Interesting that even among this crowd, less than half rate a straight espresso as their favorite on that list. I wonder how many regularly order espresso in cafes - no wonder the average cafe owner/barista never learns to make a drinkable shot.

Now that is sad (I don't think I answered that poll - put me down for straight espresso! that won't get the straight espresso to 50% though, will it?)

Howard

I voted sometimes. As nixter said, I prefer without but will add some if I get a bad shot which is usually at a place I should know better and just skip in the first place. Last weekend, I was out with a group of people and ordered an espresso after a great meal. Sadly, the espresso was pretty bad so rather than tossing it I added a little sugar and some cream to take the edge off. I made up for it with a very well-made martini at the next place we stopped though.

JimWright wrote:Interesting that even among this crowd, less than half rate a straight espresso as their favorite on that list. I wonder how many regularly order espresso in cafes - no wonder the average cafe owner/barista never learns to make a drinkable shot.

I would be willing to bet that the results of that poll are skewed as well. Many of the people who voted straight espresso were choosing that answer because (on this forum anyway) that is the "right" answer. Just like so many people stated that they "never" use sugar because they think it is the "right" answer. It is likely a pretty large disparity as well, not just a few points. I think it is wise to take anonymous internet polls at face value.

I think the cafe issue is entirely separate and may be a chicken/egg issue. I rarely order straight espresso at a cafe because it is generally terrible. I was recently in NYC and I rarely ordered anything but straight espresso because I was ordering from Gimme and Stumptown...different ballgame.

dialydose wrote:I would be willing to bet that the results of that poll are skewed as well. Many of the people who voted straight espresso were choosing that answer because (on this forum anyway) that is the "right" answer.

I wouldn't bet on that. I grant you there may indeed by some people -- more likely to be new participants to this forum, rather than long-term, regular posters -- who may have been tempted by some sort of perceived "right" answer, but I can't see that happening with the majority of people who post here. Perhaps I just give our community a little more credit than you do . . . or perhaps I'm just more naive.

dialydose wrote:I think it is wise to take anonymous internet polls at face value.

Now that is always a good idea!

dialydose wrote:I think the cafe issue is entirely separate and may be a chicken/egg issue.

I would guess that most of us who answered the poll did so with what they do at home, making their own espresso, in mind. At least that's what I did, and I don't think I'm so different than others here. I don't use sugar even in -- OK, rarely do I use sugar even in bad restaurant espresso (which I all-too-frequently order, despite my vow never to order espresso in restaurants again!). I usually end up not drinking it.

True, better (as in "more accurate") results may have been obtained by clarifying a distinction between sugar in restaurant shots versus in home shots -- or by asking "Do you add sugar to good espresso?" -- but I don't think that's going to happen.

Besides . . . it would still be one of those anonymous internet polls!

Cheers,
Jason

IMO, there's no right or wrong in adding sugar. It all depends on individual taste buds...some like it to be more sweeter and some prefer bittersweet

dialydose wrote:I would be willing to bet that the results of that poll are skewed as well. Many of the people who voted straight espresso were choosing that answer because (on this forum anyway) that is the "right" answer.

The poll I cited was on the home page and respondents are not required to login, so the likelihood of peer pressure coming into play seems remote. The more likely explanation for the disparity between anonymous (home page) polls and forum polls is the differing demographic of those willing to register in order to vote versus those who stop by, read an article, vote in an anonymous poll, peruse the forums for awhile, and either lurk/leave.



Also note there are 1700+ votes, so the effects of peer pressure, if they exist, are likely mitigated by the sheer number of voters who are not concerned about how "anonymous others" might view their anonymously registered preference. On the other hand, the poll represented in this thread has just over 100 votes, so the results are more easily swayed by group-think.

Ah.... With 1700 votes there, I'm surprised the number was even 40%! I wonder what percentage of this group was from the U.S....

blueface wrote:IMO, there's no right or wrong in adding sugar. It all depends on individual taste buds...some like it to be more sweeter and some prefer bittersweet

Sure, people have different tastes. Some of it is inborn. Some of it is habit. Some of it is from exposure to better or worse coffees (or wine or green beans for that matter). What I am dead certain of is that the worse the espresso, the more likely people will put sugar into it.

This is just how I feel about sugar in bad espresso...

I think it makes it worse. Without it, it is thin, bitter, and hot. Adding enough sugar to get rid of the bitterness is near impossible, because the drink becomes this sickly sweet, yet still bitter sludge. For me, anyway. YMMV.

On a different note...

In light of reading through this thread this morning, I decided I would add sugar to my morning brew(today was PressPot Panama, La Berlina Estate). To a 12oz cup, I added half a tablespoon of raw sugar and stirred. Did I think it was bad? No. It wasn't bad, but I much prefered it without sugar. The sweetness wasn't a nice addition to the cup, though it was FAR from undrinkable.

I wonder if there is a correlation between adding sugar and adding cream to coffee. I very seldom see someone add sugar without also adding some sort of dairy. Then again, this is based on what I see in gas stations and 7/11 stores, so.. take it with a grain of sugar

If you enjoy adding sugar to your coffee, espresso, cappa etc etc... I don't think there is anything wrong with that at all. Make YOUR coffee how YOU like it. What gets to me, is when it becomes habit to add sugar, and someone just isn't open to trying a coffee without it.(not referring to anyone here, friends of mine do this.)