Water Temperature: 158-164 degrees F.
Espresso: Fresh ground
Roast: Fresh but not too fresh
Grind: Tight and consistent
Dosage: 25 grams
Tamp: Consistent
Shots: Between 34 and 36 grams
Crema: Reddish, no blonding, some tiger striping.
Aroma: Floral
Taste: Bright, cherry, some chocolate.
This is an extremely basic recipe for good tasting espresso; I didn’t even touch water quality and roasting aspects. And here you were getting frustrated when it took longer then three minutes to get your latte, and you wonder why the barista rolls their eyes when you ask for a hazelnut, caramel, white chocolate mocha. Be assured, you are justified. After all who wants to listen to Chopin when we have Daft Punk. Or why look at a Rembrandt when we can watch Spielberg in 3D. No need to gaze at the stars when laser shows are so incredible.
Everyone knows that as humans we dilute and distort beauty. Every honest person I know well has a place in their life where they recognize that they don’t appreciate beauty in the way that they could. We all have those feelings, feelings that we should be more pure. Espresso is one of the areas where the majority of coffee drinkers are victims of popularization. There is a simple yet complex unified whole in Espresso, and it takes experience to be able to enjoy it to its’ full capacity.
I come from a family of purists, we are always trying to find the real core of whatever subject is at hand, and we fight and argue over it for hours. However, there are a few things that we all agree on, Disney Land is awesome, Michael Jackson was one of the best entertainers the world has ever known, and you don’t diss on Starbucks. Now hold the phone! Where is the unity and wholeness of that? How can a family of purists love so many distorted diluted realities?
Possibly one of my favorite experiences of managing coffee shops in the last 10 years has been seeing the face of a first time espresso drinker (usually a new hire) and having them describe espresso as strong and bitter while scrunching up their nose, and then a year later seeing them light up when they tell me about the espresso they recently had in San Francisco or getting giddy when they are pulling good shots all day.
The conclusion? Daft Punk is so catchy that they are addicting, laser shows are mesmerizing, and Steven Spielberg is a genius. Chocolate and coffee are incredible together and caramel macchiatos are pretty delicious. We love these things and we love experiencing them. If we let them they will lead us to deeper experiences of beauty. Just like a well-told love story. Espresso contains the essence of a beautiful transcendent that beckons us to swim with our senses in all purity. Yet be cautious, our journey to purer deeper enjoyment of beauty should never create jadedness to the path that leads us there. Other wise we are only limiting our ability to appreciate all aspects of beauty, which in the end is a tragedy instead of a love story.
Wandering Barista 