Where to Eat: Best Coffee in Florence

After Rachael's claim of finding the "best cappuccino in Florence" I did some research to find what other people believed to be the "best" in Florence.  To my surprise and dismay there was very little out there.  How could this be?  No coffee lover's guide to Florence?!  Where are the top 10 cafes in Florence?  The top 5?  If you can find them you are a better explorer of the internet than I, but my internet did not have much for me to go on.

This was a sign that I needed to do something.  I couldn't let this continue any further.  People need to know where they can expect to get a good coffee.  You don't want to be wandering around aimlessly when that caffeine level starts to dip low.  Bad news.

In light of this, and to verify for myself the accuracy of Rachael's "best cappuccino" we set out to try and compare 4 of the better coffee shops we have found thus far.  Its important to note that none of the bars I review below were disappointing, if you're ever in a pinch for some quick caffeine any will more than suffice.

To allow for equal comparison at each bar I had a caffe and a cappuccino.  Here are the results(in no particular order)...

1. The first bar to be tested was Donnini Caffe' Pasticceria.  The caffe I had at Donnini was medium to full bodied.  It had dark roasty flavors that made the espresso quite smooth with a short finish.  The caffe was lighter in crema than I would have liked and the shot could have been pulled for a few seconds longer, which may have created a more lively drink.  Second came the cappuccino.  This was very well made.  The dark flavor of the espresso melded well with the milk.  The barista also added a dash of cocoa to the espresso before pouring the milk foam.  Overall the drink had a nice balance, velvety foam, and was served at very pleasant drinking temperature.

You'll find Donnini on the southwest corner of the Piazza della Repubblica, behind the outdoor seating and awnings.  In addition to having good drinks Donnini's is also said to have the best pastries in Florence.  I have heard many independent verifications of the quality from numerous "experts."  The bar had a very laid back atmosphere that seemed shielded from the hustle of the piazza. 

Caffe - 0,85
Cappuccino - 1,10

2.  Next up is Gilli.  The caffe was bright and lively.  Unexpectedly it still had mellow earthy flavors with a hint of nuttiness.  A slightly complex coffee with a light body.  The cappuccino had balanced flavors, but to me it left something to be desired in how the drink was assembled.  The cappuccino was wetter than I prefer, and although the foam had well formed micro foam it had separated completely from the milk.  This made the drink closer to a short latte than a cappuccino.  It tasted good, just not what I wanted.

This bar is on the opposite corner of Piazza della Repubblica from Donnini.  Like most of the eateries in this piazza they offer indoor/outdoor seating as well as a lunch and dinner menu.  There is a lovely selection of chocolates to be found inside as well!  Gilli tends to be busy, its right on one of the main shopping streets in Florence.

Caffe - 1,00
Cappuccino - 1,30

3. Third on the list was La Loggia.  The caffe was citrusy with a little fruitiness as well.  There were subtle roasty notes.  The caffe had a full body with a smooth finish.  The cappuccino had well balanced flavors, but was still a bit wet.  The foam was very smooth.

I really enjoy coming to this cafe.  Its right in the middle of things on Via del Corso.  It has a nice atmosphere.  I have had the good fortune to stop by on several occasions when they were just bringing out freshly baked bombolini which makes any visit more than worth it. 

Caffe - 1,00
Cappuccion - 1,20

4.  The final cafe in our adventure was Il Bigallo.  The caffe at Il Bigallo had a light body to it.  It was rather bright and had lively citrus flavors.  The cappuccino was perfectly balanced in flavor and the milk to foam ratio.  The foam was lush and smooth.  The coffee flavor was prominent without overwhelming, and was accentuated by the dash of cocoa added.  This is the best cappuccino I have had in this country.  This place was visited on Rachael's recommendation, it did not disappoint.

Il Bigallo is found on a quite corner outside of the touristy section of the city center.  Simply continue following Corso down and it will be on your right hand side.  It smaller than the other bars reviewed, but seems like a place that most locals frequent.  The staff are also very pleasant and talented drink makers.

At this point I was too jittery to remember to take note of the cost (these tastings were done in roughly an hour on an empty stomach.  Whoops.)  On my next visit I'll be sure to find out and post it.

A map of the above bars, along with all the places reviewed in "Where to Eat," can be found by clicking here.

Italian Coffee Shops

This is for all of you hard core espresso drinkers.  Running into a bar for a quick caffe is a whole different experience than what you get back in the States.  No flavors, no promotions, no overly friendly barista trying to up-sell some product (no offense, I was that very barista for years) you just walk up to the bar and order your drink.  Seconds later you are sipping down that wonderful elixir feeling better with every drop that touches your lips.

After spending my college years refining my skills behind the espresso machine you might be able to imagine my excitement to come to the holy land and see where it all began.  From the moment you enter into a bar you know that you're in store for a whole different experience from that offered at an American coffee shop.  There's no line waiting with a bunch of impatient customers to be rung up (unless of course fresh bombolini have just come out of the back, but that is completely worth the wait).  Why is that you ask to yourself?  Its simple, the caffe is prepared their way.  There are no major modifications, no milk choices, no flavors to be added, no sizes, you may ask for it to go from some places but you get a funny look from the barista if you do.  When you don't have to make a large, extra foam, nonfat, no sugar added 4 pump vanilla cappuccino its easy to make drinks fast, so there's no line.  You simply chose from one of a few simple variations of an espresso and that's it.

For those of you who have spent time behind the espresso machine you know how annoying it can be when a customer is always trying to reduce the price of their drink by having the barista add something extra after they've paid.  Is the extra 50 cents or so really worth constantly aggravating the person who is serving you?  Absolutely not!  They have solved that problem here in Italy.  First get rid of all size.  Now there is no possible way that the customer could "accidentally" order a small when they really meant a large, I don't even want to get into tall versus grande.  Next get rid of all additions to the coffee, and you'll never have to hear "whoops, I forgot to tell them that I want chocolate in that, can you add some for me?" again.  Finally, when getting a caffe here you pay after you have ordered and enjoyed your drink.  I particularly enjoy this part.  Now even if there were things to change about your drink, it wouldn't matter because you'll pay for whatever you order.  Additionally, I think its nice that they trust their customers to pay their bill after getting their drink.  Its a very respectful way of conducting business in my opinion.

Now if you like your coffee with all the frills that is absolutely fine.  I have no qualms with that, but when you get rid of them the prices of coffee drops dramatically.  While you're paying 4.50 each time you need a drink I have yet to pay over 2 euro, and that was even a bit of a rip off.

From a barista's perspective I think that this is the environment that we all hope for.  Where the customer is not always right, and where people who don't like coffee don't try and cover it up with all kinds of flavors and gallons of milk.  Its a place where the barista isn't challenged.  Ahh, wouldn't that be nice.

Rachael has found what she is calling best coffee she has had just yesterday.  Hopefully I'll be investigating this claim soon and I'll be able to give my professional opinion on its quality by the end of next week.  Check back soon to find out.

Due Caffe Lungi Grazie.

As many of you know I like to consider myself a bit of a coffee connoisseur. Thus I was quite excited at the opportunity to start trying Italian coffee, which is generally considered to be some of the best in the world. On average I would rate the caffe that I have had here as superior to what you could expect from an American coffee shop. Thus far I have not been absolutely blown away, but I have found one bar in general that I particularly like, La Loggia on Via del Corso is quite tasty.

We stumbled upon La Loggia after wandering around Firenze last weekend and I’m sure it was fate. Why is that? Well let me tell you about the bomboloni we discovered while deciding what to have with our caffe lungo (a slightly long pulled shot of espresso).  Imagine a light and fluffy freshly baked doughnut that doesn’t have the hole cut in the middle. Now roll that in sugar and inject it with a sweet lemon flavored custard. Best thing ever! Those just happened to come straight out of the back, still steaming, while we were standing in line. Like I said, it was fate. Needless to say, after seeing these delicious little treats we had found our afternoon snack. On top of that La Luggia has had the best caffe I have had since I have arrived in Italy. I need to try a greater variety of the options that La Loggia, but if you ever find yourself in Piazza Della Repubblica in desperate need of a coffee between 4:30 and 5:00 (they bake fresh bomboloni at this time!) in the afternoon don’t miss the opportunity to check this place out.