Who says that in the South they only drink Robusta?
Italian or French breakfast? Italian, of course, Neapolitan even! I choose a brioche croissant filled with custard and sour cherry, and I taste the Espresso Blend Napoli 70% Arabica (Colombia, India, Brazil, Ethiopia) and 30% Robusta (Uganda) blend, which reminds me of dried fruit, caramel, with a hint of red berry acidity at the end.
Between conversations, I also try the cappuccino: well-balanced, with a soft, smooth, and sweet cream. Here you can choose many different types of milk. And finally… an espresso (double!) from Nicaragua, Finca Agua Sarga at 1410 m.a.s.l.: blueberry, chocolate, sour cherry, and an aftertaste of watermelon and rose… truly out of this world! All the coffees offered are meticulously selected and roasted by Vincenzo.
Is it true that only Robusta is consumed in Naples?
Yes, it is! Or blends with a high percentage of Robusta because people think that bitterness equals good taste.
What kind of clientele do you have in your coffee shop?
60% are foreigners, while 40% are Italians/Neapolitans. People here are starting to understand that the coffee they like, with hints of chocolate and hazelnut, can be different here; it's not burnt.
I noticed that you've maintained a Neapolitan style, both in the coffee shop's decor and in the coffee packaging: the cold brew, for example, features the majolica tiles from the Cloister of Santa Chiara.
That's right! I took over this coffee shop years ago; it opened in 2012, and I wanted to maintain the Neapolitan style of the '80s and '90s; I didn't want to opt for a minimalist style typical of specialty coffee shops.
There's a varied selection of croissants here... do you also suggest any pairings to your customers?
Quite often, we advise our customers to try the jams, we try to create pairings between the desserts offered, the jams, and the coffees. The croissants are fresh artisanal products that arrive every morning from a Neapolitan pastry shop.
How did Caffè Sansone Microtorrefazione Artigianale come about and what special features does it offer?
I have always been a very curious person; I pushed myself to study coffee in all its forms and wanted to create my own brand and my own blend, relating it, however, to the situation I was in and still am today. My goal is to create a proper Neapolitan espresso, not burnt. Preparing only specialty coffee, from my point of view, is a somewhat strong choice that leads you to close yourself off in a niche. I have a street-side business, so I can't do that.
I select and roast the coffee myself every day; I have a laboratory here near the coffee shop. I also offer private training courses dedicated to my customers and curious individuals to help them become more aware of coffee. I started here with a small 1 kg electric roaster: people would come here and see me roasting coffee. This was the first micro-roastery in Naples with an attached coffee shop. Now I have a 6 kg Giesen, more customers, but they always embrace the concept of quality. I also work with Michelin-starred restaurants; I try to train and follow my customers in detail to give them more awareness. You need a coffee menu; you need to talk about the product and explain how it's prepared. If the coffee isn't talked about, the consumer can't understand it.
"O cafè s’adda piglià cu tutt’o core": coffee must be taken with all your heart!
Naples... a city to experience, in all its forms... old and new!