Basics about an Affogato – Italian’s Classic

When you go to specialty coffee shops, the drinks on menus are usually either hot or cold. Among all the choices, there is always an eye-catching one, a delicacy that has both hot and cold properties, and that is Affogato.

The story of Affogato

Italy as the origin of Affogato, its name was also derived from the Italian word affogare, which literally translates to “drowned” in English. Interestingly, the name somehow depicts what the drink is like – because Affogato is nothing more than a scoop of ice cream “drowned” in espresso.

Although Affogato is symbolized as Italian’s classic, its history is untraceable. One thing that can be estimated is that Affogato emerged and started to spread in the late 1900s, soon after the invention of espresso machine.

It remains an intense debate till now whether Affogato should be categorized as a dessert or a beverage. For those who are in favour of Affogato as a dessert, they emphasize the way they consume it. Because a large volume of it is solid, a spoon is needed when you enjoy the delicacy. Despite the controversies over what category an Affogato belongs to, people have come up with a consensus on the way they should eat it. That is, to pour the hot coffee over ice cream right before serving and eat it before it melts.

Steps to make an Affogato

Step 1: First pick a delicate bowl and add a generous scoop or two of fior di latte ice cream (you may replace it with vanilla ice cream).

*More to know: “fior di latte” means “flower of milk” in English, which is a type of ice cream that is made only with dairy, sugar and starch, without any egg yolk.

Step 2: Add some shaved chocolate.

Step 3: Pour a fresh espresso shot over it.

Step 4: Decorate your Affogato with more shaved chocolate or a touch of chocolate syrup. You may also add cantuccini/ biscotti (aka Italian cookies) or Crème Chantilly (a type of French cream) to make yours fancier. Now it’s ready to serve!

Affogato variations

Variations of Affogato can be subtle and sophisticated. Ingredients such as syrup, oilseeds and biscottis can incorporate well into Affogato. If you are more prone to novel beverages and are passionate about coffee cocktails, make sure you don’t miss out the alcoholic versions that are made with liqueurs or wine.

People usually call the alcoholic variation as Affogato Corretto. Some prepare it with grappa, a type of Italian grape pomace brandy. Besides that, a traditional Irish liqueur made with whisky and milk called Baileys can also be used. It has a quite high reputation in coffee alcoholic drink because of its flavour blends harmoniously with Affogato. Some also recommend coffee liqueur like kahlua.

Homemade Affogato

It is a specialty delicacy, but definitely not as hard to make as you expected. The key here is to use highly concentrated coffee. Because it is a homemade version, it doesn’t really matter to use espresso machines, moka, Brikka, capsules, or even instant coffee.

If you want to make the classic one, you certainly need espresso. Even if you don’t have an espresso machine, it is also fine to use a moka pot, or prepare more concentrated filter coffee.

Here we offer you a couple of espresso blends made from 100% Arabica that might be suitable for your cup. Before Sunset, a city roast blend from South & Central America and Africa that has a rich flavour profile, giving your cup a sense of toffee, berries, full-bodied as well as a long-lasting aftertaste. If you prefer a medium to high roast coffee, New Light blend from South & Central America might also be a good choice. It gives you an herb-like, malic acid, mild and balanced cup.