Post by D. Ross| says...
| >
| > http://www.espresso-adesso.co.uk
| >
| "Miscela Zeta Prepared with an expert combination of the best
| varieties of Robusta. Strong and distintive flavour, fragrant aroma,
| abundant cream. It is ideal for the simple recipes of the
| countryside, competing with the strongest flagrances. It perfectly
| harmonizes with any liqueurs, particularly for the well-known "Ponce
| alla Livornese". Rich caffeine content."
| Yee gawds...
I've had coffee in a Bei e Nannini bar in Pisa, and thought it was OK. It
was likely not their all-robusta blend, but who knows - I've never claimed
to have good taste in beans. Besides, I was drinking a macchiato.
- David R.
We had a break in and around Pisa and Lucca in the summer, and I found
(through fairly extensive sampling) that caffes with Bei & Nannini coffee
seemed very good (better than Jolly at least) - so I bought a pack for my
morning Moka brew in the appartment we were renting and even brought some
more home.
The odd thing is that they have two basic blends: delicato and forte.
Knowing the Italian prediliction for Robusta, I plumped for the delicato as
more likely to be 100% arabica (there was no information on the packs). Now,
looking at the website, I see it is the forte (strong) that is described as
all arabica, and the delicato is robustiferous. Can't say I noticed (it was
preground...).
One of the delights of being in Italy was the chance to enjoy 'stand up
coffee' - espresso at the bar in a caffe, with the price fixed (by law or
competition, I don't know) at 80cents (that's about ... 80 cents in US
terms). Almost every shot was good (and quick); I don't know anywhere else
that gives you such quality, consistency and convenience at that price.
Travelling with young children, I didn't want to hang around in a caffe
anyway, so the 'discomfort' wasn't an issue (if you sit down, the price
normally doubles).
For extra confusion, there's a grand old caffe-bakery-patisserie down the
road in Siena called Nannini. They roast their own coffee too, but there is
no connexion as far as I can tell. If you are ever in the area, a coffee
there is a great experience (the biscotti are a bit pricey though...)
Tom Flemming
York, UK
/zz/mm/