What Does “Dead Espresso Shot” Mean?
Dead espresso shots happen when the coffee beans are roasted too long. The longer the roast time, the darker the color of the bean becomes. This darkening process makes the bean bitter and unpleasant tasting.
You can avoid dead espresso shots by controlling the roasting time if you’re roasting your beans. Roast your beans until they’re medium brown (not black) and taste great.
A dead espresso shot also happens when the water doesn’t reach the bottom of the cup. The espresso bean is too far down in the filter basket. The result is a bitter-tasting coffee mix.
If you’re not careful, you may have a dead espresso shot. So keep this tip in mind: Make sure there’s no space between the coffee grounds and the filter basket.
What Happens When an Espresso Shot “Dies”?
An espresso shot dies when its pressure drops below a certain point. The water inside the espresso machine boils at 212 degrees Fahrenheit (100 degrees Celsius).
At this temperature, the steam pressure inside the coffee maker becomes too weak to keep the shot of espresso drink hot and pressurized.
The espresso starts losing heat and pressure until it cools down enough to be served when this happens. The only way to prevent this is to add more hot water to the machine.
But once you’ve added enough water, the bad espresso will lose volume and coffee tasters.
It is where the trainee barista comes in. They add shots of espresso to the machine to maintain the proper pressure and temperature.
But wait, there’s more! Once the espresso cool down, it begins to lose beverage flavor. The competitive barista must use a steaming wand to reheat the espresso to restore the drink’s real taste.
But they can only reheat the cold espresso shot to a craze temperature, and above that, the fresh espresso will start to lose volume again. So the top-level barista needs to monitor the liquid espresso closely to ensure that he or she doesn’t overheat the drink.
Does Espresso Shot Expire?
Espresso shots are delicious, but they’re not the healthiest drink. They contain caffeine and sugar, and they’re often made with milk.
But there’s no need to worry because espresso shots expire. The average shelf life of an espresso shot is only three days.
So if you’re looking for a quick pick-me-up, grab yourself some espresso shots, but be careful not to overdo it.
If you’re looking for a healthier alternative to coffee, try making your cold brew. Cold-brew is brewed coffee chilled, so it doesn’t need any added sweeteners or creamers.
Cold-brew is super refreshing and makes a great afternoon pick-me-up. To make cold brew at home, combine equal parts water and coffee grounds in a jar and refrigerate overnight. Then strain out the dirt and serve over ice.
And if you’re looking to add more subtle flavor to your cold brew, try adding spices like cinnamon, nutmeg, vanilla bean, or ginger.
How To Make Perfect Espresso Shots
Espresso shots are a great way to add a threshold for the flavor to your coffee journey without adding calories. They’re also a fun part of drinking espresso.
You can make perfect espresso shots by following the steps below.
1) Grind your beans properly—the grind size of your beans matters. Too fine a grind makes for a bitter shot. Too coarse a grind makes for a weak shot.
2) Use the correct amount of water. Too much water dilutes the shot. Too little water leaves behind sediment.
3) Keep the grounds in the portafilter for the right amount of time. Too long, and the shot gets a bitter taste. Too short, and the shot gets weak.
4) Clean the portafilter after each shot. It helps prevent cross-contamination and keeps the shot tasting fresh.
5) Pour the shot into the cup.
6) Enjoy!
Is Your Espresso Dying While You Wait?
If you’re waiting for your espresso to be ready, you may be wasting precious minutes. The longer you wait, the worse your cold coffee beverage will taste.
That’s because your espresso machine works best when running at total capacity. So if you’ve been waiting too long, chances are your device is not working correctly.
To avoid this problem, keep an eye on your machine throughout the day. Check its performance and adjust settings.
This way, you can ensure that your espresso machine runs and provides consistent results every time you use it.
Does Espresso Lose Caffeine Over Time?
Espresso loses caffeine over time because hot coffee beans lose caffeine when exposed to heat. The process is called decarboxylation (decarb).
Espresso loses caffeine over time because it contains water, evaporating when exposed to heat. The longer espresso sits out, the more water is lost.
When you brew espresso at home, you heat water to 212 degrees Fahrenheit (100 degrees Celsius). And adding hot water to ground coffee deterioration to create steam pressure. This process extracts the caffeine from the cup of coffee beans and forces out carbon dioxide gas.
But when you store your coffee beans in a sealed container, they become stale and lose their caffeine.
If you keep your coffee beans in the dark, away from light and moisture, they should last for several years. But storing them in direct sunlight or near a humid environment will cause the caffeine to degrade faster.
Coffee beans lose caffeine over time because caffeine is a volatile compound. So if you expose coffee beans to air, they’ll begin losing caffeine.
There’s no need to throw out your coffee bean after a couple of days. Coffee beans are still usable after two weeks, and they’ll continue to lose caffeine until they’re scorched.
After that, you’ll be able to grind fresh coffee beans and use them right away.
Helpful Tips
Espresso does not extract the coffee beans but instead leaves behind the grounds. It happens because the water pressure is too low or incorrect machine settings.
To fix this problem;
- Check the water pressure by turning off the water valve at the faucet and then turning the water back on.
- Adjust the grind setting on the machine to ensure that the grind size is set.
- Clean the portafilter using a paper towel and hot water.
Last Words
A coffee machine that produces a dead espresso shot could signify a more serious problem. It could also mean that the owner has stored the device.
Either way, dead espresso shots are bad, so if you believe you’ve got one, you should stop drinking it.