I'd like to try espresso with glassware but am concerned about them not being heat resistant. Is this an issue to worry about?

Thanks!

I can't offer any guarantees but I don't think you need to worry, at least with straight shots. Espresso flows out pretty slowly, at something well below boiling temperature, so the glass has time to deal with the heat. To be extra cautious you could warm up the glass first. If you're filling the glass with boiling water in anticipation of making a long black then I think you might have more to worry about.

People use shot glasses for espresso all the time and those are usually a lot thicker than a nice whisky glass. Thicker means it takes longer for the heat to distribute so a more fragile looking glass is actually less likely to crack than a thicker one.

Is a Glencairn shape optimal for drinking espresso?

I have to admit I don't know if those glasses are suitable for espresso, but I like how they focus the aromas of alcoholic drinks, so I'm curious to try them with coffee. What you write makes a lot of sense, so I think I'll give it a shot (pun not intended).

I also love the Glencairn glasses for good whisky. We have a couple of them. As I recall they weren't expensive. Maybe I'll pull a shot into one today and see how it goes.

It can be done. But I've only done it by running the shot into something else and pouring from that into the glass so it may have cooled off a bit. It's fairly tall so only way I'd be able to run a shot directly into it would be a naked portafilter and with the narrow top, shot would be sloppy.

There's also kruve and other such glassware as an option.

mckolit wrote:It can be done. But I've only done it by running the shot into something else and pouring from that into the glass so it may have cooled off a bit. It's fairly tall so only way I'd be able to run a shot directly into it would be a naked portafilter and with the narrow top, shot would be sloppy.

I was about to try but discovered that it wouldn't fit unless I removed the scale, and even then only barely. I'm not sure it makes that much sense anyway, other than that the glass has a certain aesthetic appeal. The shape is to facilitate swirling and the concentration of aroma. Does that really work with a shot of espresso?

It can trap the aromas like it was designed to for whisky. Drinking hot liquids out of it is not pleasant though. I prefer a thicker wall like demitasse cups have for drinking espresso. And I only did it for the pictures!

Hmmm never thought to try, not sure if it would fit with scale, might depend on machine and group clearance. But I looooove whiskey...

OK. Chris started it. Whisky p0rn...

But yes I've tried using my Glencairn's for spro and you need a single spouted portafilter due to the small opening.