Italian Coffee

The affogato is the simplest serious dessert in the Italian repertoire — two ingredients, no skill, and no equipment beyond an espresso machine and a freezer. A scoop of cold gelato sits in a small glass; a hot shot of espresso is poured over it at the table; you eat the result with a spoon as the gelato slowly melts into a sweetened coffee pool. The whole thing takes about a minute to assemble and somewhere between two and five minutes to enjoy, and it is consistently among the best things you can make at home with an espresso machine. ...

A cappuccino is the most iconic Italian espresso drink — three roughly equal parts espresso, steamed milk, and dense foam, served in a small porcelain cup, designed to be drunk in three or four sips. The drink’s name comes from a 16th-century order of monks. The ratio comes from a 20th-century Italian café tradition. And the foam — that thick, creamy cap that distinguishes a cappuccino from every other milk drink on the menu — is what most people are actually ordering when they ask for one. ...

A marocchino is a small Italian espresso drink made with espresso, a dusting of cocoa powder, and a topping of milk foam — usually served in a small glass cup so you can see the layered colors. It originated in the Piedmont region in northern Italy and is one of those drinks that almost no one outside of Italy has heard of, even though it’s been on Italian café menus for nearly a century. ...

What Is Coffee Granita? Coffee granita (granita di caffè) is a semi-frozen Italian dessert from Sicily — somewhere between shaved ice and sorbet in texture, with intensely concentrated espresso flavor. Unlike smooth ice cream or sorbet, granita has a deliberately coarse, crystalline texture created by repeatedly scraping the freezing mixture with a fork. In Sicily, granita di caffè con panna (coffee granita with cream) is a traditional breakfast — served in a glass with a brioche roll for dipping. As an afternoon treat or dessert, it’s one of the simplest and most refreshing frozen coffee preparations you can make at home, with no equipment beyond a shallow dish and a fork. ...

A tiramisu latte takes everything people love about Italy’s most famous dessert — espresso, mascarpone, cocoa — and turns it into a drinkable café experience. The result is rich, slightly sweet, and deeply coffee-forward, with none of the complexity of making actual tiramisu. This recipe covers both the hot and iced versions, the mascarpone cream layer that makes it special, and 5 variations including a vegan option. What Is a Tiramisu Latte? Tiramisu means “pick me up” in Italian — an appropriate name for a dessert built on espresso. A tiramisu latte translates that dessert into a drink: ...

An affogato is one of the best things you can make with a home espresso machine — and it requires almost no skill. Two ingredients, two minutes, one perfect result. The word “affogato” means “drowned” in Italian, which describes exactly what happens: a hot espresso shot is poured over a scoop of cold vanilla gelato, and the ice cream slowly melts into a warm, silky, bittersweet pool. It occupies the unusual position of being both a dessert and a coffee drink. In Italy it’s typically served after dinner as a combined dessert-and-digestif. At home, it’s the easiest impressive thing you can serve to guests. ...