NEWS
SPECIALTY COFFEE IN FLORENCE: THE BEST COFFEE BARS IN TOWN by Michela Becchi good, but it’s worth sitting down and tasting an excellent filter coffee, prepared with precision and care by the professional and welcoming staff. V60, chemex, cold brew, aeropress: whatever the chosen extraction system, the drink will not disappoint the most demanding palates. In addition to coffee, high attention to ingredinents is revealed in every corner of the menu, from international breakfast to lunch dishes, from American desserts (try the carrot cake combined with a fine filter coffee), plus aperitifs, with wellmixed signature cocktails based on quality distillates.
CAFFETTERIA PIANSA: COMING FROM OUT OF TOWN
FILTER AND ESPRESSO COFFEE, ENJOYED WITH CAKES, CLUB SANDWICHES, CROQUEMONSIEURS, CUPCAKES AND VEGAN PROPOSALS: IN FLORENCE, QUALITY COFFEE SHOPS ARE INCREASINGLY IN TUNE WITH INTERNATIONAL CUISINE. BUT THERE ARE ALSO PLACES THAT OFFER TRADITIONAL TUSCAN DISHES. HERE ARE OUR FAVOURITES.
At the beginning, in the ’80s it was Piansa that opened a new path in the world of coffee just outside Florence, in the town of Bagno a Ripoli, a family business long held by Alessandro Staderini, proud heir of a company that has specialized increasingly over the years. But it was the Salento native Francesco Sanapo, who in 2014 rattled the local coffee scene. With him, specialty coffee started getting
serious, and today Florence can count on several quality points dedicated to black gold. As always, it’s impossible to draw a definitive list of valid places, considering the many new others that are coming soon: for this, the list is constantly updated and subject to constant changes.
DITTA ARTIGIANALE: TWO ADDRESSES, ONE SOUL After the success of the via De Neri local, in 2016 Sanapo doubled in Oltrarno, with another bar, bigger and even more dynamic, with a proposal suitable for every moment of the day, but always focused on coffee, the true protagonist of the coffee shop. Regardless of the location, Ditta Artigianale knows how to offer high level service in both locations, with a wide and constantly evolving coffee proposal, from the house blend to the many single origins, all roasted on the spot. The espresso is always
GAMBERO ROSSO
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JULY-AUGUST 2019
Born and raised with the aromas of coffee, Alessandro Staderini had to open a coffee shop in the city: in addition to roasting in Bagno a Ripoli, in fact, since 2016 Piansa also has a coffee bar in Via Gioberti, where patrons can taste an excellent blend and several single origins that change on rotation. For lovers of the genre, the place is the ideal location to taste impeccable cappuccinos, with a silky and perfectly crafted foamy top, complete with artistic Latte Art decorations, perfectly mixed and with an intense and harmonious taste. But there are also filter coffees; plus cocktails and a series of irresistible sweet and savoury options, including cakes, biscuits, homemade pasta and assorted charcuterie boards to pair with drinks during the aperitif. Dishes that reflect the flavours of the Tuscan tradition and pay homage to regional culinary richness. In the summer, cold brew dominates the scene, a perfect cold coffee extraction for the hottest days. Similar offer and same (high) level of service in the second location on via Gran Bretagna.