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Rome · Italy

Sant'Eustachio Il Caffè

Since 1938

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Overview

Sant'Eustachio Il Caffè opened in 1938 in Piazza Sant'Eustachio — between Piazza Navona and the Pantheon — on the site of an earlier 19th-century 'Caffè e Latte.' The original mosaic floor and interior remain. Brothers Raimondo and Roberto Ricci have owned the cafe since 1999 and turned its house blend toward 100% Arabica sourced from small South American cooperatives, including Coopfam in Minas Gerais (a fair-trade partner since 1998). The cafe is unusual among Roman institutions in that it still wood-fire roasts on-site. Its 'crema segreta' — a sweet, velvety natural foam on the espresso, produced without sugar in the cup — is the most-discussed barista technique in Rome and has never been publicly explained.

Known for

  • Continuous wood-fired on-site roasting since 1938 — rare among Roman cafes today
  • 'Crema segreta' technique — naturally sweet espresso foam produced without added sugar in the cup
  • Site has served coffee since the early 1800s (predecessor 'Caffè e Latte'); current cafe opened 1938
  • Original 1938 mosaic floor and furnishings still in place
  • Direct-trade fair-trade Arabica partnership with Coopfam (Minas Gerais, Brazil) since 1998
  • Deer-with-cross logo references the legend of St. Eustace and the Basilica di Sant'Eustachio next door

Why it matters

Sant'Eustachio is one of the last Roman institutions where the espresso bar still controls its own roast. Most famous Roman cafes long ago contracted out roasting to large industrial houses; Sant'Eustachio still wood-fires beans on the same Piazza Sant'Eustachio premises it has occupied since 1938, with the same family stewardship since 1999. The 'crema segreta' is not just a marketing curiosity — it's a technique that survived nearly a century of Italian coffee industrialization.

Production

destoning
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head roaster
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color sorting
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roaster machine
Wood-fired traditional drum roaster (in continuous use since 1938)
filter equipment
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cupping frequency
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roastery location
On-site at Piazza di S. Eustachio 82, Rome
espresso equipment
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annual volume tonnes
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Café

Piazza di S. Eustachio 82, 00186 Roma

Recognitions

  • Continuous operation since 1938 in Piazza Sant'Eustachio
  • Site has served coffee since the early 1800s (industry consensus)

Sources

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