#when you're having cappuccino after 11am

[bellobambino]

[sourwormsaresour]

What do you think are the team's go-to coffee/tea orders?

I know that Italy has a particular coffee culture, so let's see how the team follows it (or not¯\_(ツ)_/¯).

Prosciutto follows coffee culture in Italy almost to a T. Coffee after 11am must not have any milk unless you're some sort of child (looking at you, Pesci) and any additive like sugar or other flavorings should not hide the true taste of coffee. However, he himself doesn't have his coffee with milk in the morning unless offered to and uses his Keurig coffee maker to brew him a cup or two to start his morning; his flavor pod of choice varies each day and he usually buys whatever pods piqued his interest at the time or if it's on sale. His go-to, if offered a morning coffee with milk, is a basic cappuccino. He'll ask to have less milk in his order if allowed but otherwise isn't as particular about his coffee unless there is an obvious off-taste. After 11 am, he likes to get a pick-me-up with a either a simple espresso or a caffè lungo. If he's feeling really indulgent and wants to relax for the day, he would get a caffè corretto instead. He's not a tea person, surprisingly. He's tried to like tea but nothing can replace his usual coffee no matter what but would have simple black tea if there's no option for caffeine available.

Illuso can't help but enjoy a cappuccino any time of the day- even after the 11 am rule. Out of everyone on the team, he enjoys his coffee al banco in the afternoons the most- either with his friends, teammates, or by himself. The coffee bars he usually goes to often has as many mirrors as decorum as possible, so he would use that to people watch without interruption, gather possible intel, and possibly get away with not paying if he's in a pinch. Usually, Illuso's cappuccinos are basic but he especially likes caffè d’un parrinu if it's offered. Something about the spices reminds him of childhood when he used to often have hot chocolate with his siblings during the long winter nights, even though there is no hot chocolate in caffè d’un parrinu at all. His older sister often put spices like cinnamon and cloves to make it extra special, so he drinks this particular coffee when he feels homesick or in need of nostalgia. The only tea he drinks is ginger with some honey, but that's only when he's feeling sick or feels a cold coming in.

Sorbet is a fan of sparkling espresso. It all started when he was trying to make some flavored cold brew but the only water available to him was sparkling water. He tried it and can never stop drinking it. Sometimes, he plays around with the flavors by switching it up with the syrup flavoring but usually it's just a simple sugar syrup. His personal favorites are mint and orange, and he sometimes makes it a latte too. Sorbet doesn't drink it in front of his team members though. Even weirder- he likes it warm; someone should check on him. When it's a hot day though, he'll get a caffè freddo and has a specific shaker and strainer in his home to make them himself. He loves that frothy topping and would use that for his morning coffee instead of a cappuccino. If he's really feeling like letting loose, he'd take a carajillo with mezcal. He's tried caffè corretto but nothing beats the hard liquor.

Ghiaccio, on the other hand, hates coffee. In fact, he tries to avoid consuming anything that has caffeine, so energy drinks and teas are also a no-go for him. Energy that he does want comes straight from the food and drinks he consumes and nothing more. While it may seem like Ghiaccio doesn't drink anything, he prefers a protein shake for his mornings and a either a ginger shot or wheatgrass shot for his afternoon pickups. Usually, he just sticks to water, freshly made juice with no other additives, or herbal tea as his preferred beverage. He has to thank Melone into getting him into herbal tea, especially Chamomile and mint. Sometimes, if he's been anxious all day and needs to relax in the evening, he'd brew himself some tea before drinking it and going to bed. He's also a casual fan of tea cultures around the world and would frequent tea houses in Italy by himself or with his teammates if they want to tag along.

Risotto, like Prosciutto, also doesn't have his coffee with milk in the morning but he's really into cold brew. He's always in a rush to get things completed, so coffee to him is best served cooled down so he can just chug it. He always makes a batch of cold brew for the wee so he can quickly grab his coffee right from the fridge and down a mug or two without burning his mouth. Sometimes, that means ordering a Caffè americano in the afternoons. If he was really feeling for fresh coffee and he has time to relax, he would do pour-over, siphon, or drip coffee. In terms of drip coffee, he used to be acquainted with a Vietnamese mafioso who introduced him to cà phê sữa đá and cà phê trứng and he's been in love with it ever since. He's tried to get his team to love it too but no one was really interested besides Pesci, who tried to like it but wasn't into how strong the coffee still was even after the other stuff is added. Gelato thinks it's not strong enough.

Pesci doesn't like coffee at all but he drinks it to not be bullied any further by his team for not following coffee culture. While Prosciutto is fine with him drinking milk in the morning as part of his breakfast, he shames the mafioso for drinking anything that has too much milk in the afternoon because that's against "proper coffee rules". If he's trying to impress or avoid further bullying, Pesci will try to drink a Latte macchiato, since it has a "splash" of espresso, in the morning and then try to sneak in some milk into his afternoon coffee in some way to ease his stomach when he has to down some drinks. One way of doing that is by getting himself a caffè mocaccino. The chocolate flavor comes from him either using leftover hot chocolate mix or chocolate with a bit of milk inside of it that he can melt into his drink. At least he can proudly say he's drinking espresso and having a more mild tummy ache afterwards and the smell of chocolate fills his nose enough to distract him from the pain.

Gelato is also on team sweet coffee. As if Sorbet is weird with his coffee in Italian standards, Gelato is too. He likes buna; if the half-coffee half-tea combo isn't off putting to a snob like Prosciutto, the loads of sugar in it will. He's actually attended a Jebena Buna before and that was how he got himself into taking his coffee like so. Initially, he used to just brew tea and coffee. But once an acquaintance gifted him a Jebena, he started going all out with it. While other team members don't mind pre-ground or instant coffee at varying degrees, Gelato insists on grinding the beans himself (he tried roasting it once and there's a reason why he and Sorbet was now living in their current apartment) and will drink three cups of it every time. He spent years perfecting his pours and, honestly, he's pretty good at it. A former neighbor of his who was Ethiopian said his skills are adequate but promising; Gelato will take that compliment any day.

Melone, like Ghiaccio, doesn't like coffee and tries to avoid consuming caffeine unless he needs a pick me up. However, when he does need some caffeine, he would take in caffeinated tea via tea bags he was gifted or got on sale to drink. His absolute favorite thing to make when he needs a pick me up is Masala chai. His Desi friends introduced him to it and he can't stop making it for himself ever since; he prefers the more herbal and spicier variation. Melone has his own "secret" karha blend that he developed over the years but he continues to experiment with different flavors and variations from time to time. If there's one thing he's proud of, it's that he once made chai to a group of aunties while visiting a friend without them knowing and they all approved it. The downside is they now ask him to make chai every time he visits and will continue to hound him until he does. At least that means more gossip to listen into and more tasty biscuits to eat too.

Formaggio kind of doesn't give a shit with coffee beyond not drinking dairy after 11 am. He's the person who doesn't care where the coffee comes from or what the coffee tastes like; if it's coffee, it's coffee. His go-to is Ferrara, which he usually just brews every morning and slowly drinks out of as the day goes by. If someone gives him any coffee drink, he'll take it anyways. One thing he secretly likes and dreams of having again is kahve. He saw it brewed in a cezve once over sand at a mom-and-pop stand serving Turkish food and was instantly mesmerized. He certainly felt fancy drinking it out of a kahve fincani and used to visit that stand in Italy for his coffee until it was shut down due to the owners retiring. Poor Formaggio tried to recreate it at home and that resulted in a home smelling like burned coffee for a few weeks and still finding sand to clean up since. While he doesn't mind it flavored or sweetened, he prefers it unsweetened and hopes to one day find a place that can make his beloved coffee again.