jpender wrote:Isn't it usually sold as a "shot" of espresso? Around here that actually means a double shot. They don't specify the mass or the volume of the beverage. For that matter they don't specify the dose. It's just a shot.

The thing about a freshly pulled espresso is that it isn't a simple liquid beverage like the examples you gave. It's partially a foam. A can of whipped cream, which is liquid inside the can, is sold in terms of mass for that reason. Volume makes no sense.

Here in Canada, at least the shops I visited, sell espresso as a shot, with a shot usually referring to a double, and many shops actually displays it also as 2oz - right on the menu hanging on the wall.

Sigh, people can be so tedious while entirely working against their own progress.

It's pretty simple and widely agreed upon (including everything on this website since.... 2010???...) if you are going to discuss espresso "recipes" with another person you are using grams in, grams out. Physics degree not required.
I'll let myself out now.

baldheadracing wrote:Are you drinking whipped cream by itself? I'd bet that cream itself is sold by volume ...

Well, yeah, I've for sure had whipped cream straight out of the can. Haven't you?

I don't know where to buy cream that is already whipped, except as part of a dessert in a restaurant. It's not stable. The closest thing I can think of is Cool Whip (emphasize the "h"). And I believe that it is sold by weight.

LOL. That I cannot attest to doing. I don't know why I never did. As a young boy I remember one time being very happy when my dentist told me I had eight cavities. Because that meant multiple visits. I used to just fly in that chair...

Coffee is such a pedestrian drug.

pwnell wrote:My question was to try and understand how a double shot can be sold as 2 fl. oz when, according to most standards, the weight out should be approx. 30 - 40g...

Maybe it's a Canadian convention/regulation?

I cannot recall a cafe in the US that displayed the volume of an espresso, but some display the volume for cappuccinos and lattes, presumably to educate the buyer on the difference. I've only been to a few cafes that had the choice of single or double espresso. This is likely because lattes/cappuccinos outsell straight espresso by a huge margin. When I cater events, I'll prepare around 1 straight espresso for every 40 cappuccinos/lattes.

For us, weight is the obvious measure of normalcy and comparison but a coffee shop is going to dumb everything down to the lowest common level of ignorance and apathy that is their customer base. You can always find the manager and ask for a look "behind the curtain" for your answers!