How good is your coffee?

Coffee is now built in to our daily lives that we take it for granted. What breakfast is complete without a cup of hot brew? What would office breaks be without coffee? And yes, when we take a break from hours at the mall, nowadays we often head to a coffee shop. From a beverage that was considered the devil’s brew in the Middle Ages, coffee has become an integral part of the 21st century, one that defines our days and nights.

But how would you know if the coffee you drink is of high quality or not?

Segafredo Zanetti grand chief barista Ilija Naumovski says there are four things to look out for: crema, aroma, taste, and the method used to make the coffee.

When your order of coffee is placed before you, take note of the foam on the coffee. This is the crema.

Naumovski says good coffee has a crema that is a rich hazelnut color. It should be about a few centimeters thick, so that when you spoon some sugar on top of it, the sugar doesn’t immediately sink into the coffee. It should stay on the crema for a few moments before slowly sinking underneath. Think of the Titanic before it sank into the Atlantic, and you’re not off the mark.

To test for good crema, stir the coffee. The crema should stay on top of the coffee for a few seconds more and not disappear into the brew. If the crema goes away when you stir it, then it’s not good coffee.

The coffee should also have the intense aroma of dark cacao and toasted bread. Take time to smell your coffee before you take a sip of it.

Sip your coffee slowly to appreciate its taste. High-quality coffee should taste rich yet delicate, and must have a full body. There should be a balance between the acid and bitter tastes that come from roasting the coffee.

However, all these points will be of no use if your coffee is not made with a high-quality espresso machine. The water should at least be 90° centigrade. Only freshly ground coffee should be used. The pressure needed to produce 30 milliliters of espresso should be at nine bars; it would take 30 seconds to produce a shot of espresso.

Naumovski was in town recently to spread the good news about Italian coffee. The Italian coffee experience is anchored on the espresso, which serves as the base of all coffee beverages.

The espresso is a product of the 20th century. While the first espresso machine was invented in 1902, espresso, as we now know it, didn’t appear until 1945 when the first spring piston lever machine was produced in Milan.

Of course, the Italian espresso is a different brew from the American brewed or drip coffee. Unlike brewed coffee, espresso has a thicker consistency, a full-bodied mouth feel than the usual watery coffee produced by drip coffee makers. The espresso machine uses very hot water forced through the coffee grounds to produce a drink with more coffee in it.

Despite its serving size — a shot of espresso is usually just about 30 milliliters or about two ounces — it has more coffee flavor but less the caffeine of a cup of brewed coffee. A shot of espresso just has about 100 milligrams of caffeine, while brewed coffee has 135 milligrams and drip coffee as much as 175 milligrams.

While American coffee culture may have captured the world with its variety of coffee-based beverages, coffee enthusiasts will still want high-quality coffee, which is what the Italian coffee culture offers.

In the Philippines, Segafredo Zanetti Espresso bars offer Filipino diners the Italian coffee experience. It has three espresso bars: a full-service restaurant at Greenbelt 2, Makati City; a kiosk at the second floor of The Podium in Ortigas Center; and an outlet in Greenhills, San Juan, near the corner of Wilson St. and Ortigas Ave.

Segafredo Zanetti brings Italy’s coffee culture with Europe’s finest espresso. The brand is the undisputed leader in Italy, with quality, expertise, and commitment to excellence as its hallmarks.

Segafredo Zanetti is the world’s only fully integrated coffee company — from its own plantation in Brazil, through roasting facilities all over Europe, to its own line of espresso machines (La San Marco brand), and on to the coffee shops that dot the world’s continents.

The Philippine Segafredo franchise, owned by Liberty Ventures Inc., is the first in its worldwide network to introduce the full-service concept. Complementing the range of Italian espresso blends is a selection of appetizers, light meals, fusion and Italian main courses, Italian-style pizzas, desserts, wines and spirits. The menu offering has been scaled down to coffee and accompaniments, and pasta and pizza selections for the kiosk outlet at Podium and the Greenhills store, to streamline operations.

Segafredo Zanetti Greenbelt is open from 10 a.m. to 12 midnight, while The Podium branch operates from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. The Greenhills store at IBank Bldg. along Ortigas Ave. is open from 8 a.m. to 11 p.m.