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In the heart of the Marche hills, in Piane di Rapagnano, there is a place where coffee is not just a drink, but a sensory and cultural experience. In this exclusive interview, we meet Giordano Cognigni, owner of one of the first specialty coffee bars in the area, who decided to bet on quality, transparency and the story behind every cup. Between bean selection, brewing methods and customer relationships, Giordano guides us through the world of specialty coffee and tells us what it means to run a business while believing in the value of a short supply chain, training and genuine passion. HERE you can find his Instagram profile.
The neroespresso specialty bar in Piane di Rapagnano is one of the first dedicated specialty coffee venues in the Marche region. Founded by Giordano Cognigni, the neroespresso specialty bar built its reputation on transparency, short supply chain and barista training.
Giordano, how did your passion for coffee begin? Was there a specific moment when you realized it would become your path?
Well, at first coffee wasn’t a drink I particularly loved because it tasted too bitter and burnt to me, both the one my mother made at home with the moka pot and the one we occasionally had at the bar with friends. The specialty coffee bar simply didn’t exist. So I didn’t feel any need to drink coffee. Then one day I walked into the shop of a friend’s wife who ran a coffee store. From there I started to get curious and develop a passion. I was about 30 years old.
What fascinated you most about the world of coffee?
It may sound strange, but I think it was the aroma of coffee that fascinated me more than anything else. A product with that kind of scent had to be hiding something interesting.
Tell us a bit about your business.
My business started somewhat by chance, simply out of the desire to do something different in life. For the first few years I sold mostly coffee pods, and my customers were offices, shops and families. I didn’t have a physical store. But I remember one day I came home and said to my wife: “Okay, either I quit and go back to a different job, or I need to start understanding what I’m selling.”
Why had you thought about quitting?
The thing is, I really had no idea what I was selling. Imagine, one day a customer asked me “Is Arabica stronger than Robusta?” and I didn’t know what to answer. That’s when something clicked. I started studying, looking for information. Back then it was harder because you couldn’t rely on the internet like today, and I really struggled to find useful knowledge.
In the end, though, I found my way and started attending the first serious training courses, which gave me a real leap in quality. So I decided that this would become my job, and I wanted to do it with as much expertise as possible. From there I then opened my specialty coffee bar with a fixed location.
Did you have a clear mission?
Actually, my idea, which I had had in mind for some time, was to bring the customer who typically uses pods or capsules back to rediscovering and appreciating the tool we all have at home, the one that more than any other is part of our history: the Moka pot. And I have to say that, at least in part, I’ve succeeded.
How do you choose your coffees? Do you have specific criteria?
Well, first of all I can tell you that if I try a coffee and I don’t like it, I certainly won’t sell it in my shop. So that could already be a first criterion. Then of course I also try to meet my customers’ tastes. If I know that a particular specialty coffee customer likes a certain type of acidity, I’ll try to find them a product that will fascinate them.
The thing is, a coffee enthusiast, after a while, becomes, how can I put it, “grumpy” — meaning they get bored drinking the same type of coffee all the time. The specialty enthusiast usually wants to experiment, and so I have to be a reference point for them in this, trying to vary the product but always maintaining a high quality standard.
For those who want to make a good coffee at home, what tools do you recommend as absolutely essential?
So, I’ll tell you what I always tell my customers. For those who want to get into the world of quality coffee — I’m not just talking about specialty here, but also single-origin Arabicas for example — you know what I recommend? The Moka pot. I consider the moka the most democratic, most affordable and most versatile tool we can have for brewing coffee. So, through a very simple preparation, at a very low cost, we can explore coffee 360 degrees.
Because in that moka pot I can put a completely burnt, low-quality coffee, but I can also put a specialty or a top-quality Arabica. When used well, the moka lets me taste the whole world of coffee with excellent aromatic yield.
There’s a lot of talk today about roasting. It seems that in Italy we thought we were the best at making coffee, but we’ve discovered that’s not the case. What’s your view on this topic?
Suddenly it seems that coffee in Italy is terrible, but be careful… it’s not like things are much better in the rest of the world! Unfortunately, in reality, coffee is generally low quality all over the world. Roasting is the most important part of the entire journey, from harvest to cup. You should know that in nature the coffee bean, the green one, has neither taste nor smell and is inedible. So where does the magic happen? During roasting. Here the high temperature allows the bean to open up and develop on an aromatic level. Up to a point, though.
Roasting, as you know, is a cooking process. If I go too far, what’s called the Maillard reaction kicks in — that is, the burning of the outer part of the bean, which gives us more bitter and astringent aromatic notes. This is done in Italy, just as in the rest of the world, because when you buy low-quality coffees you cover up the defects, even very serious ones, so they don’t come through in the cup. If a customer perceived a moldy smell in the coffee, they would obviously switch bars or suppliers. By burning the coffee we have the solution to this problem. The bitterness in the cup is then corrected with sugar.
The real problem, however, is that over the past 50 years people have gotten used to a dark-roasted, bitter and astringent coffee. Basically burnt. If today we suddenly removed these serious defects, the coffee would paradoxically be considered not good! Also, it should be noted that darker roasting promotes the development of crema, which is considered a parameter of coffee quality. We know that’s not actually true. Unfortunately, large industrial roasters have followed this policy for the past 50 years, and so what are actually serious defects are instead taken as normal.
How do you see the evolution of the quality coffee market in Italy? Is something changing in the tastes and habits of consumers?
Let’s say that saying no would be dishonest. There is a minimum of change, and I see it especially in young people who travel much more than we did at their age. So there’s a tendency to experiment more, to see other ways of making and drinking coffee. Abroad you see, for example, the V60, or the French press or the AeroPress, and maybe it intrigues you and opens your mind. I have to say I’ve noticed this in recent years. As for the rest, though, there’s still a lot of work to do.
Giordano Cognigni’s experience in Piane di Rapagnano shows that even in a small town in the Marche region, it’s possible to build an innovative and highly valuable project around specialty coffee. His bar is not only a reference point for anyone looking for an excellent cup, but also an example of how cultural change in coffee consumption can start from the ground up, from the province, from the passion of those who choose quality every day. An invitation to rediscover coffee with new eyes, drop by drop.
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Neroespresso Specialty Bar: What to Expect on Your Visit
When you walk into the neroespresso specialty bar, expect a rotating selection of single-origin beans, brewed by V60, AeroPress or modern espresso machine. The neroespresso specialty bar staff explain origin and processing of each bean, and pairings with seasonal pastries. The neroespresso specialty bar also runs barista courses and cupping sessions monthly. Booking is recommended for weekend tastings.
Neroespresso Specialty Bar: Practical Information for Visitors
The neroespresso specialty bar is located in Piane di Rapagnano (province of Fermo, Marche, Italy). The neroespresso specialty bar opens daily, with a kitchen for breakfast and light lunches. Parking is available on-site.
For specialty enthusiasts, the neroespresso specialty bar offers tasting sessions on Saturday mornings, with a rotating menu of single-origin beans from Ethiopia, Kenya, Colombia and Brazil. The neroespresso specialty bar also hosts the occasional latte-art workshop and barista training course.
If you are visiting the Marche region, the neroespresso specialty bar is an essential stop to discover how Italian coffee culture is evolving beyond espresso, embracing pour-over, AeroPress and modern brewing methods alongside the traditional caffè.
