Drinking espresso - optimal temperature/time after extraction?

November 2nd, 2015, 9:49 pm

how long do you wait to drink an espresso after its been pulled?

I used to drink it almost immediately after pulling a shot. i thought that was optimal. then i read a post from a competition barista who mentioned that he always lets his espresso cool for 60 seconds before giving it to the judges.

so i said, hey, let me try that! now, thats become my ideal formula for drinking espresso.

am i in the minority on this?

#2: Post by **Hudson** » November 2nd, 2015, 9:59 pm

I think that I tend to take one sip right after it is pulled, giving it only a quick swirl before hand. I do this because I want to try it before some of the crema dissipates. I usually then try to reflect on some of the notes I can pick out of the shot. I'll slowly sip it after another thirty seconds or so. It takes me at least 3 minutes to finish a double.

#3: Post by **JohnB.** » November 3rd, 2015, 9:02 am

I find it much too hot to drink right after pulling the shot. I use room temp cups & give the shot a little time to cool off a bit. Since I'm pulling Ristrettos I drink the entire shot at once, no sipping.

#4: Post by **shawndo** » November 3rd, 2015, 9:42 am

After watching those Wendelboe videos, I started pulling shots into room temperature cappuccino cups then drinking right away. That drops the temp perfectly for me and the crema doesn't dissipate too much.

November 3rd, 2015, 9:41 pm

room temp as opposed to warmed up mugs sitting on top of the machine?

#6: Post by **shawndo** » November 3rd, 2015, 11:02 pm

ProletariatCoffee wrote:room temp as opposed to warmed up mugs sitting on top of the machine?

Correct, the goal for me is to cool down the espresso quickly which doesn't give the crema a lot of time to dissipate

November 4th, 2015, 12:08 am

I think that it depends on the bean/blend/roast as well. Normally I use room-temperature cups as per Tim Wendelboe, but this week I have been drinking 49th Parallel's Blue Sky blend - it has a "southern Italian" profile, and I found myself pulling out my traditional espresso cups and pre-heating them with the hot water tap.

#8: Post by **brianl** » November 4th, 2015, 10:35 am

I have those 5 oz Meno cups and just leave them on top of the machine. Pull the shot, clean up everything (wipe machine, scrub screen, backflush), then drink. Im not a big fan of trying to rapidly cool it with a cold/room temp cup or anything (then I wouldn't have time for cleaning!).

November 4th, 2015, 9:33 pm

shawndo wrote:Correct, the goal for me is to cool down the espresso quickly which doesn't give the crema a lot of time to dissipate

where can i view the Tim Wendelboe video?

#10: Post by **LaMarzooka** » November 4th, 2015, 10:45 pm

It's up on YouTube, "Espresso Q&A on Periscope with Tim Wendelboe."