Atmosfere del caffè: olfatto, gusto e coffee house in Cina
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.13129/2281-8138/2026.1.68-86Keywords:
Olfatto, Gusto, Atmosfere, Specialty Coffe, CinaAbstract
L’articolo propone uno studio delle atmosfere urbane assumendo l’esperienza dello specialty coffee come via privilegiata per interrogare la produzione sensoriale della vita urbana contemporanea. La sua originalità risiede in una lettura delle atmosfere non basata esclusivamente sulle componenti visive, architettoniche o genericamente affettive, ma capace di integrare dimensioni volatili, intime e difficilmente oggettivabili che attraversano il corpo prima ancora di essere pienamente nominate: l’odore, l’aroma, il sapore. Si fiuta un’atmosfera così come accade con l’aroma del caffè: da qui la scelta di analizzarla a partire dal ruolo del gusto e dell’olfatto, sensi centrali nella degustazione dello specialty coffee, attraverso un focus etnografico condotto in tre coffee house di Chengdu, in Cina. L’esperienza del caffè emerge come una zona intermedia tra ambiente e corpo, percezione esterna e incorporazione, qualità spaziale e valutazione sensoriale
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