Comment on People who order "a decaff coffee with an extra shot" - why?
OmegaMouse@feddit.uk 5 months ago
Follow-up question - each portafilter is two shots right? So if you end up adding an third shot to a coffee, what do you do with the leftover fourth one?
(Or do you have a smaller, single shot portafilter?)
You mean the basket. The portafilter holds the basket and is inserted into the group head. They can be bottomless (naked) or have spouts.
On to baskets. You can buy single/double/triple shot sizes (typically 7/14/21 grams) but you can also buy 18/20/22/24/25g baskets. You’ll find most serious cafes use 18/20/22g baskets. Barista’s almost always love to chat so don’t be afraid to ask questions. Just be nice and they’ll tell you just about anything you want to know about pulling espresso shots.
I’ve seen some shops put aside the extra shot if they know another customer has ordered one and they can serve it before it sits around too long. Otherwise, you can dose the portafilter with less coffee for a single.
brokenlcd@feddit.it 5 months ago
All of the bar espresso machines I’ve worked with have an extra “handle”(I’m not sure how it’s called in english) that’s half as deep and has a single spout, so yes there is a single shot one, at least for the ones in italy, i don’t know if it’s the same for the rest of the world
sab@kbin.social 5 months ago
Portafilters for a single shot is pretty standard equipment, but it's also a bit controversial among the snobs. A lot of baristas will stick to making double shots and just throw the second one away if nobody orders an espresso while it's still hot. In a moderately busy bar excess espresso shots are not really a problem.
brokenlcd@feddit.it 5 months ago
Well good to know; in all honesty it feels a little weird to see espresso as a snob thing when here in italy you see it everywhere, i literally just came from bringing a couple of cups of it to a couple of my frends working in the constrution site next to my house; it’s kinda nice to see this differences
sab@kbin.social 5 months ago
The difference between Italy and the rest of the world in terms of espresso culture is night and day. If you want a decent espresso in most of Europe you have to go to some hipster obsessing over every tiny detail - if you go to a random bar they will give you an espresso shot the size of a glass of milk. I always go for a lungo in Italy, but most espressos I get in other countries still feel a bit ridiculous to me.
On the positive side, the obsessive hipsters might actually be on to something - there's a lot of potential for flavour in the espresso that is generally not explored in Italy. Italian beans tend to be very dark roasted, meaning that the brewing of the coffee is very forgiving but there is less potential for more exciting flavours. Then again, people who want a fruity cup of coffee are arguably better off sticking to other extraction methods.
And there's certainly quality differences in Italy as well! Though I feel like it often boils down to the basics such as keeping the machine clean and preventing soap taste.
Cowbee@lemmy.ml 5 months ago
Italy and the rest of the world have different ideas of what constitutes espresso, culturally.
Italian espresso is fast, casual, cheap, typically darkly roasted, and a very social experience.
Espresso in the US, Australia, and other countries tends to be more prepared, precise, lightly roasted, and appreciated.
Neither is better than the other, just different cultures!
OmegaMouse@feddit.uk 5 months ago
That’s interesting to know, thanks! Most coffee shops where I live would probably never get busy enough to use a spare shot. Perhaps they change out to a single shot portafilter, but I’ve never noticed.