Why You Should Consider Offering Single Shots
Double shots are so common in specialty coffee, that many cafés have removed the option past using double baskets with naked portafilters. But I believe there are good reasons in back up of the unmarried shot. And with a spouted portafilter, it doesn't have to be double or cypher.
Castilian Version: Por qué Debemos Considerar Ofrecer un Solo Shot
A double shot, only only one is wanted. Credit: J. Loayza
Single vs Double Basket, Naked vs Spouted Portafilter
At that place are iii different options nosotros, as baristas, can cull from:
The single shot basket: we extract just one shot at a time
The spouted portafilter with a double shot basket: we extract two shots into 2 different cups
The naked portafilter with a double shot basket: we extract two shots into a single cup
At the moment, the norm is double shot baskets. In fact, some even find the shape of the unmarried shot handbasket can lead them to unevenly extract their espresso (although this is debatable, and also varies according to brand and design). Merely we all know how of import consistency is.
Yet, unless the dosing and distribution of grinds in the basket and the tamping are awful, two espressos from a spouted portafilter are unlikely to be noticeably different from each other.
A lot of specialty coffee shops use naked portafilters and only brew double shots. The arguments for this (some of which are debatable) are that it allows you lot to command the flow and detect channeling, avoid temperature loss (since the java doesn't touch on the metal spouts), and potentially create a thicker, more bonny crema.
Still only a few of these relate to flavor! Detecting channeling is useful for quality control, then in that way information technology can effect in a more even extraction – merely if you're pulling nifty espresso shots, this will brand no difference to the final product.
The Customer Experience
The biggest problem I run across with the double naked shots is that sometimes they forcefulness people to drink more java than they actually desire. Espressos can be delicious, but we should never forget that they are intense beverages.
The Italians gave us a beautiful tradition, that of a quick espresso boozer while standing at the counter of a crowded bar. Single espresso shots are the perfect size for this. It'south a tiny just tasty emphasis in our decorated lives. And when it comes to milk-based drinks, many customers desire to experience a balanced and mild latte – without having to drink a lot of milk just to contrast the double shot espresso.
People deserve small unmarried-shot milk-based drinks. Why? Because coffee should be for anybody.
How many shots? Shouldn't information technology depend on the customer'due south preferences? Credit: Habitat Coffee
What About The Double Ristretto Shot?
The double ristretto shot: the aforementioned amount of dry coffee as a double espresso, just information technology'south only the size of a single.
Jim Shulman, i of the founding members of SCAA, wrote in 2007 that "in Italy, the shots tend to get shorter as one goes south, to go on with the darker roasts and heavier bodied beans".
In short (pun intended), ristrettos are a adept idea when roasts are dark. Lessening the extraction avoids farthermost bitterness (and, some might say, makes the drinker's suffering quicker).
But specialty coffee likes lighter, more acidic roasts, and acids are ane of the first sets of chemicals to exist extracted into the espresso cup. This means that, with a shorter yield, y'all can end up achieving sourness, saltiness, and also much intensity.
And double ristrettos in milk-based drinks, in my opinion, tin be a dangerous game. Dairy mixed with too much acerbity tin start to taste of yogurt – and there's a reason you won't find that on the season wheel!
Of class, some disagree with me. But I would fence for caution when pulling a double ristretto shot with a lightly roasted coffee. Non all beans are suited to this.
Consider the beans you're using. Credit : Art Bar
The Business organisation Bending: Savings and Profits
Some other of the reasons people give to justify naked portafilters and double shot drinks is minimal wastage. I admire the intention, but I'd argue that the wastage is the aforementioned. This is because, instead of looking at yield, nosotros should be because the dry coffee in the basket.
Naked portafilters will requite you lot espresso for one serving. So if you lot're making one cappuccino, you'll just employ one cup. On the other hand, with a double spout portafilter, you lot're forced to use i cup plus a container for the actress espresso nobody wants. Cleaning that container is always annoying, I hold. But, at the end of the twenty-four hour period, both portafilters have been brewing the same quantity of dry coffee (assuming you're using a double shot basket with a range of 14g to 22g).
If, however, your customers happen to order two single shot cappuccinos, that double spout volition increase your profits. Of course, if the order is for double shot cappuccinos, this is irrelevant – merely if a client wants a single shot drink, and information technology will decrease wastage, shouldn't we offering them that possibility?
Shouldn't we let the customer choose how many shots they desire? Credit: Sonder Coffee
Workflow
Profits should also take into account workflow. Good workflow depends on multiple factors: shop and bar design, equipment speed, barista efficiency, protocols… But choosing between double and single shot beverages tin also accept an touch on. The critical factor hither is fourth dimension.
Imagine two pocket-sized cafés facing each other on a decorated street in a small town. Both apply iii group espresso machines and both make most of their turn a profit through cappuccinos.
The offset café uses naked portafilters, the second one prefers double spouts. The offset one needs an average of i infinitesimal to finish i cappuccino, from dosing, distributing, tamping, and pulling the shot, through to steaming and pouring. The second one, because they tin do two shots in two unlike cups simultaneously, has an average time of ane minute for two cappuccinos.
Of course, this is merely relevant for customers who want a single-shot cappuccino. But assuming in that location is a demand for this, which of these café owners volition be able to buy a yacht first?
The unmarried vs double shot debate tin likewise take an touch on workflow. Credit: billiamjeans
Encounter Also: Espresso Machine Mods: four Reasons to Utilise a Naked Portafilter
Flexibility
Naked portafilters look amazing. The ability to see the espresso flowing into the cup, with that thick crema – it reminds the states why we became baristas. Simply sometimes they're not the about practical choice. We're serving our customers, then their wants must come first.
Working with double spout portafilters can open up new possibilities. It's true that a also wide a range of products can misfile customers – but a small menu with distinct beverages that you lot tin customise the forcefulness of? I phone call that good service.
Some customers will prefer double shots, paying a trivial more for the actress espresso. Others will opt for single shots, and others a half shot diluted in actress hot milk. The choice is theirs.
People dearest beingness in accuse of their coffee orders. Deciding how many shots they get in their drink is but one more way they can make up one's mind what kind of drink they want.
Feature photo credit: Quentin Café
All views within this opinion piece belong to the guest writer, and do not reflect Perfect Daily Grind'south opinion. Perfect Daily Grind believes in furthering debate over topical issues within the industry, and and then seeks to represent the views of all sides.
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Source: https://perfectdailygrind.com/2016/12/why-you-should-consider-offering-single-shots/
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