August 2017 Newsletter
Italy is in some ways a deeply conservative country, especially when it comes to social customs, religion, food and drink. The Italians tend to stick with the philosophy of "If it ain't broke, don't fix it" which may explain why the Rancilio Silvia, despite a bit of exterior tarting up, is fundamentally the same machine that was first produced 20 years ago.
When Galileo Galilei, 16th century physicist, astronomer, philosopher and mathematician, ran afoul of the Catholic Inquisition and was told to accept that the Earth was the immovable centre of the universe, rather than in orbit around the sun, he was heard to mutter "and yet it moves." And indeed it did, but despite irrefutable scientific proof it took the Church another 200-odd years to admit it.
Innovation in coffee doesn't move at quite that glacial pace, but it hasn't been that fast, either, up until the last couple of years. Commercial espresso machines are a case in point. Coffee hobbyists started talking about modifying domestic machines with PID temperature controls and electronic brew pressure controls in the late 1990's.
It was over 10 years later when the first commercial implementations started appearing in Italian espresso machines. In the modern world, that's a long time to catch up to "state-of-the-art."
A similar situation has applied where Italian roasters, blenders and baristas are concerned. Up until a few years ago they were acknowledged as the best in the world at getting acceptable espresso blends and shots from mediocre beans. They had a huge and stable domestic market and a growing export market. Then specialty coffee and Nespresso capsules came along and ate their lunch.
There is nothing like a bite on the hip-pocket nerve to get someone's attention, and last year sales of coffee within Italy in all forms were down. Except in one area; coffee capsule sales were up 20%! It appears that (as with the rest of the world) Italians were voting with their wallets for capsule convenience. More worrying was a reduction in sales from the myriad espresso bars throughout Italy.
In an effort to turn things around, the Italian coffee industry has finally started to question their current approach to the market. On the consumer side, "acceptable" coffee is seen as a simple commodity, and generates zero excitement. On the industry side, the commodity mentality also prevails, and again "acceptable" quality and low prices rule.
To fix this some of the more progressive companies are looking towards much higher quality specialty coffees, single origin, farm gate, certified and all the other stuff, including the roasting challenges that come with them. And the cafes and bars are looking towards improved food and beverage offerings, and superb rather than average coffees. The "best in the world" model they're starting to copy? Us. Melbourne and Sydney high end cafes are now a model for the Italian industry, as well as the UK and USA.
This month's special is an old favourite I try to acquire every year,
Costa Rica Tarrazu Miel
$54.00/kg
Rich coffee aroma, with sweet acid, smooth fruity mid palate and creamy body, the coffee-est coffee you'll ever taste.
A quick warning (more next month): we'll be closed for the whole of October as I'm heading for Italy and the huge HOST trade show.
Until next month
Alan
