National Espresso Day this year is on November 23, 2016!
CIAO Amici!
So many of us in America have a small appreciation for a properly prepared espresso. I can say from personal experience that to truly appreciate certain foods and definitely espresso it helps if you have spent some time in Italy. However, we do have some American options for Espresso that might surprise you. In order of my least to most favorite, are some options for you to enjoy a “proper” cafe for National Espresso Day this year:
Starbucks. Yes, Starbucks is last my dear Seattle friends (they introduce me as the guy from a “red or trump” state anyway when I am there). If you absolutely have to get an espresso, Starbucks does make them. For whatever reason, I just do not happen to like their espresso. The cappuccino’s are acceptable, but that is only because they know how to properly froth milk which dilutes the espresso enough to be bearable. Of course, the only acceptable time for a man to have a cappuccino is in the early morning as you should be drinking espresso once your day has started.
Panera Bread. My surprise pick in a pinch. They have a decent espresso, and is a solid choice for meetings and doing some wifi work also. With locations all over the USA it definitely puts them as a solid option for a quick espresso and a good lunch.
Caffe Nero. Unfortunately, they are only in the USA in the Boston area, but they have a great espresso. Easy to find if you are going through London Heathrow however, but it’s slim pickings stateside.
Nespresso! Yes as my friend Gionatan (Jonny for short) would say,
“George Clooney is trying to save America from the terrible coffee, man, you know?”
When I worked in Italy there was an amazing relationship between espresso from our Nespresso machine and productive team building. Nespresso has a great line of different coffees (there are 3 best ones though ;). I do not believe it is possible currently to get a better, more consistent espresso experience without spending a small fortune than a Nespresso machine. I will warn you though that in my son’s company, the coffee budget is one of his largest cost items, so I am still not sure if George Clooney is being completely altruistic or not. He did live in Como, Italy though and landed his hellicopter at Jonny’s warehouse one time, so if he is ok with Jonny and Carrado, he is ok with me. Now go grab a Nespresso machine for National Espresso Day and let us know your favorite espresso, then we will post ours in a follow up article.
