Just Serve It | 5 Reasons To Not Re-Pull Espresso

If you screw up or take too long, just give it to them for free and they might give you another chance and come back. A shot of espresso costs very little and keeping that potential customer is probably more important.

Really like this. I have to admit where I live (Brisbane, Aus) we can have wild Swing a in humidity and I have had times where the barista has pulled a few dump shots prior to giving me the goods. All times they knew I know my coffee and wanted to ensure I had the best possible shot. I have to admit I actually applaud this as they went the extra mile. The grind can literally escape you within minutes here. But on the whole I definitely agree. Keep ahead so you never fall behind. 🤘

Where are these situations happening? I never had a barista pull more then one shot, ever, in my entire coffee drinking life (20+ years now). You'll get a good cup or a completely crap cup, but you're drinking the first cup they make, and most have no idea what they're doing anyways.

Communication is key, if you are struggling with the espresso and have a waiting customer talk to them, explain what you are doing and that it may take a few minutes if they are happy to wait you can talk to them about the origin of the coffee and how it is processed and the taste notes you are trying to achieve.

MAN. I need to show this video to my baristas at my shop.

For the first time watching the majority of your videos I have to disagree with you. I agree there is a point at which you just need to serve the coffee, but I would rather give it at least two or three tries if needed and just explain the reason to the customer as theyre waiting. I know from my daily experience that most people appreciate this. I couldnt go through all we do and then serve a bad shot and be happy about it. I agree with you though that its super important to stay on top of dialling in and thus correcting problems before they happen. That comes down to good discipline.

you don't have enough followers man. Your content is on point.

I agree totally. Sick of these hipster places and baristas who think they’re all the shitz. I don’t want to go somewhere where you’re weighing for ages that tiny 0.01g or getting your nose right in my cup to sniff my coffee. Also I don’t want to be somewhere where you’re telling a foreigner not to put sugar in their coffee and to try it first and they don’t understand you. These things have left a far worse impression on me than a bad coffee. The coffee has to be totally awful. If you’re using good beans and a cleaned machine there’s a good chance it won’t be noticed. To those in the comments thinking they’re all that- you’re not. How many Q graders are there in the world? How many Michelin starred restaurants are there? Watch some of Gordon Ramsey’s videos when he visits those places that think they’re shit hot. It’s all in your own frickin head. You’re telling me you can tell the difference of an espresso shot that was 0.1g off your target- or 1 second too fast? I call BS.

I have always thought about this type of situation. The way you see it is much better than the way it has usually ended up. Stress you get, when you make shot, which is far from being perfect... I must thank you, 'cause this piece of advise changes a lot for me.

Something I think that's easy to forget is that our senses are all relative. We don't feel how many degrees it is outside, we feel how much colder it is than it was inside the house. Similarly, when you're trying to nail the perfect shot or cup of coffee, you're paying attention to every little change and detail in relation to your previous shots/cups. Those differences between the shot you just pulled, and the god shot you pulled earlier can seem waaay bigger than they really are. Meanwhile the customer has probably been dying all morning to get a nice coffee in them, and that "not so good" shot you pulled might just taste like a little piece of heaven when it finally arrives in their hand. Don't overthink it! If you really think you screwed up _badly_, maybe give them the one shot free and make another, but otherwise I'd just give them it and keep dialling in for next time.

man the audio has come a long way lol

this is really helpful good clear advice (like all your videos and podcast to). I am wondering if you or anyone else can elaborate more on what you mean by "staying on top of your dial in" and how methodically you do this throughout the day? How do you do this in a way that is not helpful? so far, when uncertain I have tried one shot of an espresso when making a single shot cappuccino or latte. Someone in the comments mentioned "Its better to make your recipe in the morning and try and maintain it with small changes". My problem is that I feel that I have to alter my recipe throughout the day- so how do you "stay on top of your dial in" without being wasteful/taking up a lot of time? Thanks, Bea

Not to push back but I work in a place with 4 grinders and 2 of them are for SO which aren't always used in a rush as we make mostly milk beverages on the blend. This does mean that they can be out when it comes to making a black coffee but they are usually not too far out. That being said, when I make myself a coffee in the morning, I usually just drink whatever comes out and it's 90% always delicious even outside of our parameters!

When I paid $3-$4 for a shot and it isn't amazing... guess what I'm not coming back!

How do you stay dialed in and make adjustments throughout a shift without constantly tasting espresso? Or is that what's required?

Excellent points in the video. Thanks for this topic video. Cheers

Most of this only applies to light roasted coffee. My experience says with a dark medium roast, (I prefer caramel, nutty coffee to lemons or roses) if you're shot pulls bad due to a channel, it is not at all worth drinking, period. PULL ME A NEW SHOT, thanks.

Adam Sandler here has some great points.

Thank you so much for your answer. I have since moved to a new shop (in Medellin) and working with a different grinder has made a huge difference. however I now have a whole new aspect to play with - we have a Large Marzocco Strada with paddles to control pressure...I know in an early Cat and Cloud you said pressure profiles for espresso extraction were not your jam...have they become your jam since?! or can you point me in the direction of someone whose into it? I've researched but have uncovered little. thanks so much for your help! p.s. Cat and Cloud snapback?

Longest wait I've ever had is 3 shots, but it was a LOT of dancing around between shots, too, so it seemed like an eternity. I noticed on a fast trip to Portland where I had about 2 hours and crammed as many shots as I could in from as many places as possible that 2 shots was the norm there. The barista would pull a shot, drink it, and then pull mine. I felt like saying, "That one's on me, brah." LOL In all fairness, though, I was probably close to be being the first guy through the door in almost all those places because I had to be someplace by 8AM.