Glossary

Italian coffee words

The words you will meet at the bar, on a coffee bag and on the parts of the pot, with the meaning in English where there is one.

Find a word

affogatodrowned: A scoop of vanilla ice cream with hot coffee poured over it. At home.
al bancoat the counter: Standing at the bar to drink your coffee, the usual way in Italy. More.
ammazzacaffècoffee-killer: A small glass of liqueur or spirit taken after the coffee at the end of a long meal.
barcafé: In Italy the bar is where coffee is drunk in the morning, as much as anything stronger later in the day.
baristathe person behind the bar: Whoever makes the coffee at the counter. Not a job title from a menu board, just the word for it.
beccucciospout: The pointed lip of the upper chamber that you pour from. Parts of the pot.
caffècoffee: Ordered at a bar, it means an espresso: a small cup, no milk. Everything else needs a longer word.
caffè d’orzobarley coffee: A drink made from roasted barley, without caffeine. Many bars make it in a small or large cup.
caffè sospesosuspended coffee: The Neapolitan custom of paying for a second coffee for someone who comes in later and cannot.
caffellattecoffee with milk: A large cup of hot milk with coffee in it, the classic home breakfast. At home.
caffettieracoffee pot: Any coffee pot for the hob. Most of the time it means the moka pot; the older flip pot is the napoletana.
caldaiaboiler: The lower chamber that holds the water and carries the safety valve. Parts of the pot.
cappuccinocappuccino: Espresso with steamed milk and a cap of foam. For many Italians a morning drink rather than one for after a meal.
correttocorrected: An espresso with a small splash of spirit, often grappa or sambuca.
cremacrema: The tan foam on top of an espresso. A moka pot does not make real crema; that needs far more pressure.
creminalittle cream: The pale, sweet foam made by beating the first coffee from the pot with sugar. How.
cucchiainoteaspoon: The tiny spoon that comes on the saucer, for stirring in sugar.
doppiodouble: Two shots of espresso in one cup.
filtrofilter plate: The perforated metal disc held in the gasket under the upper chamber. Replacing it.
guarnizionegasket: The rubber or silicone ring that seals the pot. Replace it when it hardens. How.
imbutofunnel: The funnel-shaped basket that holds the ground coffee and sits in the boiler.
latte macchiatostained milk: A tall glass of hot foamed milk with coffee poured in, so the milk is “stained” rather than the coffee.
lungolong: An espresso with more water run through it. Thinner and more bitter than a normal caffè.
macchiatostained: An espresso with a spot of milk foam on top. In a bar, “un macchiato” is the small one.
macinatoground: Ground coffee. A bag marked for moka is ground medium-fine, a little coarser than for an espresso machine.
macininogrinder: A coffee grinder, often the old wooden box kind with a crank on top and a small drawer underneath.
miscelablend: A blend of coffees roasted together. Most coffee in Italian homes is a miscela rather than a single origin.
mokamoka pot: The eight-sided stovetop pot that is the subject of this whole site.
napoletanaNeapolitan flip pot: An older stovetop pot. The water is boiled, then the pot is turned upside down and the water drips through the coffee.
neroblack: In Trieste, the word many people use at the bar for a plain espresso.
piattinosaucer: The small saucer under the tazzina.
raccoglitoreupper chamber: The top half of the pot, where the brewed coffee collects. Parts of the pot.
ristrettorestricted: A shorter espresso: less water through the same coffee, thicker and sweeter.
scontrinoreceipt: In busy bars you often settle at the till first and hand the receipt to the barista. More.
shakeratoshaken: Coffee shaken hard with ice and sugar and poured foaming into a glass. At home.
tazzacup: A cup in general, and the large breakfast cup for caffellatte.
tazzinalittle cup: The small, thick-walled cup for espresso, and the unit a moka pot is measured in. It gave this site its name.
tostaturaroast: How darkly the beans are roasted. Coffee for the moka is often a medium to dark roast.
valvolasafety valve: The small valve on the boiler that lets out steam if the pressure climbs too high. Checking it.
zuccherosugar: Offered with every coffee. If you want yours without, the word is amaro, bitter.