A cappuccino senza schiuma is equivalent to an Australian flat white…a cappuccino without the foam. It has less milk than a latte , not quite as much milk froth as a cappuccino and no chocolate sprinkled on top. (By the way, if you order a latte in Italy you will get a glass of hot milk, you must ask for a caffe latte)
It seems that the flat white is spreading around the world. Australian coffee culture was started by Italians (thank you) but has developed a life of its own and now we are sharing our coffee style with coffee lovers in other places.
There was an article in our local paper (in Brisbane) recently telling of the introduction in the 1980s of the simply named “flat white”. It has spread like wild fire here and now it has moved to London and Paris and is heading to USA via Starbucks.
I would never order a cappuccino senza schiuma in famous Italian cafes such as Tazza D’Oro, Caffe Greco or Caffe St Eustacchio in Rome, or the wonderful Giacosa in Florence, their coffee is perfect, but if I am in an unfamiliar place I do. I don’t like to get half a cup full of froth.
Coffee at Giacosa
Caffe Greco Rome
Tazza D’Oro Rome
cappuccino senna schiuma and apple sfoglia at Il Monaco in Ponte a Serraglio
So…if you are an Australian accustomed to drinking a flat white, ask for a cappuccino senza schiuma in Italy. You may be looked at a little strangely, but it will happen.
Many years ago, when I lived in a tiny village near Sorrento, my then husband’s sister in law used to bring me a delicious espresso topped up with milk still warm from their cow…that was a good coffee.
How do you like your coffee?