Source
r/Coffee•
holdshift

Espresso drinkers, do you like acidity?

I've been a barista for a few years. I've recently moved to a city with a more developed coffee culture and started working at a shop that takes coffee more seriously than other places I've worked before. Our signature espresso contains a bean that is very bright, citrusy and acidic. When I dial in, I try to somewhat mute this acidity to make a more drinkable espresso that tastes balanced and sweet to me. I've noticed that when some other people dial in (including my manager) the acidity is more apparent in their espresso than in mine, which creates a kind of sourness that punches you in the mouth at first sip, then fades into a more balanced drink. It's not bad, but I definitely prefer my espresso over theirs. Is this just a difference in preference, or is it my under-developed palate speaking? I admit I don't drink espresso except for dialing in. I know it's supposed to have some kick to it, but do seasoned espresso drinkers prefer such a wallop of sourness?

Posted Jan 17, 2016, 5:32 AM UTC

414
cafedickbomb•

For espresso no, I absolutely hate acidic shots. That being said, I haven't worked on the best equipment or worked in a place that really fostered that kind of coffee culture. I've experimented on my own with our standard, and sometimes I would sneak in on a Sunday to clean everything and throw in an African if I thought I could get away with it. From my experience, acidic shots scrunch my face up and make my throat feel sore. For me there is a fine line between under developed and sour coffee as opposed to an acidic but balanced shot.

If I want a shot, I want it to be as thick and syrupy as possible. I love acidic coffees in manual brewing though

5
holdshiftOP•

Seems I agree with you ... the same bean that gives the citrus to the espresso blend is my favourite to make myself a single origin pourover, which I love nice and tart. But that same note in the espresso can hit my mouth in an unpleasant way ... it's definitely a fine line between balanced and balanced leaning on sour, and another fine line between that and under-extracted. I guess I prefer to play it safe if I can't distinguish that difference too well.

1
photomikey•

It seems that all the third wave coffee shops that I've visited (Portland, Chicago, Dallas, Austin, Miami) desire/aim/praise a bright and citrus-like note. Some roasters admit to succumbing to the demand of the drinker wanting bright citrus and have changed their offerings to align with this profile.

I personally love chocolatey notes.

3
LerithXanatos•

Same. I hate bright notes.

1
peterladaEspresso Shots! Shots! Shots!•

Yes, I do. And yes, I used to like Vivace. Now it tastes like char, sorry Schomer.

2
ded_seas•

Pleasant acidity to me, sparkles on the sides of your tongue. The after taste should linger and slowly trail off. Most shops in LA offer a single and a blend for espresso. this solves that problem, but your dial should really be somewhat consistent with your coworkers imo, unless you own the place. Talk with them and try to find a common ground.

I go for bright a citrusy when its super sunny outside and i can smell flowers and all that lmao.

if i get a milk drink, it's a blend espresso.

i wouldn't try to mute out that acidity though... check with your manager see what brew temp looks like. too low and you can pull too much acid out.

2
holdshiftOP•

The temp is pretty consistent at 202! I'd say my dial is overall consistent with everyone else. We've got set parameters in terms of weight and time that I'm well within. Everyone's dial tends to taste a little bit different to what they find palatable. Guess my tastes run a little different ... I'll try upping the acid little by little from now on, though.

1
ded_seas•

If you're well within those parameters, push it to one extreme or the other.

Start by shooting for the low end combination of yield and rate of extraction. Idk your params but say for example, serviceable shots are: 24-28sec 24-28g out, shoot for that low end 24s/24g, then immediately work at achieving the higher end 28s/28g. This will give you the workable spectrum and I assure you it will vary widely side by side, regardless of what your params are.

Then you just find that balance between the two. Keep in mind, the longer the coffee is off roast, the more you're going to want to extract from it i.e. tighten the grind or increase the dose slightly as it ages.

I've also worked systems where the dose remains constant, but the grind is adjusted more so than anything else. This was only really used in shops that roasted in house. We never had anything older than 4 days.

Definitely try to weigh the initial dose as well, most grinders have a working range of +-1gto3g so they're liable to dose anything really. This could contribute to over extraction and a sour shot.

I wouldn't ask customers to try something in hopes they will critique it. That's an unprofessional and amateur look, and further down the line it might lead to them going somewhere else tbh.

You can totally handle it just find some time and really get that dial nice. You say you recently moved, maybe you aren't as familiar as you'd like to be with the coffee itself..i know thats happened to me.

1
CommunistWitchDrNel•

Some of my favorite shots have been very pleasantly acidic. That doesn't mean acidity is inherently good, but when it's done right I like it a lot.

2
jextxadore•

I like acidity if it fits in well with the other flavours — e.g. a shot that would otherwise be dark, earthy, and mildly chocolatey would (for me) be ruined by a sharp lemon note, but an orange-like acidity in a shot that generally generally tastes like biscuits and oranges and milk chocolate would be great.

Knockbox in HK offers two espresso blends — one more acidic and one fuller in body — which seems to me the only way to please everyone.

2
MastvlagEspresso Shots! Shots! Shots!•

Oh yes I do, although it should be acidic, not sour like a lemon. For me, an espresso should be refreshing, sweet and acidic like an apple or an orange.

2
disposable182V60•

I'm weird. With coffee I love bright and acidic coffees. Yirgacheffe, Kenya, Uganda, etc.

But with espresso, those bright notes don't have the same appeal to me. They just taste sour. Maybe the people pulling my shots don't have it dialed in to my liking, or maybe my palate isnt as experienced with espresso as it is with brewed coffee. But I think I just prefer a more "classic" shot of espresso. Mmm...

2
nsanity•

gotta play to the crowd imo.

If the clientele prefer that drink - then thats the drink you make.

You could run a few "freebies" by your best customers and see how they feel - maybe they prefer a more balanced drink, but didn't know it existed.

1
TheSanctifiedAeropress•

Bright espresso makes me nautious. I had a particularly bad experience a few days ago and have not had any coffee since.

1
OFFICIALspookymulder•

The way I've always been taught is that it should be in this sweet spot between bitter and sour. Not only will the espresso have all of its notes be potent in taste, but it usually makes you salivate

1