how many of you guys add sugar when drink espresso?

none

According to this poll and this discussion of the same subject, the majority of forum respondents don't add sugar to their espresso. When I lived in France, I routinely added at least one cube of sugar to make the dull, bitter espresso served at cafes less offensive. I haven't done so at home since my newbie days.

Thanks Dan.
great link, I didn't know someone have already posted it.

No problem, I don't mind revisiting previous discussions if there's new information. The poll was linked from the FAQs and the other I found using the forum search tips and keywords 'espresso with sugar'. There were other discussions of this subject in related threads you may find interesting (e.g., Proper way to drink espresso).

Yay first post for me! Long time forum viewer, love HB!

Now down to business. When I first started my coffee adventures I used brown sugar. I loved the earthiness is brought to over roasted, stale store bought coffee beans. I also used it when I started making espresso. But now sugar isn't needed.

Depends on my mood. Some mornings i sugar, some mornings i don't. Same blend, just depends on how i'm feeling that day.

Yes I have coffee with sugar, but if sugar then only this: .
It's sweet isnt't
Seriously, sometimes I drink espresso or americano with honey, different kinds of honey, if I like it that way, and sometimes I add a touch of pepper or ginger (usually in autumn, to balance energy according to TCM). According to my taste a touch of brown sugar could do, but it will be quarter of spoon. But normally I drink espresso straight.

Just got back from a fantastic 2 week vacation in Italy. One of the best espresso shots I had while there was actually "sugared" by the barista. He added a small amount of sugar to the bottom of the cup before pulling the shot and it was fantastic!

Between my minimal italian and his minimal english... we struggled through a discussion that had us passing back and forth my italian/english dictionary. What I took away from the conversation is that he said the strongest "essence" of the espresso comes in the first drops and can be lost to evaporation. Having the sugar at the bottom of the cup captures and intensifies that...

Not sure if this holds up to the level of wisdom that bounces around these forums but it sure was good.

espressoStraight, I actually always place sugar at the bottom before adding espresso or liquid. I think it's just habit from other drinks that lend themselves well at dissolving sugar that way. Didn't think about it holding in the essence of espresso. Interesting.

It's also a rule of thumb to do your flavor shots at the bottom of your cup and add your espresso after. So I suppose that does make sense for normal sugar as well.