Quality characteristics of "espresso" coffee: a study performed through coffee shops

Within the collaboration between University of Bologna and the company P.A. C.S. of Francesco Segafredo & C. spa, a study on the quality of "espresso" coffee was carried out through a large area of Central and Northern Italy. 88 coffee shops have been visited and the "quality in cup" was evaluated by some characteristics such as pH, solid content per cent, volume, grams of ground coffee used, cream consistence. Samples of roasted and ground coffee collected from every shop were also analysed (density, moisture content %, water activity, weight loss %, colour). From results it was possible to de scribe a typical profile of roasted coffee as "Italian style". Moreover, fo r two different groups of regions, a "fingerprint" of "espresso" coffee was drawn.