In Milan more new openings
You arrive in Milan, exit the central station, cross the street and reach the skyscraper surmounted by the large lit sign of Assicurazioni Generali, between Via Pirelli and Via Vittor Pisani, and you stop to enjoy the first, excellent coffee in the city. And not just any coffee. We're talking prepared according to tradition, homespun coffee made with a moka pot, the typical stovetop pot whose typical percolating gurgle has always characterized the morning ritual in Italian homes. So, like we were saying, you face the the large windows through which you peek and see a bright, meticulously detailed, carefully furnished space, including design accessories and eye-catching graphic illustrations, and you find yourself in front of a series of state-of-the-art high tech model espresso machines. The space is distributed on two levels, for an approximate total 300 square meters, designed - like all the rooms of the Pascucci brand - by architect Marco Lucchi, in collaboration with the roaster's creative center.
Roaster
A reality now established throughout Italy, born in the province of Pesaro Urbino but now present in various part of Italy, especially in Romagna, where the brand is present with different declinations (among the most interesting being Pascucci Bio in Riccione). Despite coffee shops everywhere in central and northern Italy, for years now it's the Milanese shop on Corso Europa that's distinguished by the dynamic nature of the offer. At least, until now. Because the newly opened local in Piazza Duca d'Aosta seems to have all the cards on the table to establish itself as the best expression of roasting (and one of the most valuable cafes in Milan)..
Design and offer
Beech wood for tables and seating, gray Calacatta marble and lighting by Renzo Serafini light designer, with brass and iron sconces that articulate in large light structures in the widest areas. Above all, counters with numerous pieces of machinery and machines designed by XLVI Operai del vapore, an artisan laboratory dedicated to coffee that produces tools from precise manufacturing and tailor-made designs. Entering the new Pascucci Moka, you are faced with a deli counter, serving croissants, bakery products, desserts but also Anglo-Saxon specialties perfect for those who love more substantial continental breakfasts or brunch. At lunch, piadine, yogurt with cereal and fruit, the ubiquitous club sandwich, salads and hamburgers.
The return of the moka pot
The undisputed star is however the coffee, both blends and the house single origin, extracted as espresso but also with alternative methods. The real research, however, here is on the moka pot, which for the first time in an Italian bar becomes the central element and the ideal coffee machine to introduce this style to the public in the world of quality black gold. Behind the latest generation espresso machines and the exceptional accessories that decorate the room, there's in fact a very simple philosophy, which draws back to the origins, to the domestic environment. Diving into the past in order to move forward. Rediscovering that slow and relaxed pace of life, whose tempo is set by the gurgle of the coffee percolating. Rediscovering patience, the art of waiting, the joy of a good cup of coffee in good company. "Haste and superficiality have led many people to forget about the moka, present inevitaby in every Italian household, together with the "macchinetta napoletana", in favor of capsules, which are more practical, but extremely polluting", explains Mario Pascucci, owner of the roaster
No more capsules, the moka is environment-friendly and sustainable
From this observation, the idea: "We would like to help people rediscover the pleasure of homemade coffee with care and attention, and to find time to sit down together to share a cup that truly unites". Having as its only waste "a humus rich in life and not a plastic product ending in the stomach of a fish". Because it's true, as we have repeated many times, there are many ways to taste coffee that go beyond classic espresso - the v60 or the aeropress, just to name a few - but it's equally important to keep family traditions alive. Moka pot first. Also because a good coffee (and therefore quality grains, carefully selected, toasted artfully and ground on demand) can give us extraordinary beverages whatever the extraction method, provided it be carefully executed. In the Banco Moka di Pascucci, 7 electric burners, each for a 3-cup moka, which the customer can consume alone or share with others, with a preparation time of only two minutes.
Milan, capital of coffee
For lovers of espresso, the gorgeous lever pull machine of La Marzocco, combines the most advanced technology with an innovative design able to capture even the attention of coffee newbies. And then there's Azomico, exclusive XLVI composed of 4 silos for the preservation of coffee, able to preserve the aromas for a long time thanks to the presence of nitrogen. Among the grains available, Caffè Confuso, with the historical "confused cream" with vanilla, among the great classics of Pascucci; and then the specialty of the month (for all of July it was Peru Coe of Finca San Pedro El Shimir by Fredy Guevara, cultivated at 1,800 meter altitude, with hints of peach and vanilla, a deep note of dark chocolate and pleasantly acidulous and spicy nuances). What's new in the summer, however, is the Caffè Pompato, a cold bew - cold extracted - similar to a dark Stout beer, creamy and characterized by a thick foam and velvety taste, poured directly into the glass. "In 2018 Milan is becoming the real world capital of coffee" - after the most recent openings of Cafezal, Milan Roastery and Cofficina Ticinese 58, soon will be the turn of the great Starbucks Reserve in Piazza Cordusio - "the auspice is that this vitality can infect other cities, starting from historic ports such as Trieste, Genoa and that uniqueness that is Naples ". To return to being truly the "homeland of coffee transformation".
Pascucci Moka – Milan – Piazza Duca d'Aosta - www.pascucci.it/
by Michela Becchi
translated by Eleonora Baldwin
