Ep. 1842 Andrea Morettino | Wine, Food & Travel With Marc Millon

The Italian wine podcast is the community driven platform for Italian winegeeks around the world. Support the show by donating at italian wine podcast dot com. Donate five or more Euros, and we'll send you a copy of our latest book, my Italian Great Geek journal. Absolutely free. To get your free copy of my Italian GreatGeek journal, click support us at Italianpodcast dot com, or wherever you get your pods. Welcome to wine food and travel. With me, Mark Millen, on Italian wine podcast. Listen in as we journey to some of Italy's most beautiful places in the company of those who know them best. The families who grow grapes and make fabulous wines. Through their stories, we'll learn not just about their wines, but also about their ways of life, the local and regional foods and specialties that pair naturally with their wines, and the most beautiful places to visit. We have a wonderful journey of discovery ahead of us. And I hope you will join me. Welcome to wine, food, and travel with me, Mark Minon, on Italian wine podcast. Today, it's my great pleasure to travel to Palermo to meet my guest, Andrea Morritino, the fourth generation of the Morritino family business specializing in one of Italy's most Quintessential products and beverages. No. Not wine, but coffee. Thank you so much for being my guest today. How are you and is the sun shining in palermo? Is really sunny day. So thank you for this nice call in a spring day. I'm imagining, bringing in palermo. I was last in palermo in November. It was pretty nice in November too. You're lucky to have such a good climate, especially compared to what we have here in England. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. I think we we lost the memories of our winter because, from, the late summer, we passed directly for, for springtime. So is amazing. This may be for the climate change. We we are assisting. They are right in twenty, twenty two degrees right now. Wow. God, that's amazing. Now we we'll talk about climate change a little bit later because it's very relevant to your story. But first of all, your family have been coffee roasters for four generations. Tell us the story of your family business. Yeah. We are a master coffee roaster family since, ninety twenties, Our story began in the spices and colonial family shop in twenties of my grandpa, non Northuro. So, we could say we celebrated a few years ago, our, century. We spent All our whole life loving coffee, carried on the ancilean coffee tradition and the value of slowness. This is our secret to create more tino craftmanship coffee solution. And I love to say, what's my grandpa, no no Angel, say that, is my vision. So to create an artist and a coffee, of excellence. It requires the right time and dedication. Okay. So it's a really traditional artist in a business. Been going for more than a hundred years. Now, Andrea, Andrea, coffee is not a product of Italy. Well, maybe it is now, and we'll talk about your coffee in a moment. But it's become such an important part of Italian life and living. When did coffee first arrive in Italy? In, in global, perception, I mean, Italy is, the house of coffee because of, how our, lifestyle, you know, express especially is a symbol of, Italian, land and Italian people, like, pizza or maybe wine or olive oil. But we have to to go to the ancient sea route from Ethiopia and yemen maybe that was the original country of first arabica coffee. And thanks to the the the root of colonials, merchants. Maybe in the seventeenth century, they came from Arab domination first into Sicily and then pass, with the Venition merchants into European first, roots. So coffee came here. We love to say, with other, colonials and spices. So we were able to bring these raw materials from, arabas countries We we do all our heritage in selection, of this kind of materials. And this is why we have this kind of, huge perception, a huge, knowledge about coffee because we were the first people and first, producer that started to select and to manage the blend so to create that unique receptor that is really now well known in all over the world. Okay. That's really, really interesting. And in emphasizing the importance of sicilians in spreading coffee culture. As you say, perhaps the venetians took coffee up to the north of Italy. And from there, coffee spread to to the Austrians, for example, the wonderful coffee houses in Vienna, but that culture, and that expertise came via the Arabs. But that coffee culture is really important in Sicily and really important to the people palermo. Right? We used to to to say a lot to our guests, throw a coffee. We say a, welcome in Sicily. Thanks to our coffee. And we say goodbye after a good stay together in Sicily with a coffee. So coffee is a significant symbol of our heritage of our culture. So it's really linked to hospitality. Yeah. Yeah. Definitely. Okay. Now tell us about the coffee culture in palermo. What coffee do people drink mainly? And at what time of day? What are the most important moments in the day for sicilians for palermitani to drink coffee. So coffee in palermo is a a ritual that began, in the morning. In the early morning, we love to make a a democca coffee pot. Because you have all the aroma of the smell of coffee that come into the house in each rooms and say a lot to the family. It's the time to wake up. So mocha coffee pot is a really traditional way to make a coffee at home. After that, we have many different moment of the day in which we consume coffee and we pass to espresso. Espresso is a symbol of, Italian lifestyle, and, especially for sicilian, we love slow artisan blend coffee selection. So, we used to pass, many moment of the day, sharing a cap, a a cup of espresso in the, coffee bar. Okay. And would people drink cappuccino? Yes. Cappuccino is, another option we're we're blending the the the blend of coffee with milk. So it's a traditional morning, coffee. And during the day, especially in new generation, are trying to give him back the the right value of the time in consumption of coffee. So we are starting to appreciate some brewing, some filter coffee preparation, especially in single origin arabica coffee. Because our coffee is a retail. So we love to appreciate the the culture and the meaning of each coffee, not just with the, needs of caffeine, but with a deep meaning of sharing integration, friendship. Oh, that's that's really interesting, Andrea. So, Rudy, it's a change in the coffee culture for this new generation. A more greater awareness of the origins of the coffee of single origin coffee, I guess, of the degree or the quality of roasting that an artisan roaster such as Morritino can achieve and people are really looking at coffee in a new way beyond going to just, the bar and having an espresso. Yes. Definitely. We are going in, in this duration of specialty coffee, because we could, aggregate some deep, unscient, coffee with our low purchase. And, we are opening with the all our, coffee search, and with new project of Mouritino Cafe, into introducing a coffee experience. Coffee is a ritual that should be appreciated more. So coffee is really popular. Especially is a symbol of Medi Italy, but we, observe that, we need to take the hand of the people into a a deep, knowledge into a more, experience, kind of conception. Okay. That that is, a really interesting development. Now, just just while we're talking about espresso. My, experience in Italy and in Sicily, in particular, is that most people at a bar when they have an espresso a cafe, they'll put in sugar. Is that is that generally the case? Coffee is with sugar? Oh, yeah. Thank you for, for, the the the point. We, we believe that sugar is not friend of a coffee because the good coffee has a good process, a good kind of roasting, a good seasoning, the right time, of hygiene. So you have to understand all the organ collective profile, all the roman notes, all the testing profile, in natural, testing. So no sugar is permitted. We we love to drink it naturally. So maybe mainly people during the years were forced to add sugar because of, in the past, many roastery had the darker roasting. The coffee was too dark. So with a dark roaster, you have something like to bitter. You have, bitter sensation during the taste. So maybe people need to add some sugar to have, a balance. But from our side, sugar is not allowed. It's not permitted during, really natural coffee experience. Okay. I'm glad you've clarified that. That's a very important point. And, as you say, you lose the subtleties and the nuances and the real quality of coffee, unless you taste it carefully as if you were tasting wine. Italian wine podcast. If you think you love wine as much as we do, then give us a like and a follow anywhere you get your pods. Now, you're a family of Artisan Coffee roasters. So Can you explain to us where the process begins? The process of selecting the coffee beans and the process of roasting. What are you looking for? And what are maybe a few examples of coffees that are very typical for Mauritino, some of your flagship coffees that people love. Thank you. Our coffee selection came from most of many important countries in the coffee belt. Such as, Peru, Mexico, Brazil, Guatemala, in the central and South American area. And then we select, some Ethiopian, Kenya, Uganda, Uganda, two from, African countries, and then we have, some robust selection, mainly from India and Indonesia. So this contact with direct small producer and the knowledge of each territory, each aroma's, potential of each coffee. Let us to have the knowledge of which kind of coffee for a different creation of blending, the selection and the testing in our Moreno quality lab, let us understand deeply, which could be the potential of those green coffee. After that, when we select coffee, we have the, more details, low, distinctive, process of roasting because, we used to have just pure hot air roasting process. It means a natural roasting that respect the raw materials respect the coffee and the respect consumers. Our coffee selection could be appreciated during the years for the constancy and the consistency of, the tasting. Okay. So so it really is that selection making the blends from all of those various green coffee beans and then the roasting, the slow roasting. Yeah. And after that, we used to have a uniqueness like, some aging time like the good wine for some espresso blend that need more time. This is why the sloperishes and the time it's a fundamental aspect, and it has a fundamental role in our mouritino heritage and in our mouritino process. Wow. I didn't know that, that coffee improved with aging. Yeah. For the bar and for coffee shop, you need to let the time to have the good motivation of the blend to let all the aroma and to let all the organoletic profile to be assembled and to became the aroma of those blends. Okay. Now just a basic question, can you explain to our listeners the the difference in organoleptically between arabica and robusta coffees. Yeah. Sure. Arabica, basically, we used to pick in, either a mountain area. Instead robusta, lower altitude. In a creation of the blend, arabica has more floral notes, typical from flowers, from fruity notes, like a good white wine. It's a it has, especially aroma composing in the blend. Instead, robusta rule in the composition of a blend, giving us more body, the structure of the the the the espresso, we call the crema. So mixing and, blending the good arabica and the finest robusta, we could have, special heart is an express blend. Okay. And I like the way you're explaining this for our listeners here on Italian Martin podcast. In terms that are very relevant to wines. We're talking about aromas. We're talking about textures. We're talking about structure as well to create that artisan blend. So it's very interesting to hear that. Now just as in wine, we have more and more we're seeing in Italy. We're seeing the concept of crew of single vineyard wines. Just, tell us maybe one or two of your favorite and most popular single origin coffee. Just speaking about the comparison of wine and coffee, you're right. We are amazing, similar aspects. And, you should know in a, cup of espresso. You have more than one thousand and five hundred different kind of notes. A cup of wine average, I, I heard about seventy or, eight hundred. So That's amazing. It's not it's not easy to to have this kind of, knowledge in a espresso tasting. Speaking is about the single origin coffee. You we are used to speak about arabica crew, usually a single origin coffee, came from arabica, variety. And, like in a crew of wine, we had the chance to go deeply into understanding the aroma the notes, and all the the difficult kind of profile. So one of my best coffee for sure is our experimental project. That, let us arrive into a native sicilian, grew and not in sicilian coffee from our land. So we are very proud of this kind of achievement. And, we will speak about the really sweet notes from this tasting we had. Okay. Well, that is really interesting. And it's a good moment to turn to this fascinating project that's utterly unique. You mentioned earlier, Andrea, the coffee belt, this area of the world, mainly between the tropics of cancer and capricorn. Is that right where most of the world's coffee is grown? Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Mostly. So we are well outside of the the coffee belt with your project. Tote us about growing coffee in Sesame. We could say Yeah. We are very from far from the coffee belt. So, through the years, the coffee plants have ground from the seeds. We have from botanical garden in and we are at about, three hundred fifty meters above the sea level. So, they were able to adapt it to the sisilent climate at a way I get ready to than those of the coffee belt. So, we are really proud of it. How long ago did you did you first plant coffee in outside of Palermo? Oh, the first experimental plantation was in nineties. Was in the how our historical family, grocery gardens. Exactly, in the small village of Salorenze in Palermo. And the original seats came from the botanical gardens, and the original variety was from Ethiopia region. Okay. That's amazing. So this was this, thirty years ago, the family began to envisage growing coffee in Sicily. Now you mentioned earlier, when we began speaking about climate change, about these mild winter, you've been enjoying how you've moved directly, almost directly into La Primavera into spring. Climate change is affecting also the growing of coffee. For sure. For sure. Climate change as a fundamental role in the in the production of, last years. You know, we are really sunny season and a combination of traditional seasons and double blooms. This year, due to the climate climate change effect we are observing an incredible harvest of coffee. We could say of, all other tropical fruit, like, mango, papaya, avocado, or sicilian, Kiwi, or sicilian Kiwi. So, mother nature gave us a strong signal that, deserves to be listed and evaluate, why not to think about our land with a different perspective and with that positive perspective for young people, for sure climate change, is a big argument and we have to be careful, to fix about the climate change. We are witness strong climate change and, incredible heat waves. We had the historical hot temperature peaks over than forty eight seats of degrees. Never observed it in Europe. We had, the alternation of, this warm spring and summertime with intense tropical storms copious rains and tornados. This is why, we could say we must be careful. But maybe we have a small positive perspective to believe and, to to be listening. Well, that's really fascinating too, Andrea. Because as you say, climate change is a is a great concern for us all around the world, but there are also opportunities and positives to take from it and perhaps looking at at, at our own areas with different perspectives is one way that we can cope. Do you know where I live in Southwest England? There's somebody now that Tregothan in the state is growing tea. And this tea is, grown on the foul estuary in conditions, not dissimilar to darjeeling in the Himalayas. The tea is only made being grown in small quantities, but it's very, very interesting. And they've even managed to export it to China. So English tea going to China is quite a a, new development that also is perhaps a reflection of these climatic changes. So it's an experimental plantation that you have. Do you see perhaps do you dream that maybe other growers might follow in that one day, Sicily could produce, a significant commercial amount of Right now, we have not, commercial purpose, but, we are really proud of this achievement because it was, I mean, the the first European, car coffee and the first sicilian, not a coffee. So speaking about this this crew, we had, an extraordinary harvest and a truly surprising result in the cup. Our Cecilian Nat coffee, had a nice quality with a unique and particularly particular hints typical of sicilian land such as, notes of great zbeebo. Carol. Oh my. The sweet things of white pomelia flowers and maybe some vanilla sugar, like the the the tropical sugar. So, we are really proud of this kind of patientated tasting because, you know, is how our coffee is, sicilian coffee. So it means that we are to to believe in our land. We have to believe in our passion. We have to believe in this kind of tradition that must be carried on. Yes. A tradition that that that looks to the future. Andrea, where are you located in palermo for our listeners? So that they can come visit, sample coffee and buy some coffee. Yeah. Sure. We are in, Village in the north of the city called Salorense Coli near Montello Sierra. Okay. You know? And Oh, yes. Yeah. And last last month, during the Christmas time, we opened the first specialty coffee roastery cafe in Balermo. Designed as an experience of space to rediscover the pleasure of sharing a coffee with the right time. Our Martinez cafe, is located, within the palermo marina yachting area. And he's an incredible space because we're in a hard to touch, the water. We we turn back to have the contact with the sea after many centuries. So, through a coffee, we have the chance to, the storytelling about our heritage, our story and to stay with coffee lovers in the destination place. Okay. That's a wonderful, opportunity for our listeners then. Down by the port by the marina, they can encounter Martetino and find you down there to have this amazing coffee experience. Definitely. In a and in a the historical plant inside, we have the first coffee roastery Museum. Okay. Worldwide. So you can have the the the experience of the history, the heritage passing to into the grocery and smelling all the aroma of our slow heart is on process. Wonderful. Well, the next time I'm in palermo, I'll definitely get in touch with you and come and visit and experience this myself. Oh, thank you. Thank you. We are going to to drink many, many coffee with the right time. Great. Well, Andrea, thank you so much for being my guest today. Your passion for coffee, the experimental plantation project, but also this expertise and great knowledge that's comes from four generations in the business has really come through. You've really explained to us the importance of coffee, in Italy, but especially in palermo. So I look forward to meeting with you and to enjoying an espresso with you sometime soon. Thank you. Thank you. You you will be our special coffee lovers guest. We hope you enjoy today's episode of wine, food, and travel with me, Mark Millen on Italian wine podcast. Please remember to like, share, and subscribe right here or wherever you get your pods. Likewise, you can visit us at Italianwine podcast dot com. Until next time.