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http://www.amazon.com/Rattleware-Logo-Shot-Pitcher-Glass/dp/B001GZYTIW
Couldn't find it on espressoparts.com, but this is what we use in our cafe. The glass really helps to hold temperature of the espresso well and the glass makes it easy to keep clean, and keep track of the volume of your shot.
Hope this helps!
I seem to be a minority in disagreeing with the "espresso directly in the cup it will be consumed in" thing.
I always pull my shots in a demi. My reasons for this are so that i can keep a very strict eye on volume. Were i to put a 16 oz. paper cup under my portafilter, i couldn't see the splitters and therefore have no idea what the shot is doing. To be able to watch the espresso coming from the splitters and watch it pooling in my demi has greatly increased the consistency of my shots. Also espresso kind of stays in the layers it is produced in. The espresso at the bottom tastes super dense and bassy (chocolates, caramels, toffee etc.), the middle of the shot is the fruit and the top is citrus and floral. The crema is invariably the ashy and bittersweet qualities. Those profiles will change depending on, well everything. But the theory is there that shots don't mix themselves. Which is why i stir my espresso before drinking. Anyway, my point is that if i pull a shot directly into a capp cup and don't vigorously swirl the shot before pouring, those bitters are risen to the surface of the drink as i pour and the top of my capp doesn't taste so great. Then when i reach the bottom, it's super syrupy. If i always pull into demi's then pour the shot into the cup, it's pre-mixed. Sure i lose some crema. It's a sacrifice i currently make in exchange for my drinks tasting better (to me).
As far as syrup is concerned, i always put it in the cup. I've seen a noticeable difference in the texture of my milk when steaming syrup with it.
I agree about the volume issue. I pull my shots around 1.75 oz. between days 2-3 post roast, dosing at about 19 gr. in an 18 gr. synesso basket. Days 4-5 it's 1.5 oz. with a 20 gr. dose. Days 6-8 it's 1.25 oz. with a 21 gr. dose. These are all ROUGH estimates, but they're the guidelines that i start a shift with before i begin tweaking.
I strongly disagree about blonding. As i said before, i can pull a 40 second shot without seeing any blonding at all. That shot would not be ideal. It's not as simple as blonde espresso tastes bad and brown espresso tastes good. I've had plenty of experience with rich reddish-brown espresso tasting terrible if something is off. More rarely, sometimes the stream thinning out a little bit is exactly what a shot needs. Since the last few seconds of the shot seem to be where a lot of the more floral and acidic flavors reside, sometimes having those present in a capp for instance helps the espresso to have a more present personality in the drink. For my current espressophilosophy, it's all about extraction. Too much time or surface area, bitter and astringent. Too little time or surface area, sour or underdeveloped. Time (dictated by grind size/dose) is significantly more important to me than color.
Damon Lurie said:technically the volume of a shot doesnt matter, its actually the colour, once the running esspresso comming straight from the pf starts turning a light tawny colour you know the shot is ready, measurement arent flexible enough cause they dont account for the differences in grind, bean and age of the bean
Ricky Sutton said:I seem to be a minority in disagreeing with the "espresso directly in the cup it will be consumed in" thing.
I always pull my shots in a demi. My reasons for this are so that i can keep a very strict eye on volume. Were i to put a 16 oz. paper cup under my portafilter, i couldn't see the splitters and therefore have no idea what the shot is doing. To be able to watch the espresso coming from the splitters and watch it pooling in my demi has greatly increased the consistency of my shots. Also espresso kind of stays in the layers it is produced in. The espresso at the bottom tastes super dense and bassy (chocolates, caramels, toffee etc.), the middle of the shot is the fruit and the top is citrus and floral. The crema is invariably the ashy and bittersweet qualities. Those profiles will change depending on, well everything. But the theory is there that shots don't mix themselves. Which is why i stir my espresso before drinking. Anyway, my point is that if i pull a shot directly into a capp cup and don't vigorously swirl the shot before pouring, those bitters are risen to the surface of the drink as i pour and the top of my capp doesn't taste so great. Then when i reach the bottom, it's super syrupy. If i always pull into demi's then pour the shot into the cup, it's pre-mixed. Sure i lose some crema. It's a sacrifice i currently make in exchange for my drinks tasting better (to me).
As far as syrup is concerned, i always put it in the cup. I've seen a noticeable difference in the texture of my milk when steaming syrup with it.
I think a 6oz. latte is treading a little too close to the borderline of being a capp for my taste. Then again so is a gibraltar, but i drink those on occasion. I never have drinks with syrup, but if i did Monin's Toffee Nut would totally be the way to go.
Russell Greene said:I usally pull my espresso straight into a 1/2 oz of syrup but I don't make any drinks bigger than 6oz any bigger than that and it's like an espresso in a sea of milk. I asked for a 6oz latte at some coffee bar in snotsdale and the guy looked at me like I was crazy. I actually had to explain to him to only use 4 oz of milk. Toffee nut is where it's at
I'll try that shot Bry. Just have some seltzer water handy.
You do have to start somewhere though. And though it's all a huge generalization, there are baseline standards like crema = good, blonding = bad. That's just the first tier of the ladder in figuring out your coffee/machine/techniques. Much like anything else, it's an acceptable standard so long as you realize that it's a step in your evolution and you don't get stuck there forever. With agricultural products like coffee and milk, nothing is constant.
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