Hey friends,

So here's the thing. I like thick, juicy shots of lightly roasted coffee with high BMF, punchy acidity and fruity sweetness.

My technique for getting this is based primarily on the following things.

1. I have a high-extracting grinder.
2. I have a machine with flow-control.
3. I pull my shots short in yield.
4. I pull my shots long in time.
5. I pull my shots hot.

And I'm completely content with the shots I pull.

There is, however, one little thing that rather interested/bothered me.

Delicious and satisfying as my shots may be, I doubt they are ever extracted much north of 20% EY. While my tongue does not care in the slightest, it means that there are some potentially tasty solids remaining in the puck, and my wallet might appreciate a way to get these solids into my cup instead of casting them into my knockbox. Yes. I know there are lots of ways to get higher extraction shots. I am not talking about chasing EY here. I don't want to change my shots. I just want to capture the leftover goodness after I pull my shots.

While I don't know exactly what made me think to try this on my machine, it was spurred in large part by some friends with spring levers who routinely report the leftovers from a tight ristretto as being quite delicious. This, coupled with some ridiculously expensive coffee I bought recently -ah, yes, that's what made me think of trying this- led to a very successful experiment.

Enter the After-Shot:

First, make yourself a delicious shot of espresso, the shorter the better. I use a Slayer-style pre-brew followed by a declining pressure profile most of the time, but do whatever works for you.

Next, place a fresh demitasse under the portafilter and start a second shot.

That's right.

Start a second shot.

Let that sink in just a bit.

This second shot is pulled at a lower pressure. I tend to keep the pressure around 1.5 bar and target anywhere from 30-50g yield. Much like pulling a traditional shot of espresso, ideal yeld is really coffee-dependent, as a lighter roast will do well with a higher yield without any bitterness coming through, but a medium or darker roast might turn bitter and does better with a shorter yield.

I like my espresso thick, intense and focused. But the After-Shot is a like really nice single-serve spro-over. They tend to be sweet, delicate, nuanced and pretty darn tasty. If you're already extracting to 23-25% or higher, this probably isn't for you. But if you're like me and prefer your espresso to be thick and viscous, having a nice little taste of filter-esque coffee out of the same puck is an unexpected treat. It's also a pretty simple way to ensure you get your money's worth out of a spendy specialty coffee.

It's nice to be able to have your cake and eat it, too.

Cheers!

- Jake