HB wrote:Pete, I'm curious. Wouldn't transferring from shot glasses as reported lose points on the crema's color / consistency / persistence score? I don't recall anyone doing this in competition, let alone the USBC finals. Would you elaborate on the benefits?

ThePete wrote:I'm glad you asked Dan. Luca is pretty right on with what he said. Espresso is a layered drink when you think about it, and "flipping" the shot is something that we at PT's came up with especially for tasting at the barista competition this year. If you haven't done it before try pulling a shot between 3 separate shot glasses filling 10ml in each until the extraction is done. If you taste them, you should find the first 10ml to be very sweet and heavy, second hits more acid and body, and third is quite thin in comparison with more of the floral and bitter notes. Now think about how the shot pours and you see that the thin, less preferable flavors are in the first sip. I have to thank our roaster Marty Gish for the initial idea for flipping the shot. Back to your actual question, we did have issues with losing crema points when practicing this method. What it came down to in my mind is speed of service. You don't want your shots to sit anyway, but just stepping up my haste helped preserve the color and persistence of crema. In fact, one of my judges in the finals wrote "great crema!" on my score sheet. So in my opinion, the gain on the flavor side completely outweighed a very small loss if any on the crema components. I would encourage everyone to try the "PT's flip" as we have been calling it. Pull a double shot, one straight into a demi and the other into a preheated shot glass and pour it into a second demi and try them side by side. Doing a blind tasting is even better. You might just be amazed that both shots, especially on that first sip, came from the same portafilter. On a final note, I don't feel that this is a step that should always be done especially at a cafe. As I said before, espresso is a layered drink and I find that part of the enjoyment is tasting the changing flavors as you drink it down.


Pete

jeffg wrote:Just a curious question about how much this impacts the final product. I am not worried about visually, just taste wise. Since I am still learning I find it helpful to pull my shots into a pre-heated, measured pyrex shot glass. Once the shot is poured i grab my milk, froth (done in 20secs on my machine), then i pour my shot into a pre-heated cappuccino cup, add the milk. It doesn't seem like this would be a problem but who knows it could be a big no-no. I suspect pouring direct into the cup keeps the crema more intact and allows the crema to then form a nice tasty ring around the top when pouring milk.

John P wrote: Try making your cappuccino both ways, and see what you taste.

TimEggers wrote:Oh no don't do that, there is after all only one "right" way!

I should add that the only time I stir the shot is when the extraction is a little off (I never claimed to be a good barista). But when the extraction is spot on I enjoy the drink as is. Honestly guys to each their own.

Marshall wrote:When you see a shop using those little transfer pitchers, it's usually an indication of poor training and a warning that you are about to receive a subpar drink.

Marshall wrote:Everyone is entitled to their own preferences, even if they are eccentric. I have plenty of eccentricities of my own.

But, in this editor-free world of the Internet, we really do a disservice to newbies if we don't warn them when the advice we are about to give is far off the norm and based on an unusual taste preference.

TimEggers wrote:I completely agree sir. I would like to see more emphasis on the Internet for traditional methods as well. How often is it taught that espresso can be simply grind, dose, and level, tamp then pull? I fear not often enough.