Storytime!: Why So Many Coffee Drinks Have Italian Names?

You should thank Italians for your daily cup of coffee!

Let’s play a little game and tell us if we guess right: Most of your favorite coffee drinks have espresso as its base ingredient. You can’t start your mornings without your cup of cappuccino. Isn't it right? Well, maybe coffee latte is your thing? Or perhaps you have a sweet tooth and prefer a mochaccino? One thing is certain. If we were to guess only by their names, all coffees' names seem to have come from one single place: Italy.

At least that’s how it feels with the most popular coffee drinks. All the best-known coffee beverages sound very Italian. So what’s up with this? Did Italians discover our favorite drink? Well, we know that our love for caffeine originated in Africa, so that’s not it. Actually, coffee first arrived in Italy through trade between North Africa and Venice during the 16th century. But still, there’s a reason why Italy has become the coffee capital of the world, and we’re here to find it out!

Why Espresso Changed Everything?

The key to exploring why Italian coffee culture became so famous in the first place is to focus on its most replicated product: espresso. Although today you can spend minutes ordering your drink and adding many ingredients to it, the original purpose of espresso was to have the ability to serve a shot of coffee as quickly as possible. We’ve got to thank the Industrial Revolution for it because it brought us the machine that made it possible. The “machinetta” was created by Luigi Bezzara in 1901, and it was responsible for compressing coffee and forcing pressurized water through it.  

Ever since then, coffee's world changed. Coffee houses were no longer just tranquil places. They were filled with the buzz of workers and businesspeople who entered every morning looking for a shot of espresso to fuel their day. It became an icon of the new century, and it arrived at the perfect time to become popularized in the whole country and, subsequently, in the rest of the world.

Original espresso tasted very different from what you enjoy today. The first machines' precariousness gave this drink a bitter and burnt flavor, and it was actually more similar to regular filtered coffee than present-day espresso. But because of how fast they were served, they were successfully commercialized in what was known as American bars: coffee shops in which customers stood on one side of the bar while waiting for their order.

Espresso consumption continued to grow until Mussolini’s fascist regime. Coffee imports were banned, and by the time of the II World War, coffee had virtually disappeared from Italy. One curious fact is that the term ‘barista’ actually comes from fascist Italy, as a way to oppose the American word then used: ‘barman.'

Nevertheless, the Italian coffee industry didn’t forget about espresso's potential as a unique beverage, and inventors continued to improve coffee machines in an effort to erase coffee's burnt flavors and contamination. By the 1950’s, Italians had created a new way to make espresso called caffè crema, which presented its famous mousse on top of the beverage. One we still see in espressos today.

Caffè crema's arrival marked the start of Italian influence in coffee drinks as we know it nowadays. This new espresso spread all across Italy. Other countries started to replicate and import it as well, as many Italian emigrants influenced coffee culture everywhere they went.

Coffee’s Social Function

But then what about cappuccino, latte, mochaccino…? Why did we continue to call almost every coffee drink by their Italian names? Italians didn’t invent the combination of coffee and milk. That already existed in Europe since the 17th century. Well, it’s solely because Italians were responsible for switching from regular filtered coffee to espresso. Cappuccino's original name comes from the Viennese version called kapuziner, inspired by Capuchin monks who lived in Vienna. It wasn’t until 1930 that Italians started to make their own version with espresso as the main ingredient.

Cappuccino and other types of coffee drinks became popularized because they served a bigger purpose than regular espresso. The whole process of adding frothing milk to a cup of coffee started to become a part of coffee houses' experience, in sound, image, and taste. It also added an extra to cafes' social function. Coffee bars were perfect for meeting people, friends, and coworkers, so it was necessary a drink that took longer to consume.

Nowadays, Italians are still very protective of their coffee culture. Even though in America we are used to adding tons of ingredients to coffee and tasting different combinations, more traditional Italians prefer their espresso as classic as they can get. Globalisation is changing this though. American coffee methods are making their way through Italian coffee houses, even though they’re still sticking to their original ways. The good news is that we can experience the best of both worlds and celebrate our love for coffee.

Even though we have a lot to thank Italians, the truth is that Mediterranean climate is not very good for coffee production. To get the best coffee beans, you can count on Latin Americans to save your day! At That Coffee Roasters, we believe that nothing beats true Colombian coffee when it comes to brewing your favorite Italian drinks, so kudos to cultural exchange!

Source: A short history of espresso in Italy and in the world.

Which one is your favorite Italian coffee?

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