«Italians share coffee to beat price rise» Telegraph.co.uk reported on the 8th of January. The source was the article from the Italian newspaper La Stampa reporting that «As the price rises, a new trend is born: “coffee-sharing”». And it added that at coffee bars in Partinico, in the province of Palermo, «now clients are used to sharing an espresso among two or three people to contrast the price risen from € 0.70 to € 0.90». This because of «low incomings, unemployment and economic crisis».
Cannot Sicilians really afford a cup of espresso anymore? Not exactly, Coffee Taster reports. «It is true that in Partinico people use to share their coffee, but not to contrast the rise of price – Alessio Mazzurco from “Bar Liberty” told us – They do that to avoid gastrointestinal annoyances». It is well known that in Sicily, as well as in Southern Italy more in general, a larger amount of Robusta is used in espresso blends. This gives more cream to the coffee and a stronger body, but also more caffeine and is less digestible. At “Bar del Viale”, always in Partinico, we were told that «you can take a coffee like ours maximum twice or three times a day». As people usually go to the bar when they meet and have an espresso, they share it to avoid exaggerating in its consumption. This can also happen in Palermo. Sharing a coffee is not just about saving money, it is about health.

(Carlo Odello)