italy for the last time. But there is so much beauty! From Venice I continued my travel to Trieste. The birthplace of illy coffee! This harbour city is beautifully located in a bay at the Adriatic coast. Outside the centre you find idyllic beaches, nice beach bars and good restaurants to enjoy the sun.
In Trieste I had the luck to visit the coffee university of illy. So cool to see how this family business changed into the most famous Italian coffee brand. At this university coffee producers, coffee makers and consumers from all over the world come together to learn more about coffee.
Back at University I learned about the 9 tastes your find in an espresso. I did some coffee tastings and I tried to recognise the different flavours in the Arabic coffee (the best beans). I had to describe what I tasted. Was it bitter, sweet, sour or fruity? Recognizing tastes is really not that easy as it seems! When you learn so much about coffee as you will learn at the coffee university of illy, you understand why being a barista is really a profession. They make a perfect cup of espresso almost with a chemical approach.
When you are in Trieste I recommend you to do like the locals and visit one of the many espresso bars in the morning. There are so many espresso bars that are really authentic. One of my favourites is Antico Caffe Torinese behind the big square in Trieste. And don’t forget to drink your espresso like the Italians: in one shot. And after that you can’t be more ready to enjoy the city and the lovely Italian culture!
Tip: Until November 8 there’s a photo exposition in Trieste about the story of coffee. Some of the pictures are also made by Sebastiao Salgado. Check the Facebook page for more information.
