A while back the topic of stirring espresso came up (the threads are old enough that they are closed now). I wasn't really won over, but in the last week or two I've gone back and tried it with light roasts (Terrior, for example) and really found it mellowed shots that otherwise would have started too aggressive. I think I am a convert now that with light roasted SOE's I'll always try them straight and try them stirred or swirled. Medium roasts on up, my hunch is I'll still prefer not stirred and perhaps without a swirl. I was curious if anyone else had a correlation like this that they had found between espressos that improve with stirring and those that do not?


Background related to the topic by the way for people who haven't thought about it... a few years back James Hoffman had the fascinating video blog entry in which he proclaimed, "Crema is rubbish"

http://www.jimseven.com/2009/07/06/video-1-crema/

It launched a very interesting thread here (discussing if one should stir, swirl, or even scoop out one's crema)...

"Crema is Rubbish"

I always stir shots that I am dialing in, or when I'm tasting a new coffee for the first time. Otherwise I'm content to have a 'layered' drink. I think stirring is useful to get an "overall" taste. It also means that you don't have to finish the whole shot, very important when you're pulling many at a time.

Mostly I think it's just a matter of personal taste. To each his own spro.

Crema on its own is nothing to write home about; but if you drink the espresso through the crema, or fold it ino the rest of the drink by swirling, the mouthfeel is vastly improved.

In general, it's good to have some sort of conceptual framework when tasting; but if it's all concepts and no tastes, something is going wrong. I'm beginning to become suspicious that a lot of the third wave writing is getting to this point. In particular, it's possible to become so overly coffee-centric that everything else disappears into a great big rubbish tip. My feeling is that when you start failing to see that crema is a constitutive part of the espresso drinking experience; it's time to reexamine your tasting premisses.

Its out of habit now, but I always swirl the cup. But I feel that swirling doesn't do as effective a job as stirring, as far as incorporating that thick mouthfeel to the whole cup.

Another benefit of stirring, is it can help cool the shot slightly, if its too hot for your liking.

I also swirl, somewhat out of habit when dialing in. But when I'm tasting the shot of another barista at another shop, I often fold the crema into the rest of the shot. I don't mind the layered nature, but usually when I'm out, I prefer the holistic nature of a stirred shot. I look at getting shots at another cafe as a time of enjoyment. It's when I'm home or at work where I get my lab coat on and try to dissect every aspect so that I may seek improvement of the whole.

-Dave-

Swirling is definitely not as effective as taking a spoon to the espresso, but I always swirl to get a good WHIFF also.

I mostly prefer stirred espresso. However, I really like the separation when there is a blend that is not just highly acidic, but highly sweet. I love that hit of acidity that washes out into sweetness, it's actually, to my mind, one of the best moments in espresso land! I have very few espresso that are like this, or more generally put, very few blends have gotten to that point. I've mostly experienced low acid and high sweetness and vice versa. I swirl almost always, but stirring depending on what I've decided for that espresso.

I almost always grab a demi spoon from atop my machine and give my shots a quick 2 second stir. The flavors tend to stay separated in layers in a shot that is not agitated in some fashion which could be good with some coffee's but I tend to prefer the melded flavors of a shot given a quick stir.

I always stir. Sometimes I fold first, followed by a stir.

I took Jim's (another_jim) advice from this thread: Favorite Espresso Blends 2012 and haven't looked back.

You guys have me almost convinced to give stirring / folding in the crema in another try.