15-03-2025
Cappuccino in the afternoon? Italy's oldest barista on why breaking big coffee taboo is OK
Italians are well known for frowning at tourists and their ill-timed coffee requests – but not Italy's oldest barista, Anna Possi.
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The 100-year-old, who has been running a cafe above Lake Maggiore in northern Italy for more than half a century, has no objection to the controversial cappuccino after noon – traditionally a no-go in Italy.
'Who am I to tell my guests when to drink which coffee?' Possi says. 'Everyone can do as they please.'
The question of whether a cappuccino – an
espresso in a larger cup with frothed milk – can still be drunk after noon is one of the big issues in the coffee world.
Anna Possi outside Bar Centrale in Nebbiuno, northern Italy. Photo: courtesy of Anna Possi
An afternoon latte, cappuccino or flat white is common in many countries, but in Italy, where there are more than 130,000 coffee bars, coffee with milk after midday is frowned upon in many parts.
