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Where to get a good espresso in Malta

Bad coffee is bad news. I’m rather particular about my espresso and find it increasingly important to have it served just right. As a result I have decided to keep this running blog of good espresso places and bad espresso places in Malta. Of course you should avoid the latter (for espresso). These two lists are not ranked in any specific order – I plan to keep adding more entries as I sample more espresso.

GOOD Espresso: A good espresso reminds me instantly of Italy. It should be short, just slightly dense, have a fair amount of surface brown foam/cream, it should smell aromatic and inviting and leave a super aftertaste. These are tell-tale signs that the variables of pressure, temperature and so on are under control and that the barrista knows his stuff.

BAD Espresso: I define bad espresso as having at least two of the following characteristics: (i) too watery, (ii) burned coffee beans spoiling the aroma, (iii) not ‘creamy’ to the right extent, (iv) more akin to instant coffee than espresso, (v) too damn hot, (vi) terribly cheap coffee beans making it tasteless, (vii) white foam instead of brown, (viii) served in Styrofoam or a cold glass cup,  (ix) grit floating in the espresso or at the base of the cup, or (x) a cheap plastic stirrer rather than a teaspoon.

PS. If you’re a restaurant owner or a barrista and reading this – please invest in your espresso. Your customers will love you ! And if you’re still green at preparing an espresso – read this.

Where do you sip your espresso? Drop a comment below…

Get good espresso in Malta

To me, the smell of fresh-made coffee is one of the greatest inventions – Hugh Jackman

Last updated: 9th October 2014

2 Comments

  • Etienne Calleja
    31/08/2013 at 8:08 PM

    Unless you’ve had your coffee at Akkademja (City Gate, Valletta) or Giorgio’s Cafe (at the behest of Roberto’s expert hands) you haven’t tasted coffee….

    • Gege Gatt
      31/08/2013 at 8:39 PM

      Etienne – thank you for the tip. I’ll check out these venues.
      PS. In the above blog post the second list is the ‘BAD‘ list.

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