DELICIOUS OR SUSPICIOUS: Rim Cafe's Saffron Cappuccino

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DELICIOUS OR SUSPICIOUS: Rim Cafe's Saffron Cappuccino

POSTED: Wednesday, February 23, 2011, 2:57 PM

Filed Under: Coffee | Testing

Photo | Erin Finnerty

The one and only Rene Kobeitri, the ultra-lively owner/operator of Italian Market's Rim Cafe (1172 S. Ninth St.), is mad about saffron. So mad, in fact, he's taken the world's most expensive spice and added it to his cappuccinos and lattes. When my taste-testing partner and I dropped into Rim on Saturday, Kobeitri was anxious to share with us the health benefits of saffron consumption, including, but not limited to, cancer-fighting and blood pressure-lowering properties. He also shared with us the origin of the drink: Having already brought famous South Moroccan delicacy saffron tea to town, Kobietri was itching to become Philadelphia's first, if not the world's first, saffron cappuccino maker. So you know what he did? He MADE IT HAPPEN. The cappuccino begins like any other on the menu, with a dark shot of Italian Lavazza espresso. The magic begins with the addition of the frothy, pale canary yellow-tinted milk, spiked with the aforementioned tea. As a final touch, Rene gently lays several delicate strands of vibrant red Spanish saffron ("The best!") in the center of the foam. The tea added a hint of flavor to the milk that held up well in the company of robust espresso. Yet, it struck a note so subtle that, had it not been for the floating nest of fragrant saffron threads, it would have been difficult for an untrained tongue to detect the spice's singular flavor. The saffron was a complex and unexpected addition to the cappuccino that, ultimately, I found to be quite ... DELICIOUS.

Erin Finnerty

Posted 2011-02-24 14:05:12

My friend and I tried the chocolate raspberry truffles... the cocoa powder is little dry on the outside but so delicious on the inside. Love it!

Abby

Posted 2011-02-24 13:59:29

I LOVE Rene! He's such a character, and if you're in there when it's slow he may just surprise you with the most aggressively decorated plate of truffle desserts you've ever seen.  They're delicious :)

ryan

Posted 2011-02-23 10:16:18

the photo alone makes me wanna go.

Tweets that mention DELICIOUS OR SUSPICIOUS: Rim Cafes Saffron Cappuccino :: Meal Ticket :: Food Blog :: Philadelphia City Paper -- Topsy.com

Posted 2011-02-23 11:15:50

[...] This post was mentioned on Twitter by E.F. and phillycacophony, Meal Ticket. Meal Ticket said: Rim Cafe's SAFFRON cappuccino, DELICIOUS or SUSPICIOUS... @erinfinnerty finds out. http://tinyurl.com/4rp9acd [...]

Erin

Posted 2011-02-23 11:53:14

You should.

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