Massachusetts takes its coffee seriously, and if you’ve ever stood in line at a North End café on a Saturday morning, you already know that. But long before a bag of beans ever reaches a grinder, there’s a decision that shapes everything downstream: which type of coffee bean is actually in it. That choice is exactly why DrinkThat tastes the way it does.
Coffee Beans Aren’t One Thing
Most people assume coffee is coffee, but the beans that fill grocery shelves fall into a handful of distinct species, and they are not interchangeable. Arabica accounts for the majority of what’s grown worldwide and is prized for a smoother, sweeter, less acidic cup. Robusta, grown widely across parts of Africa and Southeast Asia, carries far more caffeine and a harsher, sometimes bitter edge. Rarer varieties like Liberica and Excelsa show up occasionally in specialty circles, but they’re a small footnote in the global market compared to the first two. Understanding that difference matters more than most coffee drinkers realize, especially once espresso enters the picture.
Why New England Cafés Lean on Arabica
Walk into any respected espresso bar from the North End to the Berkshires, and you’ll find Arabica behind the counter. It’s pickier to grow and more expensive to source, but it rewards that effort with the kind of balanced, complex flavor that holds up under high pressure and short extraction times, exactly what a proper shot of espresso demands. Robusta can pull a stronger jolt of caffeine, but it tends to taste flat or burnt when pulled as espresso, which is part of why it’s more common in cheaper, mass-market blends than in the cup New Englanders actually order.
The Standard We Built DrinkThat Around
When Bricco Restaurant’s espresso martini became one of the most talked-about pours in Boston’s North End, it wasn’t an accident of marketing. It came down to starting with real, properly sourced Arabica espresso instead of a syrup or extract standing in for the real thing. That same standard carried straight into the bottle. Our Espresso Martini is built on genuine brewed espresso, layered with hazelnut, vanilla, and cacao, and it’s why the flavor reads as an actual espresso drink rather than a coffee-flavored cocktail.
From Hanover Street to Your Glass
You can trace that commitment all the way back to the bar at Bricco, where the recipe was perfected long before it ever left the restaurant. Read more about how it came together on our about page, or check out the recipes section for ways to serve it at your next gathering, from a Back Bay dinner party to a night on the Cape.
Taste the Bean Difference for Yourself
Not every bottle labeled “espresso” actually starts with real espresso beans, and once you’ve tasted the difference, it’s hard to settle for less. Find DrinkThat near you and see why Massachusetts coffee drinkers keep coming back to the real thing.
