Esposizione Caffè Milani (Milani Coffee Exhibition) is a Como coffee roasting company project within its Lipomo premises, which were renovated and extended in 2015. The visitor’s experiential journey is over two floors in the discovery of coffee, getting to know more about a product that is consumed daily, but about which very little is actually known. As Elisabetta Milani explains: 'Everyone knows it in liquid form, some in solid form, i.e. in beans, very few however know the plant from which it comes and how it is harvested. Unlike wine, for example, coffee is a very distant product from us because it grows between the tropics. With this project we are trying to bring the world of coffee closer to the end consumer who tastes it every day, or often several times a day'.
Inaugurated in 2017, visitable by making a reservation, Esposizione Caffè Milani is a multi-sensory journey designed for everyone, whether they be insiders or enthusiasts, but it also for schoolchildren and the simply curious. Walking through the greenhouse, visitors have the chance to find out about different coffee plants, to delve into the world of botany and to touch the different origin beans, as well as to discover the fundamental role women play in coffee trade chain.
Moving downstairs to the museum there is a collection of over 200 antique coffee machines used in its making through from 18th century to the present day. Also on display is an exhibition of 700 cups that show the evolution of design and in the everyday drinking experience.
The classic tour closes with an espresso made to perfection, while the more curious can venture into a more in-depth journey with the Caffè Milani Taste Experience that concludes with a tasting lesson of the best blends and single origins. Here visitors can learn how to distinguish the different aromas, scents and textures of the coffees. Caffè Milani's commitment to the promotion and development of coffee culture extends still further with AltaScuola Coffee Training, which has been offering training courses for coffee-lovers and sector specialists for over twenty years.