Chillaxin’ Italian Style: Coffee Break Edition

What would the working day look like without those ten golden minutes, in which you can unplug your brain and take your thoughts elsewhere?

We really deserved it!

Italy 1968: coffee break turns popular, thanks to the raging protest movements. In fact, during the period of demonstrations, the workers’ movements incited strikes and protests in the factories. The goal was to obtain improved rights in the workplace. All this also led to the transformation of the concept of break. From that moment on people started to consider it as deserved time and no longer as time stolen from the company. Little by little, coffee vending machines became increasingly present in the offices. Kicking off a business in which Italy holds the European record. In fact, according to statistics, 1 in 2 Italians drinks coffee in front of a vending machine.

Caffeine please!

Today the coffee break is a more than consolidated habit and is part of our daily life in every way. The coffee break, in other words, is a must, which we simply cannot give up. But what are its benefits? First of all, the coffee break promotes socialization. Work colleagues meet at the nearest  bar, or at the vending machine to chat. To share thoughts or just to complain a little. In this way, coffee reinforce relationships  and releases tensions. Secondly, the coffee break is used to recover energy. In fact, we know well the energizing properties of coffee. Caffeine helps us feel less tired and, therefore, keep the brain active. Furthermore, spending ten minutes away from the computer screen can be essential to regain concentration and improve work performance.

Dolce far niente lifestyle: where

Our favorite place to consume coffee is definitely in the comfort of our home. Most of the time we prepare the every morning coffee using the famous  moka. The coffee machine par excellence that all Italians have used at least once in their lives. However, bars remain, by far, the favorite places to consume the black drink. If it is a roastery, a place where the coffee is not only extracted but also selected and roasted, even better! In Rome the most famous are Tazza d’oro and Caffè Sant’Eustachio, Castroni and Mondi.

Italian coffee: between tradition and innovation

As we know, Italians love coffee and its various preparations. Among the extraction methods, the capsule machine and the espresso machine are, without a doubt, the favourites. Espresso confirms its primacy. In the small cup and also transformed into a cappuccino. Today, however, the trend for specialty coffee is taking hold all over the world, and therefore also in Italy. That is, the trendiest coffee, already familiar to the younger generations because of social medias. Our baristas should be prepared to be asked for a Flat white instead of a cappuccino, or a Cortado instead of a latte..

The coffee break around the world

Germans call it kaffeeklatsch, a moment to talk, gossip and lighten up your working days. In Sweden, the term is fika, which is more a lifestyle than just a word. It represents that moment of calm, while enjoying coffee and pastries, to share not only with colleagues but also with family or friends. The British call it tea time. In Turkey, coffee is offered to guests as a symbol of welcome and intrepretation of the coffee grounds. Arabian people calls coffee qahwa and represents a moment of social connection and mutual respect. In the United States, coffee to go is now a deep-rooted habit and accompanies the frenzy of typical US working days.

To conclude: the coffee break

Whether it’s once a day or more than one, the coffee break is no longer considered a waste of time. But a way to recharge the batteries and face the day with more serenity.
So what’s better than a good coffee, in good company? And if you want to know more, come and drink at least one with us.