Cappuccino and Espresso and Crema Caffe, OH MY!

Before coming to Italy for this study abroad program I was told over and over that the espresso and cappuccino I would have would never compare to that which is made in America. The people who told me that were right. I am not a coffee drinker, I will only rarely get an iced caramel macchiato from Starbucks but the coffee served at Sandy Caffe in Arezzo has changed my tastebuds forever. 

In class we learned that coffee is native to Ethiopia. 
The blend offered to us at the roaster was a combination of nine different beans originating from all over the world. Upon arrival to the caffe we were served fresh cappuccinos. The sweet, frothiness of the milk perfectly matched the rich flavor of the beans and left me wanting another cup, even with the knowledge I would be wired from the caffeine for hours to come. 

The tour we took of the roaster showed us each of the steps we had learned about in class. There were giant burlap sacks of raw, pre-roasted beans that were odorless and green-gray in color. These beans were poured into a vat that would make its way into a machine that would steam roast them to the perfect degree. We watched as the worker checked the beans’ color every few seconds to ensure they reached the correct level of roasting required before being blended together. Each variety of bean from varying locations around the world were first roasted separately and then blended to ensure that the varying sizes and shapes of the beans received the correct amount of roasting necessary before entering the blend. Once the correct coloring was achieved they would fall from the vat into an area where they would be turned and aeration would occur to being cooling the beans and prevent further roasting. Once cool the beans would fall onto a conveyor belt where they would be added together to create the perfect blend to be sold. 

- Kait Richter