Who knows a lot about American espresso?

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fitnessgoddess17
fitnessgoddess17 Posts: 125 Member
in Food and Nutrition
I used to drink tea with cream and sugar then I slowly added less and less until I got used to black. I'm looking to do the same with coffee. I want to learn to like black coffee. How would you even begin to step down from an espresso? Do certain espressos have less milk and more coffee than others? Thanks

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  • mnloser1
    mnloser1 Posts: 1 Member
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    I get Americanos. No cream, no sugar. If they make right, you get foam from the espresso.
  • lynn_glenmont
    lynn_glenmont Posts: 9,964 Member
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    Espresso has no milk. If it has milk, it's a latte or a cappuccino or a macchiato ...
    I usually drink americanos too. If it's made well, I drink them straight. If it's too weak I add cream (for body), and if it's too strong (which seldom is the case) I add cream (to smooth out the acidity). Never sugar. Why anyone wants to add sugar to the beautiful bitterness of coffee is beyond me.

    If you're drinking some kind of drink that comes with milk already mixed in the espresso, you can start ordering straight espressos or americanos and add the milk yourself (of course, it won't be steamed), and gradually cut back like you did with tea. If you really need the milk to be steamed, you could move from whatever you're drinking now to a macchiato (which is just a little steamed milk on top), and then to straight black espresso or americano. It won't be as gradual as what you did with tea. Or if you frequent the same coffee shop all the time, and they know you, you might enlist the help of the barista -- tell him or her what you're trying to do and every week (or how ever often you want to cut back), remind him or her and ask to have the amount of milk cut back some more.
  • jddnw
    jddnw Posts: 319 Member
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    Why do you believe your black coffee has to be expresso? Many medium roast, drip coffee blends taste great black. With black coffee you can really explore the flavor of the coffee itself and there are many different kinds of coffee to choose from and they all taste different once you learn to appreciate and discern the different types of coffee .
    (If you are one of those people who think all coffee tastes the same, it's probably because the milk an sugar are overpowering the coffee.)
  • fitnessgoddess17
    fitnessgoddess17 Posts: 125 Member
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    lynn_glenmont wrote: »
    Espresso has no milk. If it has milk, it's a latte or a cappuccino or a macchiato ...
    I usually drink americanos too. If it's made well, I drink them straight. If it's too weak I add cream (for body), and if it's too strong (which seldom is the case) I add cream (to smooth out the acidity). Never sugar. Why anyone wants to add sugar to the beautiful bitterness of coffee is beyond me.

    If you're drinking some kind of drink that comes with milk already mixed in the espresso, you can start ordering straight espressos or americanos and add the milk yourself (of course, it won't be steamed), and gradually cut back like you did with tea. If you really need the milk to be steamed, you could move from whatever you're drinking now to a macchiato (which is just a little steamed milk on top), and then to straight black espresso or americano. It won't be as gradual as what you did with tea. Or if you frequent the same coffee shop all the time, and they know you, you might enlist the help of the barista -- tell him or her what you're trying to do and every week (or how ever often you want to cut back), remind him or her and ask to have the amount of milk cut back some more.

    Thanks that's a lot of great info
  • fitnessgoddess17
    fitnessgoddess17 Posts: 125 Member
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    owendd wrote: »
    Why do you believe your black coffee has to be expresso? Many medium roast, drip coffee blends taste great black. With black coffee you can really explore the flavor of the coffee itself and there are many different kinds of coffee to choose from and they all taste different once you learn to appreciate and discern the different types of coffee .
    (If you are one of those people who think all coffee tastes the same, it's probably because the milk an sugar are overpowering the coffee.)

    I don't believe it has to be espresso I want to be able to drink regular coffee. It's just the sugary espresso milk filled drinks are what I drink now and those are what I'm looking to wean myself off of. I've never been a fan of regular coffee even with cream and sugar but I'd really like to try.
  • alwilkey
    alwilkey Posts: 14
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    lynn_glenmont wrote: »
    Espresso has no milk. If it has milk, it's a latte or a cappuccino or a macchiato ...
    I usually drink americanos too. If it's made well, I drink them straight. If it's too weak I add cream (for body), and if it's too strong (which seldom is the case) I add cream (to smooth out the acidity). Never sugar. Why anyone wants to add sugar to the beautiful bitterness of coffee is beyond me.

    If you're drinking some kind of drink that comes with milk already mixed in the espresso, you can start ordering straight espressos or americanos and add the milk yourself (of course, it won't be steamed), and gradually cut back like you did with tea. If you really need the milk to be steamed, you could move from whatever you're drinking now to a macchiato (which is just a little steamed milk on top), and then to straight black espresso or americano. It won't be as gradual as what you did with tea. Or if you frequent the same coffee shop all the time, and they know you, you might enlist the help of the barista -- tell him or her what you're trying to do and every week (or how ever often you want to cut back), remind him or her and ask to have the amount of milk cut back some more.

    Love this...Very helpful:)
  • giantrobot_powerlifting
    giantrobot_powerlifting Posts: 2,598 Member
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    Is it in your wallet?
  • jakki_brown
    jakki_brown Posts: 142 Member
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    Honestly, coffee starts out like wine. You just have to learn to appreciate the diverse flavor notes little by little. I used to only drink what we call "fru fru" drinks and now I just love black coffee.

    Personally, I take my esspresso in the latte form because it's an indulgence for me. I wouldn't drink esspresso shots alone and I'm not a fan of Americanos. If I'm not having an indulgent drink, then I drink straight coffee. If you want a little bit of both (indulgent and low cal) I have a milk frauther and I will put frauthed milk in my coffee at home. Saves money and calories. With all that said, I'm drinking my 2% latte as we speak. :pensive:

    To answer your question directly start little by little limiting the cream. Get rid of the sugar all together.
  • rhiannon_dale
    rhiannon_dale Posts: 4 Member
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    fitnessgoddess17 wrote: »
    I used to drink tea with cream and sugar then I slowly added less and less until I got used to black. I'm looking to do the same with coffee. I want to learn to like black coffee. How would you even begin to step down from an espresso? Do certain espressos have less milk and more coffee than others? Thanks

    Hello, barista of 7+ years here!
    If you like espresso drinks and are just looking to cut back on the milk, try a traditional cappuccino or a macchiato. The proportions are better balanced. A traditional capp will be roughly 6 oz, consisting of 2 oz espresso (double shot) and 4 oz steamed milk. It's very well balanced. A traditional machiatto is a double shot espresso with a tiny bit of steamed milk, topped with about an oz of milk foam. Americanos are a good option if you like the taste of espresso; they are espresso shots diluted with water to mimic a "regular" drip coffee. Those are nice because it's easy to play with proportions to figure out how you like it. Ask for your water served on the side and add to your espresso shots until it's to your liking. And try ordering any of those drinks with ristretto shots - they will be sweeter and less bitter and make for, in my opinion, better drinks.
    You should also give pour-over coffee a try. They typically have a higher coffee to water ratio vs traditional drip brewing, resulting in a smoother, more flavorful cup. The beans themselves have a lot to do with the end result, as well. Figure out what flavors/aromatics you like in a coffee and try ones with similar profiles or from the same region.
    Find yourself a good, friendly, third wave shop and any barista worth their salt would gladly take the time to help you figure out what you like!
  • fitnessgoddess17
    fitnessgoddess17 Posts: 125 Member
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    rhiannon_dale wrote: »
    fitnessgoddess17 wrote: »
    I used to drink tea with cream and sugar then I slowly added less and less until I got used to black. I'm looking to do the same with coffee. I want to learn to like black coffee. How would you even begin to step down from an espresso? Do certain espressos have less milk and more coffee than others? Thanks

    Hello, barista of 7+ years here!
    If you like espresso drinks and are just looking to cut back on the milk, try a traditional cappuccino or a macchiato. The proportions are better balanced. A traditional capp will be roughly 6 oz, consisting of 2 oz espresso (double shot) and 4 oz steamed milk. It's very well balanced. A traditional machiatto is a double shot espresso with a tiny bit of steamed milk, topped with about an oz of milk foam. Americanos are a good option if you like the taste of espresso; they are espresso shots diluted with water to mimic a "regular" drip coffee. Those are nice because it's easy to play with proportions to figure out how you like it. Ask for your water served on the side and add to your espresso shots until it's to your liking. And try ordering any of those drinks with ristretto shots - they will be sweeter and less bitter and make for, in my opinion, better drinks.
    You should also give pour-over coffee a try. They typically have a higher coffee to water ratio vs traditional drip brewing, resulting in a smoother, more flavorful cup. The beans themselves have a lot to do with the end result, as well. Figure out what flavors/aromatics you like in a coffee and try ones with similar profiles or from the same region.
    Find yourself a good, friendly, third wave shop and any barista worth their salt would gladly take the time to help you figure out what you like!

    Thanks so much, you sound incredibly knowledgable. That's really very helpful and gives me great info to start working with.
  • dbmata
    dbmata Posts: 12,951 Member
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    fitnessgoddess17 wrote: »
    I used to drink tea with cream and sugar then I slowly added less and less until I got used to black. I'm looking to do the same with coffee. I want to learn to like black coffee. How would you even begin to step down from an espresso? Do certain espressos have less milk and more coffee than others? Thanks

    Espresso has no milk in it.
    A latte has milk with some foam.
    A cappuccino has foam with some milk.
    A macchiacto is a doppio with a little foam.
    Con Panna is espresso with whipped cream.

    Look, a bunny.
    bunny-in-my-coffee.jpg


    Now, a good way to have a nice espresso, is have someone draw you a double espresso, and then ask them for a small glass of carbonated water. Now, drink and relax, chasing the sips of espresso with a little of the carbonated water to open up the flavors.

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