Micro-ristrettos?
Is it just my imagination, or are the shots getting smaller and smaller? I just did an informal tour of some of the most-praised California coffee bars and rarely got a double with more than about ½ ounce in it. One such shop even had a sign explaining that “Singles are 1 oz. Doubles are 2 oz.”
The coffees were delicious. But, when I make my own at home, my doubles are 1 to 1-1/2 oz., and I haven’t found any advantage in making them smaller. What am I missing?
Replies to This Discussion
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Permalink Reply by James Liu on
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It's been happening for a while now. I just measured what's been going on at my shop, and doubles (out of triple baskests, no less) are about .75 to 1 ounce sometimes.
It's the American palette.
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Permalink Reply by Mike McGinness on
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I'm not so sure it's the American palette versus sometimes shops/barista taking the easy way out. Specifically it's usually easier to pull a non-offensive sweet ristretto than pull a normale that can often make the shot really sing it's full potential.
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Permalink Reply by Deferio on
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It would seem that a shop producing such a small volume with a larger dose of coffee (15-20grams)gives the shop a greater ability to replicate the shots flavor among a large assortment of baristas.
Odd since there was much ado made of people using too much coffee as a way to cover up sloppy technique. I remember many threads taking swipes at folks who use 21g of coffee for doubles. But the question is what is the difference when you use 15-20g of coffee for a half ounce?
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Permalink Reply by Brady on
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James Liu said:It's the American palette.
Well, it's one of them at least.
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Permalink Reply by Jason Haeger on
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Seriously. A Palate is not the same thing as a Palette.
Brady said:James Liu said:It's the American palette.
Well, it's one of them at least.
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Well, I mean, on my end, there are three who prefer shots like that, and they happen to own the shop. We chose a coffee that would do well pulled to that sort of length. Not that I'm exactly innocent in this whole mess. I used to say that I like shots thick enough to stand a spoon in. (@Deferio, that was when I was at Joe and you were at Carriage House. Now, we're in the same regional again, why don't you come to my throwdown in a week?)
Sloppy technique? Maybe. But I find that with shots this compact, you start getting salty shots. Sloppy technique exacerbates that. Back when I was working at Intelly, salty shots could usually be solved by pulling shots longer. Not quite "normale" but more like a traditional ristretto.
Anyway, right now, I find myself in the interesting position of wanting to pull longer shots than anyone else in the shop. It's weird.
"The American Palette" is admittedly too grand a generalization.
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I've noticed this before. I suspect that the thinking is "if it tastes good, it's dialed in", regardless of final volume. The notion that final volume has anything to do with dialing in the espresso seems to be something of a foreign concept to a lot of baristas. Final volume is related to, but is not a determining factor in dialing in the espresso.
I've heard that a lot. I've believed it. And the results usually taste just fine, if not good. I don't agree with it, but I've been guilty, and not that long ago.
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Palate, palette. I keep making that misteak. Yeesh. Somebody hit me over the head with a pallet next time I make it, maybe it'll get through.
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Permalink Reply by Ashlind on
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Refer to you WBC and UCBC rules for this. meaning a very good, excellent, and extraordinary shot no matter the color, persistence, and balance will not be those scores unless 1oz. actually an average is at least 1oz. i think that says all.
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Permalink Reply by Fraser Jamieson on
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Interesting. When I order a double want it good, and I want it to be about 60 ml. in volume. If the flavour is falling apart after 20 ml there is something seriously wrong with the way it's being made.
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Permalink Reply by Jay Caragay on
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Marshall-
I wonder if that has more to do with achieving greater crema coloration than anything else. Perhaps the baristas think it "looks good" so therefore, it must taste good. But without actually seeing/tasting the results it's difficult to say.
James comment is interesting in that it underscores a potential problem in any shop - inconsistency. As he says, he's the only barista in his shop that wants to pull a longer shot. To my mind, I wonder what standards have been established, or are the baristas permitted to make espresso to their own, individual tastes?
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