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"room temperature espresso" was the first thing I thought of - espresso is meant to be drunk hot, right away. If you let a good shot cool off and compare it to
by hdndjsbbs 4mo ago
"room temperature espresso" was the first thing I thought of - espresso is meant to be drunk hot, right away. If you let a good shot cool off and compare it to a bad shot you're not going to notice the difference as much because you made them both worse by letting them sit and cool.
For industrial processes it probably doesn't matter - look at how nescafe is manufactured.
- Skunkleton 4mo agoIf your goal is to understand the quality of the espresso shot, rather than experience a high quality espresso shot, letting it cool off provides a useful data point.
- brian-m 4mo agoWould be awesome for industrial processes if it can be scaled, is comparable in price to heating water, and preserves what makes a good espresso a good espresso. Was talking with a roaster who was providing espresso to a distillery recently. The distiller had tried a range of other products but only espresso shots were giving the flavour they were chasing. Needless to say, it ended up being a pretty limited run because the guys grew tired of pulling litres of shots for a batch!
- pfdietz 4mo agoI wonder if this process would work if the water were replaced with milk. Milk would degrade at high temperature, but this (at least in bulk) is at room temperature.
- LtWorf 4mo agoYou think people who drink espresso would be ok with drinking milk? Also a majority of humans are lactose intolerant.
- __alexs 4mo agoThe majority of people that drink espresso drink it with milk.
- drawnwren 4mo agoThe majority of Americans that drink espresso drink it with milk.
- maplethorpe 4mo agoReally? The Last time I was in an American office, there didn't seem to be any milk around. They had an unrefrigerated bottle of "creamer" next to the coffee machine, but I was too scared to try it. I'm still not sure what it is, or how I'm supposed to use it.
- nativeit 4mo agoIt’s intravenous. You should try it!
- gregrata 4mo agoOdd - when I'm at a cafe, I'm almost always asked if "whole milk" is ok. It work, we have fat free, 2%, and creamer...
- jhbadger 4mo agoOffice coffee is not what people drink for pleasure -- it's a caffeine delivery device. If you go to a coffeehouse in the US you'll find that people often order drinks called Lattes which is espresso and steamed milk. And the word is Italian like espresso itself, so I think this isn't some weird Americanism but pretty traditional.
- maplethorpe 4mo agoI did go to an American coffee house while I was there. It was called something like "Phil's" and there were no lattes to be had.
- pfdietz 4mo agoNot in general, but I think some people would be ok, and that's all that's needed for that question to be interesting.
- ibaikov 4mo agoIt is a myth that an espresso shot 'dies' if you let it sit. A good espresso shot won't become worse.
- DanHulton 4mo agoCall it what you want, but it certainly becomes less enjoyable.
- ibaikov 4mo agoAgree to disagree. Espresso, pour overs and even cupping shows you different aspects of the coffee when it cools. In fact, if you follow SCA cupping protocol, one of the most important parts is to evaluate the coffee at room temperature. I can't recall any amazing cups I drank that became worse when they were cool (both V60s and espresso). They become sweet and syrupy, less harsh and bitter. They taste like juice and it just makes you joyful for some reason, it is almost unbelievable that this is coffee.
- DanHulton 3mo agoNo, that’s a fair point. I definitely have certain coffees I still quite enjoy after they’ve cooled, and others that I really, really don’t.
- stevage 4mo agoI disagree. I have done the experiment a lot because often I make two shots and reheat the second one. It's noticeably less flavoursome and much less aromatic than the first.
- ibaikov 4mo agoNo, reheating for sure will evaporate some compounds and might even overextract it, especially if there are still tiny particles in the coffee - like in moka or ibrik (cezve). Again, drink your shot at room temp or close to it. If brewed correctly, it would be somewhat close to tea or juice. It will still taste good, just cold. Mostly as coffee cools it becomes less bitter, more sweet and a tiny bit pleasantly acidic, more clear and less oily. Some coffeeshops even recommend to taste it while it cools off and not drink straight away. At WBC judges need to evaluate coffee as it cools down. Some people brew coffee using extract chilling - over a cool steel ball or using chilled portafilters. I really don't understand how this myth of 'dead' shots still exists.
- moozilla 4mo agoThis is only true for poor quality coffee. The hot temperature masks defects (bitterness). Good coffee tastes better as it cools. https://www.baristamagazine.com/the-temperature-paradox-why-specialty-coffee-tastes-better-cool/ https://www.baristamagazine.com/the-temperature-paradox-why-...
- gusgus01 4mo agoEven that article carries on about the experience of having the coffee hot, eg "This doesn’t mean drinking room-temperature coffee exclusively. The complete experience encompasses the entire temperature journey." and "High temperatures deliver immediate aromatic impact—the unique, irreplaceable value of fresh coffee." I'm also not sure bitterness should be considered a defect in coffee, it's part of the flavor profile and actually peaks in perception at a higher temperature according to that article.
- djtango 4mo agoI find this is definitely true for americano and pour overs but I don't drink enough espresso to know if this also true? I at least feel the sentiment that you want to drink an espresso fairly quickly although I do enjoy savouring it and also drink water in between to re-experience it on the palette
- embedding-shape 4mo ago> I at least feel the sentiment that you want to drink an espresso fairly quickly although There is so many different ways and subjective taste palettes that I don't think there is one way. When I was younger and in a rush, I always drank my espresso maybe 30-60 seconds after they made it, the heat became part of what I enjoyed (eventually). Now I let it cool down to just above room-temperature if I know the place has good beans/roast as I feel even more flavor then. If I'm drinking a Americano, then it pretty much ends up room temperature before I even start drinking it. Then we have my neighbor who I end up at the same cafe in sometimes, who poor their espresso into a glass of ice, then drink it, and they seem to enjoy their coffee just as much as me, so in the end, I don't think there is a right way here :)
- nazgul17 4mo agoTo play the devil's advocate, though, you wouldn't drink espresso at 80 degrees, no? Provided the cup is warm to begin with, you could brew at 50 degrees and still have perfect temperature espresso for drinking? Those 30 degrees are bound to save a bunch of energy, I'd think.
- gusgus01 4mo agoAlthough if the cup is warm to begin with, then you're using energy to warm up the cup which would eat into those energy savings. The "optimal" drinking temperature of espresso is still considered higher than 50 degrees, like 60-65 degrees, though of course that is subjective, but the nice aspect of serving it hotter is that those that enjoy it hotter can have it and then it cools quickly and the customer can choose when to enjoy it or get to enjoy it at multiple temps.
- stevage 4mo agoIt's relatively common around here for people (especially older folks) to order coffee extra hot. Holding the coffee for a while and smelling it as it cools to a drinkable temperature is all part of an enjoyable process. I'm always wary of studies that claim that there is some optimal way to have coffee. People have different preferences.
- embedding-shape 4mo ago> I'm always wary of studies that claim that there is some optimal way to have coffee. People have different preferences. I've gone one step further and is wary of any study that claims something highly subjective can be "optimized". "Best way to X" or whatever is always bullshit, just do what you feel like, aim to do whatever you find is fun and life will work out.
- SamBam 4mo agoA large percent of espresso in the US is drunk iced. Iced Americanos, iced lattes, iced shaken espressos. If you don't need to heat the water before cooling it down it would be an enegy savings.