![bridge](https://i0.wp.com/muddydogcoffee.smugmug.com/Other/Italy-2011/i-8gJcdf5/0/M/IMG9022-M.jpg)
Bridge over the Tiber in Trastevere neighborhood.
Our most recent trip to Italy was after a fairly long hiatus – it had 5 years since our previous trip. My first morning, in Pisa, I realized that the coffee was… different than the last time I was there. I chalked it up normal variability, and got on with the trip. But over several days, in several cities, it became obvious to me that Italian coffee had changed. Not better. Not worse. But different.
As an Italian myself, I realized this should be no surprise. While Italians certainly value tradition, there are less “sacred cows” than people might think. Italians are adaptable, and pragmatic. And it dawned on me, the tradition is the coffee ritual, not the coffee itself.
It turns out that the Italian coffee industry, and the coffee industry worldwide, have experienced a few changes in the last half decade that have resulted in changes to Italy’s coffee sourcing. So the contemporary Italian espresso is a different coffee than it was five years ago. As it happens, I like it better now, and was possessed to do something like it.
The result is a blend we call Trastevere: Contemporary Roman Espresso. Named after the edgy, trendy neighborhood on the banks of the Tiber, it evokes the same nature as that place: rooted in tradition, but young, hip, and beautiful. We intend that this blend will evolve over time; contemporary, and excellent.
![nightlife](https://i0.wp.com/muddydogcoffee.smugmug.com/Other/Italy-2011/i-BLnscRf/0/M/IMG9039-M.jpg)
Nightlife in Trastevere
Got to spend a half day in Trastevere this summer and was smitten by the charms. Was definitely a highlight of trip to Rome. Interesting about the coffee experience, as I am learning more and more it’s the sharing and companionship that add that unknown flavor.
Paul
[…] Hipsters aside, what Pellegrini detected on a recent summer trip to the madre patria was that the coffee was different. “Not better. not worse. Just different,” he says on his blog. […]