The speciality coffee scene in Italy is slowly, but surely evolving – at least in the main cities. Every time I go back to Milan or Rome or Florence I find new cafes have opened which use speciality coffee beans or offer filter coffee on their menus. A good sign of better things to come. On my last visit to Milan I had the pleasure to discover Taglio Caffè & Emporio, one of my favourite spots for coffee, brunch and aperitivo in the city.
If you love simple and delicious Italian dishes made with the best ingredients, then look no further than Taglio.
Taglio is an all-day deli, coffee shop and restaurant in Via Vigevano, nearby the trendy and buzzing area of the Navigli.
When I visited Milan in March for the 2nd Italian AeroPress Championship, Taglio was the place where myself and the event’s organisers met for coffee, brunch and aperitivo in the evening.
Milan’s Taglio is a shop of many things. It’s the kind of place to go to when you want an espresso, or some poached eggs for breakfast, or a lovely loaf of bread and some prosciutto to take home, or a bottle of wine and a fresh lunch, or a snifter of Braulio‘s 2008 Reserve amaro. A cafe, kitchen, bar, and convenience store, where every product is considered and delicious. [Sprudge]
On the day of the championship I visited Taglio for brunch and my friends literally took over the bar. Taglio’s owner Raffaele Sangiovanni kindly let Edy (Terrone Coffee) and Callum (Young Barista) go behind the bar to make espressos and cappuccinos, while Lucian prepared AeroPress and V60 filter coffee.
In addition to espresso-based drinks, Taglio serves filter coffee (which is still a rarity in Italy) so they have a range of brewing machines like V60, AeroPress and Chemex. They regularly change their coffees to offer samples from roasters all over the world, but they also have a number of custom-made lightly roasted blends from Taf Roastery in Greece.
The baristas working at Taglio are knowledgeable about coffee, blends and brewing methods so they will be able to advise you and recommend the best coffee drink to suit your tastes.
When it comes to the food, Taglio focuses on simple and high-quality ingredients, as it is in the Italian culinary tradition. Lunch, aperitivo and dinner menus offer Milanese dishes as well as cheese and charcuterie boards (they also have a deli counter where you can purchase these products from).
The brunch menu deviates from the Italian cuisine to offer English-style egg dishes.
At Taglio they prepare the best Eggs Royale I’ve had in Italy: a large portion, made with great ingredients.
Next time you visit Milan, don’t miss the opportunity to stop at Taglio for great coffee, aperitivo (try the Select Spritz!) and brunch.
Looking for more brunch options in Milan? Read my post about Blanche Bistrot, Milan.
[…] I hope our (Italian) approach to coffee will change soon, it would be a shame to lose our long tradition in coffee making. I think that a bigger effort should be placed by cafés to source good quality beans and train baristas on grinding and brewing techniques. It will take years to change people attitude towards coffee, but I am starting to see positive signs from a few Italian roasters and coffee producers (see my review of Taglio in Milan). […]