Espressamente!
by senior contributor Brendan Kownacki
Some mornings a simple cup of coffee just isn’t enough when you need that jolt to start your day.
Depending on who you talk to, there IS no such thing as a simple cup of coffee…….or at least that’s certainly the opinion of world champion barista Giorgio Milos who popped into the DC area for a visit and coffee tasting at the Espressamente illy Cafe at the Arlington Capital View Hotel.
The cafe, which is one of 8 in the country, boasts illy’s signature coffee experience of gourmet beverages and fine accompaniments to pair with your drink.
Milos treasures every cup of coffee that comes before him and notes that illy is providing more than just caffeine in a cup, but also a “food experience” because coffee inherently holds social aspects for all those who use it as a bridge to share time with others. After all, coffee is one of the largest commodities in the world after oil.
He also points out that coffee is naturally amazing because it’s a natural anomaly. In nature, sweet tastes usually mean healthy while bitter can mean poison, so it is strange that the bitter earthiness of coffee has become so popular.
Illy focuses on that taste and flavor of coffee; and after 80 years, the company is still devoted to getting the best beans in the world to deliver the best coffee, even if it means paying higher prices to maintain standards. “Quality and consistency” are tenants of the illy brand and it is that consistency that motivates the artistic elegance that can be found in each cup.
