No sugar here. I typically don't drink straight shots though. I usually taste all my shots straight to make sure it is balanced and then I'll make it into either a cortado or cap. I do that out of habit. I usually drink 1-2 espresso drinks in the morning and the milk acts as my breakfast. I do enjoy espresso straight but don't find myself drinking that much afternoon. On occasion I may add my home made caramel syrup (which is sugar...) when I want a dessert drink.

Coffee is very pleasant with a sweet on the side like a pastry or chocolate. I like the two separate when I eat them though not all mixed together into a sweet drink.

Espressofilo wrote: I think there is a saying in the barista world: if your clients always add milk to your coffee, there must be something wrong in your coffee.
The same might apply in the home scene: if one always adds sugar to his coffee, or that drop of milk, maybe that's the cure for a problem which is not "recognized" as such. People can get accustomed to adding milk to the coffee made in the café and not realize that changing café is the answer. I think people can get into a "habit" of adding sugar for this reason, that the café at the office is bad, the coffee at home is bad, too bitter or too acrid, and one ends up thinking that that is the normal coffee taste.

The short answer might have been: "and I don't add sugar to my salad as well"

To each his own, but I don't share the opinion that adding milk or sugar to coffee (made as espresso or any other form) indicates there is something wrong with how that coffee was made. I sometimes like straight espresso or pour-over, and sometimes I like a cap or latte or a cup of brewed coffee with a bit of cream. I don't take sugar in my coffee, maybe because I don't care for sweet stuff and hardly ever add sugar to anything. And when I drink a cap or latte, I expect the espresso used to make it is delicious in itself, and I can tell if it isn't.

There are just times I want a straight espresso and times I want a drink made with coffee and milk...

I occasionally add a small splash of milk to my morning drip coffee. Coffee with and without milk = DIFFERENT flavor and texture experiences.

I don't feel the same way about sugar. I don't add sugar to anything really. To me, it's like adding ketchup to eggs; sugar dominates whatever you add it to, without making for an interesting flavor experience. Especially coffee.

To me, the more interesting approach is to eat something a little bit salty - and then have an unadulterated espresso. Perhaps a tortilla chip or something. Rather than changing the drink, it changes your tongue. Preps you to experience the drink differently.

We share the same opinion: I said if one always adds sugar or milk, then there is a problem. If one can enjoy his coffee without sugar or milk, and occasionally likes to add sugar or milk, then that's no indication of a problem.

Always a little sugar.Espresso needs sugar.

espressotime wrote:Espresso needs sugar.

That was my impression when I tried espresso for the first time (many years ago). It turns out, good espresso doesn't need sugar. By adding sugar to good espresso, it masks the enjoyable nuances. As for bad espresso, I dump it in the sink after the initial sampling.

There is no right or wrong.

Right, because this is espresso, not math.

Did I just say "right"?

It's not uncommon when ordering espresso ("un caffè") in Naples for the barista to ask: "zuccherato? ("sugared"), and to put it in the cup themselves if you answer affirmatively. Most customers seem to prefer it sugared.