I eased my way into espresso, but got a head start, I suppose, by always being a black coffee drinker. I started home-roasting to get fresher coffee and that lead to the coffee forums and trying straight espresso drinks at vetted cafes.

Funny thing is that even at quality focused / third wave cafes I'd say that most customers don't drink straight espresso and those that do make up the small minority.

i vaguely remember espresso orders nearing 50% some days... I'm going off of memory from years ago, so maybe i'm fantasizing it.

I would guess 10-20% straight espresso orders tonight, but again, I didn't look at the numbers. Either way, many straight espresso orders.

If it's promoted, that % would likely increase. If it's not promoted, that % might hover.

I fondly remember La Montana, El Injerto, Konga, and certain other SOs... so I REALLY like espresso, to answer the title. Not sure what the reasoning against it is. Equipment is a true PIA.

I used to drink Starbuck espresso. I liked it. When I bought a machine, I kept thinking - Starbuck espresso is good. Why can't mine be that good. Then I started learning how to pull a decent shot. And I tasted really good shots at a few "real" cafes. And I upgraded my gear and bought some good beans. And then I started to notice that Starbucks espresso had "really gone downhill!" ... Now I find their shots taste terrible. But I think their shots haven't changed one bit.

Way back when, I walked into a Starbucks in South Beach and it tasted quite good! This was back in the days of the Linea/Mazzer setup and I guess I was lucky to have a barista who cared. This went away when they switched to superautos.

hudsterboy wrote:I would serve crappy shots with a lemon zest and the people would choke it down maybe with some sugar and say "great". They didn't look like they were enjoying it.

Reminds me of college days, when I worked in an "Italian" restaurant, where we busboys were actually encouraged to make after-meal shots for customers. With scarcely a freaking clue what we were doing, the only "quality" standard was that the cup was filled with blackness - literally, as I can't recall ever seeing a speck of crema. I'll be a long time in Purgatory before I atone for all that....