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Permalink Reply by Brady on August 29, 2008 at 11:28am

Not sure exactly what you are asking... but just to have the maximum chance to look like an idiot, I'll try an answer anyway :)

Our "flavor shot" by itself does not contain espresso - it is just a size-appropriate portion of syrup or sauce. I usually put the syrup shot in the cup first, then pull or pour the espresso shots on top if required, then add milk, drip coffee, or water. This way the milk pouring into the cup evenly mixes the drink nicely. This also lets me kinda pour art (or is that poor art).

With sauces in "over ice" drinks I'll pull the espresso shots onto the sauce shots in a small cup. This way I can stir espresso and sauce before adding to the milk to avoid having it all sink.

Was this helpful?

Oh yeah, please don't forget to grumble, roll eyes, scowl, wince, sob, or possibly faint when doing any of the above.

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Permalink Reply by Aaron C on August 29, 2008 at 11:37am

I agree with the above post; the flavorings are also one of the ingredients least affected by changes in temperature, so you don't have to worry about it going bad while you finish the rest of the drink.

One thing we were experimenting with at my previous cafe was mixing the flavor into the milk BEFORE steaming; it made a very subtle but interesting difference.

Also, I stand firm in the belief that artificial sweeteners have no place in hot beverages; I have yet to find one that could survive being heated without picking up a nasty flavor. For the very small amount of sugar and calories it adds, encourage customers to go with the regular - not sugar-free - syrups.

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Permalink Reply by Brady on August 29, 2008 at 12:07pm

Aaron C said, among other things:

One thing we were experimenting with at my previous cafe was mixing the flavor into the milk BEFORE steaming; it made a very subtle but interesting difference.

Yeah, that is a nice way to do it. It seems to make the flavor a little more mellow and balance better with the rest of the ingredients. This makes me feel a bit better about it as well... it's more like making an infused milk to use in the beverage, rather than adding something to the espresso. You can still scowl and mutter when you do it though.

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Permalink Reply by Mike McGinness on August 29, 2008 at 4:15pm

janvier said:

We used to steam flavors in with the milk at a previous shop . . . but all the sugars getting sucked up into the steam wand . . . ick.

It was tasty, though.

It's not a problem (at least on our Linea) if you wipe and purge the wand after every steaming, as should be done anyway.

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Permalink Reply by Brady on August 29, 2008 at 5:49pm

Even just milk going up the wand is a big "ick". It always annoys me to work with people that cut off the steam and leave the pitcher there... even after a purge-and-wipe you still get a drippy, milky mess all over your drip tray. Just pull the pitcher as soon as you cut off the steam and nothing will go up.

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Permalink Reply by Mike McGinness on August 29, 2008 at 6:57pm

Brady said:

Even just milk going up the wand is a big "ick". It always annoys me to work with people that cut off the steam and leave the pitcher there... even after a purge-and-wipe you still get a drippy, milky mess all over your drip tray. Just pull the pitcher as soon as you cut off the steam and nothing will go up.

And of course it's not just a drippy "ick" issue, milk and or sweetened milk going up the wand can do wonderful things to a steam valve! Anyone that can't follow simple yet important steaming techniques won't be around my shop long.

But back to the topic. We do it both ways depending. With our chocolate ganache sauce or mascavado sugar "African lattes" we pull the shot on top of the sauce then stir then pour the milk. With full liquid flavors usually goes in the milk before steaming though leaning towards switching to always pulling the shot into a flavoring. Though some supper foo-foos like a Raspberry Mocha look kind of cool with pink micro-foamed milk:-) Love it handing such a feminine looking drink to a guy and inwardly laughing...

But you know what, though I very Very VEry VERy VERY seldom drink adulterated espresso myself yet have no qualms about making the best espresso dessert beverage possible for others. I don't cringe or faint or feel it's disrespecting the bean and all that crap. How I think about foo-foo drinks, they ain't 'spro, they're just a culinary dessert with great espresso as one of the ingredients. My goal is to make the most perfectly flavor balanced foo-foo they've ever had. Not some overpoweringly gaggingly sweet syrupy mess, but a flavor balanced beverage.

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Permalink Reply by Adrian Badger on August 29, 2008 at 10:00pm

Well said Brady.

miKe mcKoffee aka Mike McGinness said:

Brady said:

How I think about foo-foo drinks, they ain't 'spro, they're just a culinary dessert with great espresso as one of the ingredients. My goal is to make the most perfectly flavor balanced foo-foo they've ever had. Not some overpoweringly gaggingly sweet syrupy mess, but a flavor balanced beverage.

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Permalink Reply by Brady on August 30, 2008 at 5:51am

...well said Mike.

miKe mcKoffee aka Mike McGinness said:

How I think about foo-foo drinks, they ain't 'spro, they're just a culinary dessert with great espresso as one of the ingredients. My goal is to make the most perfectly flavor balanced foo-foo they've ever had. Not some overpoweringly gaggingly sweet syrupy mess, but a flavor balanced beverage.

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Permalink Reply by Andrew Khoo on September 11, 2008 at 1:45pm

Isn't there enough flavour in an espresso????

I always try and keep the milk as unadulterated as possible in the steaming process hence the shot goes in first!

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