# Starbucks in Italy



## GCGlasgow (Jul 27, 2014)

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-35728428

I particularly like the comment at the bottom from the 68 yr old who say's 'everytime someone has a starbucks a moka pot will commit suicide'


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## hotmetal (Oct 31, 2013)

"I think it's just a way to keep your hands warm!"

?


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## DoubleShot (Apr 23, 2014)

Can't say I was blown away by the coffee I was served whilst in Milan some years ago. I like this part:

Equally, he is unimpressed by the arrogance of some Italian baristas who, he tells me, often make bad coffee.

"Italian baristas should realise that being Italian doesn't automatically make you a Master Barista. You need study, sacrifice and practice," he says.


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## h1udd (Sep 1, 2015)

Piza, Florence, Roma, etc etc ... 70% of people you pass are tourists, they would easily keep a Starbucks in business :/


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## jimbojohn55 (Jan 15, 2016)

The guardian covered this as well http://www.theguardian.com/world/2016/mar/04/arrival-starbucks-may-have-perks-italys-coffee-traditionalists - 55p for an espresso









Something for Italy to look forward to -


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## Quetzalcoatsy (Feb 20, 2016)

Indeed, tourists alone should be enough to keep Starbucks going, especially if people feel intimidated by going to a proper cafe. Goodness knows what that woman is on about that she hasn't been able to find a comparable latte to Starbucks anywhere in Milan.


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## Dallah (Jan 31, 2015)

I spent the first two weeks on Nov. 2015 in Rome and Florence for my honeymoon. I went to supposedly the "best" espresso bar in Rome. I don't know if it was the best but I do know it was the oldest continuously operating bar. The espresso was better than any chain in the UK, but not as good as most of the UK third wave coffeeshops I have been to. This was consistent throughout our travels. The coffee was dark and very "roasty." Plus they kept trying to serve me cappuccino as all Italians know foreigners only drink milky drinks.

I was prepared to be disappointed by the coffee in Italy and they did not let me down. Perhaps someone who likes a dark roast would have been fine. I had one espresso I genuinely enjoyed in a corner standup around the corner from the Duomo in Florence, but given that was probably my 30th espresso bar, those aren't great odds.

It might be like tattoos in Japan. In the West there are a huge number of tattoo aficionados (like myself)who sport very large traditional Japanese tattoos. Back in Japan, the young and hip all want "American" style point tattoos. Maybe the young Italians will try and be American and drink the American "coffee" that is Starbucks.


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## hotmetal (Oct 31, 2013)

I was told (but have doubts) that almost the only people in Japan who actually have tattoos are Yakuza. I'm off to Japan for the Sakura season with the karate club and we've been warned not to use the public baths for fear of causing distress/offence. I think I'm the only one of 10 that are going (girls included) that hasn't got tats! ?

I hope they have decent coffee (if not the tea will be good though).


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## Dallah (Jan 31, 2015)

People with tattoos are generally banned from bathhouses. You are allowed in some but they will most likely also have Yakuza clientele. People in their twenties are increasingly getting "western" style tattoos. That is a single smallish picture as opposed to a themed sleeve or other body sized piece.

You won't find many people above 30 who have tattoo and aren't Yakuza. There are exceptions that prove the rule but for traditional Japanese style almost all would be Yakuza. Unless you are in a bath house you won't see Yakuza's tattoo as they are designed to be hidden by a business suit. Except for festivals where they sport traditional loincloth.


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## PPapa (Oct 24, 2015)

All I know is that most shops in Italy don't have instant coffee... That was before I dived into coffee and I personally had ~35kg of climbing and camping gear, with very little space for anything else. We spent most of the time in mountains without any cafes around. Not that many cafes would have been open at 5am anyway!

Ironically enough, we needed a caffeine kick after coming back to Edinburgh airport and had a coffee at Starbucks. Didn't finish that and bought an Aeropress few weeks later!

Now I wish I had at least some understanding of coffee before going to Italy as I had no idea what I was drinking at that time. It felt fairly smooth and could relate to darker roasts (duh!).


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## forzamb (Nov 25, 2015)

There are already a couple of American style coffee places in Italy (Milan & Florence) with Arnold Coffee.

Personally I like an authentic Italian experience. I like being able to go into a bar and order an espresso and not get looked at like some kind of weirdo for wanting such a small drink, which tends to happen in the UK.

As for Starbucks, I thought it was funny when they announced their "new" beverage in the USA. The latte macchiato.


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## Dallah (Jan 31, 2015)

WTF is a latte macchiato? It just doesn't make sense.


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## forzamb (Nov 25, 2015)

ridland said:


> WTF is a latte macchiato? It just doesn't make sense.


The opposite of a caffe macchiato. Espresso being added to the milk (usually served in a glass) rather than the milk to the espresso as in a caffe macchiato.






About 1:50 in when he starts preparing the latte macchiato.


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## Dallah (Jan 31, 2015)

Ah right. So a coffeeish milky drink


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## hotmetal (Oct 31, 2013)

Foamy hot milk with a hint of coffee.


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## TomBurtonArt (Jan 18, 2015)

ridland said:


> Ah right. So a coffeeish milky drink


Macchiato means "stained".

So caffe macchiato is coffee stained with milk and latte macchiato is milk stained with coffee.

We learned this with great hilarity when a stupid guy I went to uni with continuously ordered a latte only to get hot milk served to him.


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## hotmetal (Oct 31, 2013)

TomBurtonArt said:


> We learned this with great hilarity when a stupid guy I went to uni with continuously ordered a latte only to get hot milk served to him.


Ha yeah one of my mates just loves anything Italian and he went there on hols and got a glass of milk and a funny look!


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