Café, Caffè, Coffee, Koffie.

Coffee-break, I need a coffee, Let's have a coffee.

How many times a day do you think this word is said? How many cups of it do people drink a day?
Is it healthy or not at all? How many kinds are there? How do you drink it best? With what..?

So many questions I can think of when I think about this beverage which was introduced in the 15th Century. Originally from Ethiopia.

The English word 'Coffee' derived from the Ottoman Turkish 'Kahve' through the Italian 'Caffè'. The Turkish word came from the Arabic qaha, meaning 'to have no appetite' as it was supposed to stop you from feeling hungry.

There are so many ways of preparing this drink. The Turkish coffee, which is boiled ground coffee. The sediment needs to rest and sit at the bottom of the cup before you can drink it.
I always wonder how long this takes, and is the coffee not cold by the time the coffee sank down..?

Then their are all these cool looking machines and devices like the Moka pot, the French Cafetière, the perculator. And of course the Italian espresso machine, my favourite I must say.
The water is pressed through the freshly ground coffee with high pressure and creates a lovely creamy layer on top of your espresso, called 'crema'.

At work I drink a caffè latte every morning with a freshly made brioche filled with marmalade. Our barman Fiorello, yes that's his real name but everyone calls him Fiore meaning 'flower', makes the best coffees.
Sometimes when he's in a happy mood and I feel like a cappuccino, he makes me a flower or a heart in the velvety foamy layer.

This fall I discovered a new coffee type, the Marocchino. I had never had it before in my life and I love it!
They say every Barista (coffee maker) has it's own way of making their marocchino. I had one in Como which was made with a layer of chocolate creamyness, then espresso, then milk and milk foam and topped off with a dusting of cacao.
Then I had my next one in Milano, in a very crowded coffee bar. It was cold and I needed something warm and soothing. This one was made with a dusting of coco powder in the small cup, the espresso, then milk foam and again a dusting of coco....MMMmmm! Delicious. I added some cane sugar, cause this version was not sweet at all. I think it's my favorite new winter drink!

Marocchino in Milano

Breakfast at work, with cappuccino