calblacksmith Moderator Joined: 25 Nov 2007 Posts: 5,685 Location: Riverside, Ca, U.S.A. Expertise: I live coffee
Espresso: ECM Veneziano A1 Grinder: Many different commercial Vac Pot: 40s era Silex Drip: Milita, Bunn&Curtis... Roaster: Cast iron pan, gas burner
Posted Sat Apr 7, 2012, 10:43pm Subject: Re: Who can drink it straight?
About the only time I have issues is when my taste is OFF due to something like the cold I have had for the last 13 days. Even then, if the shot is pulled right, it is pretty darn good. My normal routine is to pull a double and drink it straight, then as I savor the flavor, I make my large milk drink for the hour long drive to work.
Straight ......YES PLEASE!!!!!!
In real life, my name is Wayne P.
Feed the newbs, starve the trolls and above all enjoy what you drink!
konacoffeefarmer Senior Member Joined: 31 May 2008 Posts: 27 Location: Kealakekua Expertise: Professional
Posted Sat Apr 7, 2012, 10:58pm Subject: Re: Who can drink it straight?
Rome, a hot June in 1984. A nameless espresso bar near the Forum Romanorum. The lady pulling the shots looked like a young Gina Lollobrigida. I wanted my espresso straight and black. She said I should put some sugar into it. She would make them strong. Better two spoons. Of course I obeyed--my raging hormones told me that I had to.
So whenever my testosterone levels are high, I'll take sugar in my espresso. Better two. Just for the flashbacks.
dtlord Senior Member Joined: 13 Mar 2009 Posts: 99 Location: Wisconsin Expertise: I live coffee
Espresso: Bezzera BZ07sde Grinder: Super Jolly, Virtuoso Vac Pot: Silex Victory, Cory, Sunbeam... Drip: pour over w/ mesh or paper Roaster: A nice guy named Roy
Posted Sun Apr 8, 2012, 11:14am Subject: Re: Who can drink it straight?
I can no longer eat or drink physically HOT foods as I burnt my mouth and the nerves a still sensitive after 20+ years. So I usually let things cool a bit before drinking. This morning, much like many others I start with a double and around 3oz of whole milk (my version of a flat white). That cools it off so much that I can enjoy that right away as I'm in a hurry to enjoy. Then I proceed to pour a double let it cool enough so it's bearable and enjoy.
Stuart Senior Member Joined: 9 Feb 2012 Posts: 113 Location: TX Expertise: I love coffee
Espresso: Breville Dual Boiler Grinder: Baratza Vario Roaster: Air Crazy popper
Posted Mon Apr 9, 2012, 6:43am Subject: Re: Who can drink it straight?
My habit had been to drink the stuff I made at home with milk, while occasionally ordering a straight shot when out. More recently, I started drinking espresso straight, at home, while occasionally having a milk drink as well (latte volume, soy milk, cappucino foam).
In the past, I'd sometimes done as CalBlacksmith describes -- straight shot first thing, followed by a milk drink for more leisurely consumption. But whenever I'd done that, I'd been disappointed, thinking the milk drink tasted like milk and hardly at all like coffee. Today, without the straight shot upfront to bias my taste buds, I thought the milk drink pleasantly balanced, and I enjoyed it.
This, combined with an experience this weekend, helped me understand something about relative intensity of flavors. After worrying that my Vario wasn't properly calibrated and going through the routine to set it up right, I pulled a near-choker shot with Cuvee Coffee's Spicewood 71 Classic blend. Perhaps 15ml came out of the machine in 45 seconds. I tasted that syrup, which probably wasn't a good idea. It was salty, bright, and bitter all at once. So I backed off the fineness a bit, and pulled a much better (by the numbers) shot -- 50ml in 28 seconds.
That was the smoothest, gentlest, most balanced shot of espresso I'd had in weeks -- or, at least, it seemed that way after being so foolish as to taste the choker shot.
Which is a roundabout way of suggesting that straight shots take some getting used to, but once you do, more-diluted forms of coffee beverage may seem, well, dilute.
I would imagine it is a whole lot more people than you think!
Typical weekday for me (all shots are doubles): wake up, make a ristretto using an Ethiopian or Yemen coffee of some sort -- straight shot, no sugar; (feed the dog); make two lattes (8-ounce) using, generally, a 50-50 mix of Redbird Espresso and Redbird Decaf (or Metropolis Redline & Redline Decaf) -- one for my wife, one for myself (both no sugar); make a third latte (12-ounce) for my older daughter, with sugar; before I leave for work, make myself a second ristretto.
Once I am at work, at approximately 10:00-10:30 in the morning, make myself a straight espresso in my office; make myself another around 1:30-2:00, following lunch. Also, I'll make one or two 8-ounce lattes for co-workers (one with sugar, one without), and whatever clients want -- espresso, americano, cappuccino, latte. Of the drinks I make for clients, approximately half are straight shots, but about a third of those are served with sugar. The milk drinks I make are usually 8-ounce lattes, but these are rarely with sugar.
When I say "straight shot," there is nothing in the cup but coffee -- no added sugar, water, milk, foam, nothing but the espresso.
Posted Mon Apr 9, 2012, 8:03am Subject: Re: Who can drink it straight?
Jason,
Dang, you have a high caffeine tolerance. I do too...except for the headaches. I wish espresso was caffeine-free because excitement from the texture and taste are enough to get me going in the morning anyway.
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