I was traveling through airports this week, comparing coffee flavor and texture along the way. I was reminded just how delicious the shots of espresso at 3CUPS taste to me. There’s a story here and I will try and make it brief but the premise of it all is my belief that many people have given up on a straight shot of espresso because the quality of what they are served in the past had burnt flavor and thin texture. The response has been to add milk products and something sweet to make it right. This phenomenon has given us “coffee drinks” such as the popular pumpkin spice latte, which is as far away from authentic espresso as wine coolers are from authentic wine.

When you “force” water through coffee grounds under extreme pressure, as an espresso machine does to yield a shot of coffee, too much acidity in the coffee beans will produce something almost sour. The practice of darkly roasting the beans, thus reducing acidity, has long been used as the solution. But the creativity and innovation by the Florentine family, who handmade our La Marzocco machine has changed what’s possible… at 3CUPS we use lighter roasted coffee yielding a “sweeter” more complex shot of espresso with layers of flavor. My favorite time of day to enjoy an espresso in a porcelain cup is after lunch.

The name of the Italian family at La Marzocco is Bambi, and if you stop by today between 1:00 and 3:00 and mention their name John or Badi will pull you a shot for $1 tax included.