Affogato: 4 cafes to try the ice cream and espresso dessert that will surprise you this summer 2024

Summer demands some changes in the supply of Lima cafes. With the increase in temperature, certain drinks, such as the Americano, are served with ice and proposals based on cold brew emerge, as the preparation of cold infused coffee is called that can be drunk alone or in combination with fruits. Affogato also makes an appearance, the delicious union between espresso and ice cream that allows many to continue enjoying the essence of coffee despite the heat.

More than a drink, affogato is a dessert of Italian origin that basically consists of a shot of espresso and a large scoop of ice cream, preferably creamy, so the help of a spoon is required to eat it.

The classic recipe uses vanilla ice cream or fior di latte (milk flower, in Spanish), which is the base flavor with which all milk ice creams are made, explains Régulo Maureola, production manager at La Lattería, an ice cream parlor located in San Isidro that also offers drinks from the espresso bar with specialty coffee provided by the brands Neira Café Lab, Saba Café and Café Canaán.

At La Lattería they prefer fior di latte ice cream for their affogato because, thanks to the artisanal formulation that the brand has developed for this flavor, it highlights the coffee they work with and also gives it creaminess. They use approximately 100 grams of ice cream and a double espresso. First, they serve the ice cream and then add the freshly extracted shot of espresso.

In addition to fior di latte ice cream, Régulo believes that you can also make a good affogato with chocolate and cream ice creams. For example, at La Lattería they have Nocciolla (hazelnut ice cream), Oreo (cream ice cream with chocolate cookies), Snickers (peanut butter, fudge and delicacy ice cream), Stracciatella (milk-based, with fine pieces of chocolate ), among other flavors.

Coffees from Junín, Cajamarca and Amazonas

Some specialty coffee shops have begun to include affogato in their summer menu after testing the coffees they use in combination with artisanal ice cream. Mostly, they all use vanilla or fior di latte ice cream following the traditional recipe for this dessert. The difference is that in each proposal we can taste coffees from different regions.

This is the case of Habitual Café, a specialty coffee shop in Pueblo Libre, which makes its affogato using coffee, of the Obatá variety, that producer Emilia Pillpe grows in the district of Perené, in the province of Chanchamayo (Junín). It has notes of molasses and hazelnuts that create a good balance with the sweetness of vanilla ice cream.

Momentum, a specialty coffee shop in Barranco, uses a blend of the Típica, Caturra Bourbón and Catimor varieties from producer Gemner Lozano from the Rodríguez de Mendoza province (Amazonas). This coffee has notes of toffee, apple and sugar cane that have a good balance with the fior di latte and pistachio ice creams from the Blu brand, il gelato de barrio.

Cardinal Café, a specialty coffee shop located in Miraflores, works with a blend of the Bourbón, Caturra and Catuaí varieties grown by producer Ebert Huamán at Finca Artemira, province of San Ignacio de Cajamarca. Its coffee, with notes of pineapple, bitter chocolate, walnuts and brown sugar, is complemented by the artisanal vanilla ice cream produced by the Freh ice cream shop.

In all cases, respecting the original recipe, it is served without toppings, syrup or chantilly cream. “Any other addition would overshadow the original flavors of the ice cream or espresso,” Régulo Maureola of La Lattería says convinced.