Anyone who has visited Salento, especially in hot weather, knows that there is a categorical imperative at the bar: the coffee must be enjoyed with ice, and maybe even with a hint of almond milk. Some call it caffè salentino, some caffè leccese, some simply say iced coffee. But where did this tradition originate? It all started directly in Lecce about 70 years ago, in the historic bars of the Quarta family, which is still the reference point in terms of coffee roasting in this part of Puglia.
From Lecce or Salento: the origins
Here’s the story told by Gaetano Quarta, the coffee grader of the family company and great-grandson of Antonio Quarta, who first came up with the idea: “In his bar, called La casa del caffè, he sold the coffee he roasted as well as blocks of ice for preserving foodstuffs,” since at the time there were no refrigerators and food was kept fresh in ice boxes. He also had the great idea of combining the two things to beat the summer heat: the ice was broken up and small irregular cubes of it were then placed directly into the steaming cup, just sweetened according to customer preferences.
Soffiato and shakerato
Many years have passed and the technique has changed, but not by much. Now, as Gaetano explains, in addition to the traditional iced coffee, you can ask the bar to have it soffiato (blown) or shakerato (shaken), two techniques that add a soft cream to the taste of the coffee chilled by the ice. “In the first case, soffiato, air is added with the steam used for making cappuccino, which lets you create an emulsion and makes a drink that’s a bit longer; in the case of shakerato it’s shaken by hand, as if it were a cocktail in a shaker.”
Coffee, ice, almond milk
Although nothing keeps you from making it at home with espresso from a moka pot, for Gaetano Quarta the real caffè salentino requires using the freshest espresso made from a bar’s coffee machine. Of course, the coffee blend used is also important. For the past four generations, the Quartas have been using their own family blend, which can be found in many bars in the area, but especially in Avio Bar in Lecce, which is the family bar of the great-grandfather Antonio. The blends roasted by the Quarta family are called Avio and Gran Caffè, or Barocco, in honor of the architectural style of the city where they live, and they are all 90% arabica and 10% robusta. The quality of the ice is also fundamental, which shouldn’t have holes and possibly be made not with tap water, but with bottled or at the least filtered water. Finally, the sweet note, which should be measured as carefully as you would a tailored suit: either a teaspoon of sugar or a drop of almond milk, straight into the still-hot coffee so it can dissolve properly. In the case of almond milk, this is more of a Salento tradition and Gaetano suggests using as natural a product as possible (and from Puglia, of course), because the creaminess given by a handmade product is unique.