How does cup temperature affect the shot? Will brewing into a cold cup result in a sour shot like what you get when brew temp is too low or will it just result in a good shot (assuming the shot is perfect) that tastes like it's cooled a bit?

basically yes.

it is the same sort of principle as dumping a hot espresso shot over ice, it just has a shocked taste. Mark Prince has ranted about this on various different occasions, none of which i can directly quote.

Besides, a cold cup also tends to cool the espresso a lot more than a nice, hot, preheated and thick walled cup.

mckolit wrote:Will brewing into a cold cup result in a sour shot...?

I prefer cups that are warm (not hot), but I sometimes run out of prewarmed cups from the top of the espresso machine during testing. I haven't noticed a sour taste from room temperature cups, though I have noticed that the flavors "open" as the espresso cools. Most espressos poured into super hot demitasses taste flat to me until they've cooled a bit. I don't know if it's a taste perception or an actual chemical change. Thanks for the food for thought, I'll pay closer attention to cup temperature.

psycho_supreme wrote:it is the same sort of principle as dumping a hot espresso shot over ice, it just has a shocked taste.

Hmm-m, I've noticed a distinct taste difference with some hot brewed teas or coffees poured over ice, but not with espressos poured into room temperature demitasses.

HB wrote:Hmm-m, I've noticed a distinct taste difference with some hot brewed teas or coffees poured over ice, but not with espressos poured into room temperature demitasses.

perhaps I should clarify. I wasn't suggesting that catching a pour in a room temperature demitasse would be as shocking as over ice, I was merely trying to prove a point.

You are correct in saying it tastes flat, thats more where I was trying to go with that, didn't mean to over-exaggerate.

FYI, I created the related poll: How warm do you like your espresso cups?

If I try a shot in a cold, and I do mean room temp at 06:00 cold, it taste watered down to me.