Introduction
Coffee is a very popular drink in Italy, and it is a rite made through by grinding of seeds of different tropical plants of the Coffea Rubiacee family. This family of plants has more than 100 species to make different qualities of coffee. The most used in Italy are the Robusta and the Arabica varieties. The first species ever used was the Coffea Arabica, planted in the south-east of Sudan and in Yemen, despite his origin was Ethiopian. The first finding of this coffee date back to 1450. Now the most used variety is the Coffea Robusta, from tropical Africa, because his cultivation is particularly adaptable, up to 700 meters of altitude, characteristic that make this coffee the most cheap on the market.
The iced coffee in Italy
Italy is a very wormed country in the summer, when temperatures can easily pass the 40°C (104°F) but people won’t renounce to drink coffee. Anyway the Italian espresso is not a hot drink like the coffee drunk in other countries, but it has temperatures more favourable (although hot) compared with an espresso that you can drink in America or in the United Kingdom. The Italian espresso is more creamy and less hot, but anyway, in the summer, in Italy, it is very used the iced coffee, to refresh the mouth keeping the coffee taste.
All bars prepare the iced coffee, the caffè freddo to be served at low temperatures. In bars and cafés this drink is generally prepared in advance, without ice, putting a little of sugar. Then the coffee is cooled in the fridge and served as double espresso size. This way to make the “caffé freddo” is the best to not have a watered coffee, which would be a “sacrilege” for the Italian people. Anyway, in the cocktails bars is made also the shaken espresso with ice.
The are different Italian and international cold coffee varieties:
1. Coffee and ice: it has made in many areas of Italy because ease to prepare. It has its origins in Salento but it is now spread everywhere. It is a sugary espresso poured into a large cup full of ice. Some people likes with some little almond milk.
2. Shaken cold coffee: This is the most requested version of cold coffee in cocktails bar. The barman needs to make an espresso and let it cool at room temperature before to shake with ice and sugar syrup, but also with some liqueur like Tia Maria or Baileys for the evening.
3. Half cold coffee (Caffé “mezzo” freddo): in eastern Sicily “half” means a glass or a bottle smaller than usual. It is made with espresso coffee slowly cooled and kept at a low temperature until the coffee Slurpee is joined. It can be topped with whipped cream, to be called Half Cold Macchiato.
4. Vietnamese cold coffee: also in Vietnam it is used drink cold coffee in two different ways: the Cà phe den dà made by percolation of coffee on the rocks; the Cà phe sua dà, the classic cold macchiato coffee. It is prepared by pouring thick milk on the bottom and topped with espresso before to be cooled ith ice.
5. Iced Coffee Nuvola: “Nuvola” means cloud and give the idea of the color of this coffee made by blending the ice together with coffee and sugar in the mixer, to look as a cream.
6. Caffé Freddo Iced Coffee: it is prepared in very large 1 liter glasses for on the road consumption.
7. Flavored cold coffee “aromatizzato”: an iced coffee with flavors like chocolate, hazelnut, banana, vanilla etc.
Homemade iced coffee
But Italian prepare the caffé freddo also at home. from home. Just by preparing a lots of espresso with the mocha, adding sugar and let it cool in the freezer. Some time some water is added, but very little.
