Thanks for the comments. I really appreciate all the great advice. Let me rephrase my original question though: Do your shots (1.5-2.5 oz) taste incredibly vibrant? I mean real sweet? Not just a hint, I mean a lot of flavor. Like when you drink it you can't believe it came from coffee beans. None of my "normal" shots came close to the taste I experienced in those few tiny sips mentioned above. I'm on to those coffee beans now. I know they are hiding some tasty in there somewhere. I guess I am trying to gather a feel for just how far off my shots really are. I don't have any shops around me that produce anything better than I do so I don't have any frame of reference. Thanks again!

joel wrote:Do your shots (1.5-2.5 oz) taste incredibly vibrant? I mean real sweet? Not just a hint, I mean a lot of flavor. Like when you drink it you can't believe it came from coffee beans.

It depends on the coffee I'm using.

"Do your shots (1.5-2.5 oz) taste incredibly vibrant? I mean real sweet? Not just a hint, I mean a lot of flavor. Like when you drink it you can't believe it came from coffee beans."

No. Always tastes like it came from coffee beans. But vibrant - yes. Sometimes harsh, sometimes citrusy (if I follow the Sweet Marias recommendations) The flavors are complex - however, as I mentioned once before - the smell left in the coffee cup after drinking the shot smells like a combo of great tobacco/incense.

Howard

joel wrote:Let me rephrase my original question though: Do your shots (1.5-2.5 oz) taste incredibly vibrant? I mean real sweet? Not just a hint, I mean a lot of flavor. Like when you drink it you can't believe it came from coffee beans.

Well, depending on the beans, the coffee will have all those flavors. To me that is just what espresso tastes like if you do it right. Then again, to me, most of the espresso you can get in the cafes tastes like grease trap bilge.

Now you know why we are all so obsessed.

joel wrote:I've pretty much exclusively used an espresso blend from Mighty Good Coffee in Ann Arbor.

I wouldn't. Get yourself instead to Comet Coffee. The house espresso there is 49th Parallel's Epic Espresso, and they do frequent guest taps from Ritual and Terroir. They have real baristas and a dedicated owner who is active in the Great Lakes Region Barista competitions, etc.

They sell all of the coffees, will talk to you about dose, temp, technique, etc. The two-group Synesso there will pull you a great reference shot.

yakster wrote:A great espresso will blow your doors off. Sweet, vibrant, lots of flavor. It can be bright and acidic, fruity, or it can be deep and chocolaty, or both. Around here, I'm lucky to get Ritual's High Striker, Barefoot's The Boss, and Ecco's Reserve which gives me something to aim for with my own shots.

This morning, I had the Ecco Reserve which was rich with flavors of baker's chocolate and hints of vanilla.

To get some idea, watch this video (http://www.vimeo.com) of Joel from Slayer Espresso pulling shots and describing flavors:

-Chris

Good Lord. It looks like that espresso is being squezzed out of a hersheys container. I notice the tamp. The grind looks extremely fine, to the point where the weight of the tamper just compresses the grind by itself.

When I grind that fine my Silvia chokes and I get no extraction.