Do we really want perfect espressos every time? - Page 2

#11: Post by **samgiles** » June 17th, 2009, 10:38 pm

Great post Gus. I am always striving for perfection (or my version of it). I'm not sure I've ever pulled a "perfect" shot. I rarely now pull a sink shot though. Whenever I'm sitting and criticizing my coffee I just have to remind myself that, should I have been served this shot in a cafe, I'd be very pleased.

#12: Post by **JimG** » June 17th, 2009, 10:42 pm

Tasting the espresso, and thereby interacting with it, will alter it such that its degree of perfection cannot be determined accurately. So there is nothing to worry about. (Most sincere apologies to Werner Heisenberg).

Jim

#13: Post by **another_jim** » June 17th, 2009, 11:41 pm

The concept of perfection is a morass; so lets talk about flawless shots instead. What does it take to pull flawless shots day in and day out? What do you sacrifice if you do this?

The good part of pulling flawless shots is developing flawless technique and accurate gear. Exactly repeated grind, dose, distribution, temperature, flow and timing will produce highly uniform shots in terms of overall strength and extraction.

The bad part of of pulling flawless shots is that it limits you to blends or coffees with "flawless" flavor profiles. "Flawless" in this case means that as you get closer and closer to your target extraction variables, the flavors get closer and closer to their desired balance. In my experience, the really great espresso coffees do not behave like this. Instead, they have chaotic flavor profiles, so the closer you get to a perfectly stable and repeated extraction, the more their flavor shows a multiplicity of aspects.

The easiest way to prove this for yourself is to blend 50/50 two high end and very distinct coffees, choosing from powerful Centrals and East Africans. Just a few beans more of one or the other in the grind, and the taste will be completely different. Even counting out the beans won't help, since each bean is different.

Great espresso coffees are chaotic.

#14: Post by **IMAWriter** » June 17th, 2009, 11:45 pm

"Do we really want perfect espressos every time?"
He!! yes.

#15: Post by **RapidCoffee** » June 17th, 2009, 11:52 pm

This is kinda like asking if you want great sex every time. (Uh gee, lemme think about that...

)

Of course, you could always go to Starbucks:

Recent full page ad in the NY Times.

#16: Post by **IMAWriter** » June 18th, 2009, 12:09 am

RapidCoffee wrote:This is kinda like asking if you want great sex every time. (Uh gee, lemme think about that... )

Of course, you could always go to Starbucks:

<image>
Recent full page ad in the NY Times.

#17: Post by **IMAWriter** » June 18th, 2009, 12:15 am

another_jim wrote: Great espresso coffees are chaotic.

Perhaps that's why the Almighty created SO's

Still, even for an SO, 3 more beans could conceivably change the sweetness, depth of the shot.
Your explanation above rings true.

#18: Post by **Randy G.** » June 18th, 2009, 1:10 am

RapidCoffee wrote:Of course, you could always go to Starbucks:

...or not!

I couldn't help myself.....

#19: Post by **Psyd** » June 18th, 2009, 4:05 pm

Eiron wrote:
Where's the beauty in that?

I mean, sure, it'd be great for the first few days. But then, with shocking speed, it'd be.... routine. Then what? What happens when "perfect" is now every-day, and you're looking for that special moment of wonder and awe again? How do you one-up "perfect"??

I, for one, would be willing to take one or two to find out.

I believe I've said it before;
<Dream Sequence>
I wake up and am transported to a Starbucks, and I order a cappuccino. That's all I say, "Cappuccino, please!", and the barista pushes a button. Thirty seconds later, I get a godshot buried in a free-poured swan crafted from the sweetest, latex-paint-looking microfoam, in porcelain, at the proper temperature.
And at my house, the push of a button accomplishes the very same thing...
</Dream Sequence>

Day after day, ad nauseum. Yeah, I think I could take it...

#20: Post by **another_jim** » June 18th, 2009, 6:03 pm

Psyd wrote: ... I get a godshot buried in a free-poured swan crafted from the sweetest, latex-paint-looking microfoam, in porcelain, at the proper temperature ... Day after day, ad nauseum. Yeah, I think I could take it...

But you'd need to find a new hobby, preferably one with real world difficulties.