Villa Massa Limoncello...is it considered creamy?
 

This has been the only brand of limoncello I have yet to sample, but certainly plan on becoming acquainted with others on our next trip to Italy. ;) Was just wondering if this is considered the creamy type? Thanks.

Yes, this company makes a creamy limoncello. They sell a lot at the duty free airport shops in Italy.

Villa Massa is a local brand...by the way the factory is 2 miles from where I live. They also make the creamy type of limoncello (with an addition od milk...like Baileys), but the plain limoncello is their "most sold" produce.

Francisco I am pleased that you are here and hope that you can answer a question about limoncello. I read another thread here that stated that the "true" limoncello is always pale green in color and that any limoncello that is yellow has additives in it. Is this true? Is the vero limoncello always green? Is the limoncello that one makes at home green in color? Grazie mille for your response!

No it isn't true! There is a lime cello that is green. Lemon cello is bright yellow and Lemon Cream, which is the cream version, is lighter yellow. And it is delicious!

Wander, the ones I have seen have been yellow. But that is why I was puzzled when another poster on this board..I believe it may have been Ira.. stated that the "true" limoncellos were always green unless they had additives in them. That sounded odd to me but I did not want to correct him until I had more information.

The truth lies somewhere in the middle.

A good limoncello is pale yellow with a slight greenish tinge. A bright yellow limoncello arouses suspicion.

On this Web page, look at the second picture. That is the color good limoncello should be. Valle dei Mulini is the co-operative of limoncello makers of Amalfi and their limoncello is the best I have ever tasted.

http://cata.amalfi.it/product.htm

Thank you, Eloise. As usual, an informative post based your direct experience. The next time I look at limoncello, if I see a pale yellow color with no green tinge, do I assume that something has been added, even if the label says otherwise?

Also: Most good limoncellos are not perfectly clear, but more semi-opaque.

I've never had a cream limoncello (nor do I ever want to, no more than I want to drink Bailey's); I assume they are completely opaque.

Ekscrunchy: While I have had good limoncellos from a number of producers and most of them have had that slight greenish tinge, I don't want to be holier than the Pope about this and say that any limoncello that is only yellow must, therefore, have additives. I'll only say that I've enjoyed the ones with the greenish tinge more.

Ok, Eloise. Good enough. Now I am getting thirsty...will take a look here in NYC today and see what I can turn up.

Ekscrunchy - If you're still there: Do also look for one that is not perfectly clear but more semi-opaque. (I'm not sure whether you saw my message to that effect.)

Could the exact color depend upon the variety of lemon, the degree of maturity of the lemon, the time of year when harvested (related to either or both of first two factors) and how long the zest has been soaked in the alcohol? I had home made limoncello a few times in Sicily and honestly can't remember whether the lemon had a greenish tinge. I just know it wasn't a bright pure yellow.

I think the liqueurs with cream addded to them can be somewhat hard to digest, or at least for me.

Cmt: You're right, of course, the type of lemon used influences the color. The greenish tinge comes from the Amalfi lemon. In Sicily, a different lemon is used, and I've had pale yellow limoncello there.

But most of the limoncello imported into North America is from the Amalfi Coast.

We love limoncello!

--"Most good limoncellos are not perfectly clear, but more semi-opaque"

We have made three batches of it, each time tweaking it to our liking. The last batch was our best, while the first was quite sweet and the second somewhat bitter.

The last batch was a gallon of Limoncello :-D and is yellow with a tinge of green and it is semi-opaque.

We used only yellow lemons, so the green tinge is a bit of a surprise! I hadn't noticed it before. Thanks!

My limoncello has 3 ingredients...alcohol, lemons and sugar but it's not as "thin" as alcohol, more like cough syrup which is why I posted the question. I absolutely love it and wondered if this is the creamy kind!
Francesco made a comment about putting milk in it??...mine doesn't have milk so is it or isn't it the creamy kind. Maybe I just need to purchase a few others and have a taste to compare! ;)

Cheryl,

My guess is that what you have is plain limoncello: It is generally fairly thick (not like vodka or gin) and semi-opaque (I'd say "cloudy" but that doesn't sound so good).

If it were cream limoncello, it would be very thick and completely opaque.

Eloise - Does this now mean I can't go buy a few others and do my taste test!! :(

Cheryl, Absolutely not! You have to test my information scientifically, and the only way to do that is to try more brands of limoncello.

I love this forum and fodorites!!!!! :)

Cheryl, what you have is the plain limoncello (zests of lemons+sugar+alcohol+water). You never get a crystal clear liquer, and good limoncello can go to goldish yellow to green...it does depend on few factors. (Just like olive oil colour can change from gold to green).

The cream (meaning "milky" like Baileys) limoncello is the variation that has been introduced after the success of the original plain limoncello, and I do not suggest to drink a lot of it, as in fact could be not easy to digest, and too sweet!!!

O.K.I've been told (enoteca in Milano) that Limoncello di Capri is the best and having tried several brands I would have to concur. I know everyone's palate is different, but what do the experts think of Limoncello di Capri? How does it compare with Villa Massa?

To distinguish between the 2 types of limoncello, there is the standard limoncello that is the clear, yellow liquid. The crema di limone (or crema limoncello) is the cream version of limoncello and is a lighter, pale yellow color. The crema version is easier on the stomach and especially good after seafood dinners. I actually prefer it over the regular limoncello.

The green version you are referring to goes by an entirely different name: limon verde and looks like lime juice and is equally tart as limoncello. It is not as common as limoncello. However, they do sell small, souvenir type shaped bottles of the liquid that look especially nice displayed in a kitchen window with light streaming through. (I have a couple bottles in my window!)

Limoncello can be purchased all over Italy, but I found the most varieties in the south (Sorrento, Amalfi Coast, Capri, etc) where lemons and sunshine are in abundance. You can taste the flavor in every glass - yum!

Huitres, did you really mean to say that the CREMA version is "easier on the stomach"?! I definitely think exactly the opposite. I've avoided that version because I find anything with cream rather hard to digest. (I found that Bailey's, for example, is pretty hard on my stomach, while I've never had the slightest problem with the usual small quantities of any other liqueurs before.) I think ANYthing with cream--whether soups, meat stews, etc.--can be rather difficult to digest. Huitres, your stomach and mine must be very different, but mine and Francesco's must be similar.

Well here is the result of my brief research: I visited two liquor shops in midtown Manhattan yesterday. And turned up exactly one bottle in each shop..both light yellow and clear. Both over $25. each. Both bottles had glucose syrup among the ingredients. I did not buy either.

Huitres,
--"The green version you are referring to goes by an entirely different name: limon verde and looks like lime juice and is equally tart as limoncello. It is not as common as limoncello."--

I don't think you read my above post. While our homemade Limoncello looks yellow in the freezer, once I get it out and put it in the daylight,

It has a green tinge. It is like a neon green in the yellow liquid.

I agree that lemoncello from the south is primo, and very tasty. The creamy kind I put a trickle over ice cream. Yum yum. Last trip to Italy we saw Lime Cello, and also an Orange Cello. We didn't try either but I am sure they are both delicious. We went to a farm in Sorrento in 2001, where the make mozarella, lemon cello, wine and olive oil, and that is where we bought the lemon cream - "lemone crema" as they called it. It was fantastic. This last time, in 2005, we just bought it at a grocery store in Cortona. This next upcoming trip in June, we are heading for Sorrento for our next bath.

I have a recipe for it, and will try to make it after we get settled into our new house in north Atlanta after June. I don't want to move it mid-gestation from Seattle to Atlanta.

Whatever color it is, it tastes fantastic!

Hi viaggio_sempre (great name! :))My Italian fiance in the Cinque Terre and his family make limoncello all the time. (In fact, it is referred to as "limoncino" in the CT). Their home-made version is good and definitely yellow, although I do prefer the bottled types available in the stores. The Cinque Terre has a Co-op industry that markets all the products specific to that region, including their limoncello/limoncino. In this area, they specifically produce "limonverde" as well and it is green. I have several bottles of it to prove it. It is not the typical yellow limoncello. I like the unique lime color so much and the way it is bottled that I have brought back several bottles just because as gifts.

hi cmt: yes, the crema version is, IMO and several others in the CT, a more palatable, milder, less alcoholic version of the straight stuff. It actually "coats" the stomach, if you will, rather than the straight limoncello. Either way, limoncello or crema di limone is superb after a satisfying Italian meal. We have even had the crema version frozen as a sorbetto and served in the restaurants there - it's great!

I prefer the Limoncello di Capri

Huitres,
--(In fact, it is referred to as "limoncino" in the CT)--

Hey, I just checked my "Rick Steves" and it referred to it as "limoncino" too!