kaldi61 wrote:[snip]If you enjoy the shot, it is good espresso, plain and simple. [snip]

A thousand times, yes. If it doesn't taste good, it wasn't good. Keep standards high and you'll get a lot of enjoyment, it shouldn't be "good for espresso", it should just be good.

run23 wrote:Make friends with the barista and chat him/her up about the shot and what you are tasting!

+1, a good barista can be a great guide. Just make sure the shop's not busy and show some interest in the coffee and the barista and they'll probably share their thoughts.

I've been lucky enough to be able to hang out while the barista was dialing in in the morning and talk about and try out the shots.

A public cupping at a cafe will also help as you'll be sampling coffee and discussing flavors, best way to develop a palate is practice with other people.

Trevor_D wrote:I want to be able to taste a shot, and be able to taste the right flavors, be it chocolate, citrus, or whatever it may be ... How can I train my palate to know the difference between good and bad shots, and to be able to identify all of these flavors I mentioned earlier?

Identifying flavors and knowing a good shot are two different things. Every amateur I know can tell a good shot; few would want to describe them even if they could. Trust yourself, you wouldn't be interested or will lose interest very quickly if you can't tell a good shot. Some flavors, like highly acidic ones, take getting used to, but get used to them, don't ever let anyone tell you what's good and go around pretending it is.

I asked a similar question about tasting, in Tasting and Sticking with One Coffee vs. Trying Several Coffees

Jim's advice was:

another_jim wrote: 1) learning to taste coffees ...

The best way for the first is cupping coffees (any method of brewing several lightly roasted coffees and comparing them is fine -- orthodox cupping was designed for people who taste dozens of coffee each day) I would especially recommend comparing several different coffees from your favorite origin until you can tell them apart easily. Then find yourself a new favorite origin and repeat. If you persist with this, you'll be a coffee maven in a year or two.

This has been very helpful to me. While I've just begun this exercise over the last month and struggle to differentiate coffees, the focus on tasting has made me a bit more aware of flavors I like/dislike and help me notice more differences and aspects of flavor, even if I can't name the differences with much precision.

Anyway, I would highly recommend following Jim's suggestion if you are looking to develop your flavor sensitivity.

Interested in the topic myself. Most espressos I had in restaurants, bars, etc. were (to me) mediocre at best. I recently visited a few coffee shops that were supposed to be worth it in my home town and I had pleasant experiences -- e.g. the first espresso that I had that was neither acidic nor bitter at all -- but I wouldn't say I was really swept away.

I really love coffee but grew up drinking it with milk and sugar, so perhaps this tints my expectation of what "good coffee is", so I'm currently trying to put less milk and sugar in my filter & moka pot coffee at home and work. Yet, the best coffees I ever had were with an Aeropress, diluted with hot water and with a tad of milk and sugar.

Why then did I just bought for more than $3k worth of espresso equipment? Well, my brother gave me an older Faema Family (now pretty much broken, would need lots of maintenance) with which I had a hard time making something drinkable, oscillating between bitter syrup or sour vaguely coffee-flavored broth. But with that machine, I managed, a few times, what I'm after with my current setup. I guess it's either a god shot, or just what a great espresso should be. Not too bitter, not too acidic, full of flavor, wouldn't dare put milk or sugar in it.

With my new setup my average shot is much more drinkable now but I have yet to reach the delight I described above, although now it's much easier to tweak the individual variables and taste their impact on the coffee. (New setup also looks way cooler ) I also know that making an amazing espresso is indeed possible -- I just need to be able to reproduce it. However I've never tasted anything like it in a coffee shop that's for sure.