Affogato at Cava

Visited in Warsaw, Golden Terraces

Affogato at Cava

How much can you expect of an Espresso with vanilla ice-cream? A-ha! Quite a lot, I tell you.

First of all, one Espresso does not equal another one. Every coffee shop sources their own Espresso; this might be provided by one of the leading brands, like Lavazza or Illy, or from other independent roasteries. Starbucks, for example, prides itself in private selection of supplying coffee farms and coffee beans that constitute their “Fairtrade Espresso Blend” or other coffees from their range; they also have their own method of roasting the beans before those end up in the bag.

This can give you an idea of how some coffee connoisseurs settle happily for that tiny cup of “solo” or “doppio”, as well as why, if they find the perfect place that serves it, they stick to it.

I am by no means an Espresso specialist when it comes to tasting and appreciating, I do however have good understanding of how the shots should be poured and how they should be drunk, that is: quickly. Not easy, considering the cup comes (hopefully!) straight from under the Espresso machine.

And then you have Affogato. Of course, it is not the same as a pure Espresso, as, by definition, the taste is dependent on the ice-cream that goes in it. Affogato means “drowned” in Italian, which refers to the scoop of ice-cream over which espresso is poured. Again, you need a good quality ice-cream not to spoil your carefully selected and brewed espresso. If the two work well together, you get an Espresso that is cooled down and preserved by the vanilla scoop. Personal verdict: a perfect combination!

I am featuring Affogato served by Cava, as they claim to be using Kopi Luwak, the one of the rarest types of coffee in the world, produced (or disposed of, to be more precise) by civets. The method of obtaining the bean can be a bit off-putting, but since I tried my Espresso before I found out, I can say, it is worth the go.