ShooterMcGavin Senior Member Joined: 17 Feb 2012 Posts: 53 Location: SoCal Expertise: Just starting
Espresso: N.S. Oscar Grinder: Preciso
Posted Mon Apr 9, 2012, 11:38am Subject: Re: Who can drink it straight?
straight. for me, i feel like it's the only way to judge if i pulled a proper shot or not especially since i find that the blend i use (red bird) doesn't taste too great with milk
i've always wondered how people drank their red bird blends though, especially when they liken its flavor to a snickers bar (with or without sugar, etc...)
mitch236 Senior Member Joined: 7 Nov 2003 Posts: 64 Location: Delray Beach Expertise: I love coffee
Espresso: Linea Single Group (PID,... Grinder: Mazzer Robur E
Posted Mon Apr 9, 2012, 12:26pm Subject: Re: Who can drink it straight?
There are two difficulties drinking straight espresso. First, it's an aquired taste. Second, and more difficult, is only a handful of cafe's can brew great espresso on a regular basis and it's challenging to brew at home on low end equipment (not saying home equipment is low end, just that many people start out with low end equipment).
I drink mostly straight espresso but start every morning with a cappa. In the beginning, it was hard because my quality was terrible but as my abilities (and equipment) improved, so did my palate for espresso.
JasonBrandtLewis Senior Member Joined: 9 Dec 2005 Posts: 6,100 Location: Berkeley, CA Expertise: I live coffee
Espresso: Elektra T1 - La Valentina -... Grinder: Mahlkönig K30 Vario -... Vac Pot: Yama 5-cup Drip: CCD, Chemex Roaster: No, no, not another...
Posted Mon Apr 9, 2012, 3:35pm Subject: Re: Who can drink it straight?
Well, in the FWIW Dept., my "main" coffee is always a 50-50 blend of regular and decaf. My wife is highly sensitive to any sort of medication, etc., to the extent that when she broke her pelvis in three places, and her sacrum in eight, she took nothing but Motrin and icepacks in the hospital. Regular coffee would "amp" her up for days -- she cannot tolerate more than a 50-50 mix, and usually one a day is more than enough.
Me, on the other hand -- double-strength Vicodin barely put a dent in the pain after major reconstructive knee surgery -- and a 50-50 reg/decaf mix never makes me feel wired . . . but yes, if for some reason I do not have any coffee by, say 10:00 or 11:00 am, I do get a pretty decent headache! ;^)
Abnuceals Senior Member Joined: 31 Mar 2011 Posts: 4 Location: Gatineau Expertise: I love coffee
Posted Mon Apr 9, 2012, 4:04pm Subject: Re: Who can drink it straight?
I drink 3-4 espressos each day. Always straight, no water, milk or sugar. Once or twice a week, I drink a cappucino. I already tried espresso with sugar, just to try the taste. But it's not realy for me.
JasonBrandtLewis Senior Member Joined: 9 Dec 2005 Posts: 6,100 Location: Berkeley, CA Expertise: I live coffee
Espresso: Elektra T1 - La Valentina -... Grinder: Mahlkönig K30 Vario -... Vac Pot: Yama 5-cup Drip: CCD, Chemex Roaster: No, no, not another...
Posted Mon Apr 9, 2012, 5:02pm Subject: Re: Who can drink it straight?
I drink straight espresso in cafés ONLY very rarely, and -- at least here in the US -- usually only with prior recommendation(s) from someone I trust. I usually order a cappuccino or, if roasted every darkly, a latte.
jwoodyu Senior Member Joined: 31 Dec 2010 Posts: 705 Location: Michigan Expertise: I love coffee
Espresso: Allex Duetto II Grinder: Mazzer Major Roaster: Poppery
Posted Mon Apr 9, 2012, 7:12pm Subject: Re: Who can drink it straight?
I will have 4 to 6 doubles a day. If I am making a milk drink for someone else I will make sure and save a enough foam for a double machiatto but won't steam for just a macchiato. If we're out it's long blacks or a cap with desert as a rule.
You know those people that want to tell you how to raise your kids but have none of their own? That is how i feel when someone with a kitchen appliance tells me how the merits or dis-merits of my machine or how to use it.
IMAWriter Senior Member Joined: 4 Jul 2002 Posts: 5,481 Location: Brentwood, TN Expertise: I live coffee
Espresso: Nothing at the moment Grinder: Vario-W,Preciso-Esatto/KyM... Vac Pot: Adcraft SS, Yama 8 cup Drip: Brazen.Chemex, Hario, Clever... Roaster: Behmor 1600, CO/UFO combo
Posted Mon Apr 9, 2012, 8:33pm Subject: Re: Who can drink it straight?
Straight. Interestingly, we here on this side of the pond seem to be somewhat unique in that we eschew sugar, while when I was in Italy many years ago, a sugar stick was provided with my tiny 1oz shot.
I love a 'coffee milk" in the morning, and then straight shots during the day. I will say, to JD that my Olympia Cremina lever offers me the opportunity to "tune" my shots, and provides a slightly brighter profile as well.
perhaps, if you had a conical grinder like a Preciso, some of the Macaps, K10, etc you might enjoy the fruitier aspects, less roast taste. I'd also recommend a SO, like an El Salvador, or even a nutty Brasilian coffee.
I'm also thinking that the blend you've been getting might be a bit darker than your taste buds like. My present batch of Redbird espresso is actually wee bit lighter roasted than previous 5# bags I've purchased. Not punchy in milk, but a nice shot, a bit less of the Snickers than usual, but nice. Off topic, but again for JD, I also recommend Paradise Roasters "Nuevo" blend, and Velton's Coffee "Bonsai."
JD, try less coffee, and shorter shots, swirl the coffee before sipping.
shockwvs Senior Member Joined: 12 Feb 2012 Posts: 13 Location: San Diego, CA Expertise: I like coffee
Espresso: Pasquini Livia 90 Grinder: Mazzer Super Jolly
Posted Tue Apr 10, 2012, 8:31pm Subject: Re: Who can drink it straight?
I also find myself doing something along the lines of CalBlacksmith with the morning latte on the way to work, nice way to start the day! But I must admit when I drink Espresso I prefer it with sugar, I think I'll try some things I've heard on this thread with using raw sugar or honey. Worth a try.
JDHarding Senior Member Joined: 31 Aug 2007 Posts: 1,099 Location: WA, USA Expertise: I love coffee
Espresso: Ascaso Steel Pro PID Grinder: Nuova Simonelli MDX,... Vac Pot: None Drip: Hario v60 Roaster: Behmor, Fresh Roast
Posted Wed Apr 11, 2012, 3:31pm Subject: Re: Who can drink it straight?
I got my Redbird espresso today. I didn't wait the full 7 days to try it, and instead brewed some up on what is the 3rd day from roast date.
It pulled a bit fast, at 2.5oz in 20 seconds. It was my first try as the grinder was set for my previous coffee blend. I drank it anyway. I deffinately tasted chocolate, some caramel, and what I would call a dark 70% cacao snickers bar. That dark bitter chocolate that's sorta hard to swallow. It was drinkable, and enjoyable, but a bit too hot for me. Heating the cup plus pulling the shot at 200F created a VERY hot shot.
Why pull my shot at 2.5oz? Because I use 20 grams of coffee in a double shot, and 20 gram shots just tend to taste better at 2.5oz. And there's usually no sign of blonding until somewhere in the 3.5oz realm.
So it looks like I too can drink these straight now that I found the right blend. Yay. :)
Joel_B Senior Member Joined: 9 Oct 2007 Posts: 1,823 Location: Pacific NW Expertise: I love coffee
Espresso: Astra Mega II Grinder: Mazzer SJ, Virtuoso Vac Pot: Yama 5 cup Drip: nope, french press Roaster: Behmor, WP, BBQ drum
Posted Wed Apr 11, 2012, 3:40pm Subject: Re: Who can drink it straight?
Cool JD! I have yet to try Redbird despite the rampant praise. You may have given me the little push I needed.
Regarding the cups, I never liked heating the cups with hot water (such as from the boiler or group), but always did it anyway because I was going by rote. Now, simply having my cups on the cup warmer is just right for me.
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