Espresso Romano is made by combining an espresso shot with a lemon slice or lemon juice and a teaspoon of sugar. You can either squeeze or drop the slice into the espresso. It’s a fruitier drink that can be served hot, cold, or even iced.
Maybe you’ve ever wondered what it means when you get a slice of lemon next to your regular espresso or you already know what an Espresso Romano is. Either way, I’m sure I can teach you a thing or two about the unpopular Espresso Romano.
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What Is Espresso Romano?
Espresso Romano is made by combining an espresso shot with a lemon slice or lemon juice and a teaspoon of sugar. You can either squeeze or drop the slice into the espresso. It’s a fruitier drink that can be served hot, cold, or even iced.
It’s not that popular and people are often confused about why they get a slice of lemon next to their regular espresso. Well, this is the reason why.
What Does Espresso Romano Taste Like?
When you combine espresso and lemon, the sharpness and acidity of the lemon are balanced out by the intensity and bitterness of the espresso. Because of the coffee’s bitterness, the acidity stands out, as does the aroma of the lemon.
It’s important to use high-quality beans and lemons since low-quality beans will play with the bitterness and intensity, and drown out the unique flavors of the lemon.
The lemon makes it a fruitier and more well-balanced drink. It’s a must-try if you think the regular Espresso is too bitter for you.
The History Of The Espresso Romano
You might think “Aha, but it comes from Rome or perhaps Romania!”. Well, funny enough it doesn’t. Nobody really knows where it comes from. Some people claim it was invented by the Americans, while others think it came from France.
Italians are known for their coffee and inventions but there is no evidence that it came from Italy either.
During the first and second World Wars, there were limitations on imports in Italy. Italians were then forced to consume cheap instant coffee, often supplied by American soldiers. At this time it likely tasted horrible to the Italians and completely unlike the coffee widely available today.
As the Italians only had access to poor-quality coffee, it’s likely that it was combined with lemon to conceal the more undesirable flavors of American coffee.
Even though you could think this is what happened, nobody really knows the truth, so take this with a grain of salt.
How To Make Espresso Romano At Home
Preparing an Espresso Romano is actually fairly simple. Pull a shot or 2 of espresso (use a moka pot if you don’t have an espresso machine) and serve it with a twist of lemon and sugar. Depending on how much you like lemon or have to balance things out, you can squeeze the lemon juice into the coffee or drop the slice in it.
Now sit back and relax or work on an article while sipping on your espresso romano, just like me right now.
The Bottom Line
The Espresso Romano is nothing more than a shot or 2 of espresso in combination with a slice of lemon juice and some sugar. It can be served hot, cold or iced and brings a refreshing taste to your regular espresso.
Nobody really knows exactly where the espresso romano was invented. But people tend to think it comes from Italy when the Italians were served poor-quality American coffee during both World Wars, where they started adding lemon juice to the coffee to get rid of the horrible taste.
I think they fit each other perfectly and I’ve been a huge fan since I found out about it, but I really like lemons and their sharp taste so maybe that’s just me.
