Tag: Coffee

Everything you will see at the Milan Coffee Festival – Italian Cuisine

An event that involves Italy and Italians, as ambassadors of coffee culture all over the world. The Milan Coffee Festival will animate the city in three days of tradition and craftsmanship, with an eye to innovation, cooking and the world of mixology

After the successful editions of London, Amsterdam, New York and Los Angeles, the event that celebrates coffee in all its forms also comes to Milan, giving life to the Milan Coffee Festival, which will be held in the heart of Brera, al Pelota space in via Palermo.

Who, when and how to participate

From November 30th to December 2nd the event will host about 5 thousand visitors and more than 60 exhibitors, not to mention experts and specialists who will alternate to entertain the curious events. On the first day of Friday, November 30, the festival opens its doors to operators in the sector, while the public will be able to participate on Saturday 1 and Sunday 2 December buying tickets on site or on the official website.
For the more socials grab the free passes will be a real fun, just publish on Instagram your breakfast in bed with coffee and pajamas, using the hashtag #coffeeinpj, and the minds of the 10 most original shots can enter for free to the event.

The new trends in the world of coffee

Like any great reality, even that of coffee has evolved touching peaks never before climbed. From a simple end-of-meal drink to the protagonist of the third wave of coffee, a sensorial experience that enhances the grain from the plant to the cup. It is therefore appropriate to speak of specialty coffees, cupping sessions, filter coffee, Chemex, Aeropress, French Press and V60. If these terms are obscure and you remained in mocha, coffee machine and American coffee this event is the right opportunity to discover all the new trends in the world of coffee. A world now far from the frenzy of a cup drinking nimble at the counter and then away. You will then enter into a parallel universe, made of contemplation, expectation and amplification of the senses, to fully enjoy the new experiences that coffee offers.

Scheduled appointments

A mixture of events and exhibition areas that will combine the tradition of espresso with new fashions, like the unmissable Art Live Latte, opportunity to test yourself with fantastic decorations or simply attend the competition letting you be fascinated by the leading exponents of Latte Art.

Tastings, workshops, demonstrations, conferences and debates to be attended by specialists in the sector, the best Italian coffee roasters and mixologists. Among the guests, Saturday at 12 will also be present Ferran Adrià, who will present the new book Coffee Sapiens, in collaboration with Lavazza. The book is an integral part of the Bullipedia encyclopedic project, on western gastronomy, to which the chef has been working for a long time.

Following the international format Coffee Masters, the festival will also host the first and long-awaited competition CMx ™ – Italy, 3 days of challenge with 8 protagonists among the best Italian baristas. Will be 7 disciplines on which they will challenge and there will be a jury of experts to decree the Italian winner, who will directly access the world final of Coffee Masters London 2019.

Particular attention will be paid to the art of the mixology: Great bartenders will alternate and will give the coffee a new look, with innovative and original cocktails, and there will be no lack of Signature Drinks, another trend that sees mixologists try their hand at personalized cocktails.

To respect the Milanese tradition every day is expected the aperitif or 'clock, which will see Salvatore Aloe of Berberè prepare your pizzas accompanied by a tasting of organic wines and craft beers.

If these activities have intrigued you, do not miss the chance to experience them in person at the Milan Coffee Festival.

Coffee in the kitchen (starry) does not come just after a meal – Italian Cuisine

Coffee at the restaurant does not come just at the time of dessert but is an ingredient on which research is done. The chef Marcello Trentini, Nespresso coffee sommelier, is a pioneer: he cooks and serves it as a cocktail combined with his tasting menu (and with this contemporary finanziera)

The coffee at the restaurant it is always an unknown quantity, often it does not measure up and literally leaves a bitter taste in the mouth. It is not the fault of the mixture, but of impromptu baristas and old machines, maligned and working too little – which means a bad espresso. And a bad memory of a dinner.
"The importance of coffee in the restaurant has increased exponentially and is a more sophisticated and versatile ingredient than it may seem" – explains "Il Mago ", aka chef Marcello Trentini of the Magorabin restaurant in Turin, a Michelin star – "As with all the other ingredients there has been continuous research and there is much more awareness on both sides, so much so that it is increasingly difficult to find customers who do not understand the difference between a good product and any one".

Nespresso Coffee Sommelier since four years, Trentini has a close relationship with this ingredient, and clear ideas. "Coffee is a pop ingredient in Italy, but it can not be cheap. Now it is clear: rather than eating a poor caviar, a very good onion better. Arabica or Robusta do not mean anything, flavor and aroma depend on the variety, the roasting, if it is in purity or is a blend … a universe of nuances and aromas that enrich your kitchen and your cultural baggage of cook, without prejudices. From Turin I can say that coffee is part of us, we are the inventors of Italian espresso. We have a very Turin-style, canonical approach to coffee, which is why I like to discover new horizons. For years I have dedicated at least one dish to a specific cultivar and I use it together with wine ".

Coffee and fish? It can be done

In the kitchen the coffee is used with meat: "Deer, lamb, chicken .. In Stockholm, at the end of the course to become Nespresso Coffee Sommelier, I used it together with fish. I cooked a fillet of white fish at low temperature in cooking oil with green apple cubes, shitake mushrooms, coffee reduction and coffee powder as pancakes over fish. Over the years I made a cod with coffee and a risotto with coffee: a real caffelatte, rice cooked in buffalo milk and creamed with peel and lemon juice and then served with a truffle of cocoa mass and coffee to be grated over it".

Not just wine: coffee as a pairing

You drink it, but not necessarily at the end of a meal. In a journey combined with the tasting menu, in addition to pairing with wine, other solutions are sought to balance the flavors with care, but also the alcoholic performance of the evening.
One of the historical dishes of the Magorabin card is Agnello / Nocciole, a leg of lamb in Lazio cooked at low temperature, then lightly smoked in a vacuum and burned in the barbecue. "It has a very crispy crust but keeps a pink flesh inside, the contrast is strong, and we serve it with a natural hazelnut cream. Simona (Beltrami, sommelier, partner and wife of the Magician) has studied for this dish two pairings, one alcoholic and one non-alcoholic coffee-based ".

Nicaragua Master Origin, in a drink

On the occasion of the launch of the new Nespresso Master Origin, the Magorabin maître, Alberto Bonanno, has created a cocktail with Nicaragua to combine with Contemporary financier with prawns, cauliflower and almonds of the chef. It is prepared starting from this unique coffee based on Arabica Black Honey, with aromas reminiscent of caramel, linden honey, grilled bread and gianduia chocolate. The coffee is cooled in a mixing glass with ice, stirring with a stirrer, drained, mixed with extra virgin olive oil of Nocellara del Belice 100%, and garnished with an orange twist and a sprig of thyme.

Accademia Vergnano, teach the art of coffee – Italian Cuisine

There is coffee and coffee, we know well, including blends, mono-origins, certifications. And there is the art of making coffee. Vergnano, the oldest Italian roasting company, has just opened one school. To teach all the secrets of the legendary Italian espresso (here the tips to make a moka scream at home).

On the hills of Turin, in the historic family villa – we are the fourth generation of this company – the bartenders of Italy and the professionals of the sector will be able to attend a high school for discovering the art of coffee in all its forms. Not only that: the Academy will be open to public and enthusiasts with meetings to discover and learn something more in this fascinating way from the color of the earth and the scent of Paradise! (and by the way: did you know that the correct consumption of coffee is good for the heart, mind and nervous system?!?)

The Academy of Chieri it is a return to the origins: it is the house where the company was founded by Domenico Vergnano (grandfather of the current owners) in 1882. A house that wants to show off thelove for excellence of the Vergnano family. But this is not at all the first school dedicated to baristas: the offices have in fact spread to Italy (10) and in the world (in seven countries).

The Vergnano Academy enjoys the international SCA certification – Specialty Coffee Association, which translated means this: the professionals who will come out of his school can become "Coffee sommelier". "In recent years we have noticed an ever increasing dedication: coffee is more than ever a subject that excites and stimulates baristas. There is an ever more evident will of specialize and become experts. – declares Enrico Vergnano, Director of Horeca Italia – we dream that in this place the best baristas will be formed ready to exalt our blends to the maximum. "

The course program it ranges from the fundamental "Barista Skill" to the most contemporary extraction and brewing techniques, from the techniques of milk art to the "sensory" modules for tasting. To these are added the broader courses in the bar world, such as cocktails & bar tenders, extracts and juices, aperitifs, management and food cost.

Caffè Vergnano exports to over 90 countries worldwide (and employs around 140 people). The meticulous selection of the best coffee producers in the world is a key to its success: "I chose to follow my father's job because I think it's a fascinating art – explains Pietro Vergnano, Responsible for the purchase of raw materials -" origins, define the roasting to get the best out of each grain and combine the spicy notes of Africa with those more floral patterns."

The Academy is part of the Polo Vergnano, an area dedicated to the culinary excellence of the Italian territory: on the courtyard overlook the restaurants of Eataly in Collina, Caffè Vergnano 1882 and roasting. Inside, a shop which sports professional equipment but also tasty gadgets for fans and a thematic bookstore in collaboration with Mondadori. And then of course the Practice Room (with Olfactory corner, Corner Mixology, Corner brewing etc); the Theoretical & Cupping Room and the Kitchen, to savor the culinary proposals of great chefs, in an intimate and warm atmosphere like the one at home.

Carra Traverso Saibante
November 2018