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‘O ccafè
‘A tazza ‘e cafe
‘A caffettiera di mia commare
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A Very Special Coffee
Until the 1970s, espresso was very hard to find outside of Little
Italies. It has become so popular in our cities mainly because of
Italian Canadians, for whom this heady brew is a daily ritual.
Italian espresso differs from both American coffee and French express.
Whether it is prepared on the stove in a napoletana or moka
coffee maker, or brewed in a domestic or commercial espresso machine,
it gets its unique flavour mainly from the special blends, which contain
up to seven kinds of coffee, and the roasting process. The beans are
roasted longer than those destined for other countries, to intensify
the aroma and eliminate some of the caffeine.
And then there is that je ne sais quoi that makes espresso
consumed in an Italian café taste better than that found
elsewhere. Why? Who knows?
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(1) Two-spout espresso maker
Italy
1960s
Used in Canada
Metal, plastic
Lent by Laura Tenerelli |
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(2) Electric espresso maker
Made by Vesuviana
Italy
c. 1950
Used in Canada
Metal, plastic
Lent by Vincenzo Catania
Vincenzo Catania often says that what he misses most in Canada, apart
from the members of his family who are in Italy, is espresso. All his
friends know that he loves espresso, so they give him coffee makers as
presents whenever they can. The one on display here is part of his
collection. |
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(3) espresso maker with alcohol burner
Made by Fratelli Santin
Tuscany region, Italy
c. 1900
Metal
Lent by Antonio Clemente |
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(4) La Napoletana - Neapolitan coffee maker
Italy
c. 1945
Used in Canada
Metal, plastic
Lent by Carmelina Corsi Cusano |
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(5) La Moka - espresso maker
Made by Mondial Express Café
Italy
c. 1940
Used in Canada
Metal, plastic
Lent by Carmelina Corsi Cusano
Brought from Italy by the Cusano family, this
one-piece Moka differs from contemporary designs,
which have two sections that can be separated. In
this model, the coffee compartment can be accessed from the top. |
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(6) Two-spout espresso maker
Italy
1950s
Metal, plastic
Lent by Carlo Cristallini |
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