Father of Double Espresso
Just had one of those coffee shop experiences that drive me crazy.
barista: Hello! What would you like today?
me: Double Espresso please.
batista: Ah, what exactly do you mean by a double espresso.
I mean really? What is hard about this?
And then, just to highlight how uncoffee they are, the smallest ceramic mug is a 12 oz. coffee cup. Oh the humanity of it all. :-)
coffee nerd!
coffee snob may be more fitting. ;-)
nice rant.
OK, spill the beans (pun intended). Which coffee shop is this?
New Caribou Coffee “Minnetonka Crossing” location.
Yeah, I think their training has gotten worse as they’ve expanded in the last few years. I used to design their training materials about ten years ago, and it was good stuff. Very thorough.
I can promise you’ll never hear “what exactly do you mean by a double espresso?” at One-on-one. Go indie coffee!
Hilarious! And from a fellow coffee-snob, having only 2 shots in a 12 oz mug is a serious issue. Don’t mess with my crema, dude. Bet most of it was left on the walls.
Maybe it’s time for another quad-shot for me?
Ok. Am I wrong here. A double espresso is Double strength in one shot and a double shot is two shots of normal strength? The answer seems to vary from place to place. Ditto to the comments on sub par Baristas’, even the ones with the other color apron.
@Alan,
You’ve rocked my world. Is that the case? I have no idea. I’ve always thought that a double espresso was the same as a two shot espresso. A double strength espresso? Could be… we need some experts to weigh in here.
A double espresso is made using a double/deeper filter tray which holds more espresso grind, and results in twice the volume of a single espresso, or 2-3 oz total. Interestingly, both should take 25-30 second to ‘draw’ off your machine, since the filters are shaped differently. So, a double espresso is twice the volume of a single espresso, it is not more concentrated per se. Getting a single or double shot just right is very difficult. The grind and timing (just before) of the grind is critical, the water temperature, humidity, pressure of the machine, water quality all play a role. You must play with the grind, measure the volume produced, assess the crema, and analyze the timing of the ‘draw’ carefully. I have found it very difficult to consistently achieve the 27 second draw off the machine, which apparently gives the best overall flavor; you must time this….if you are getting your shot(s) in 10-12 seconds or 45 seconds, you have work to do.
As an aside, serving espresso is an 8-12 oz cup, which has happened to me before at these chains is an absolute joke.