# Can sugar make espresso sour? Or, perhaps, bring out existing sourness?



## phunni (Jul 22, 2012)

I've been making espresso at home now for about a week, using an ascaso arc and a mahklonig (baratza) vario and have, generally, been pleased with the results although, of course, there's still plenty of room for improvement.

Today my wife, who usually hates coffee, asked for an espresso - mainly because she wanted to try out some new espresso cups she had bought for me. The initial shot tasted fine to me, but she wanted sugar so I added some for her. The shot then tasted sour. Given that, initially, the shot tasted OK, is it possible for the sugar to have made it taste sour? Could it perhaps have enhanced a sourness that was already there, but which I did not detect with the tiny sip I took?


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## Spazbarista (Dec 6, 2011)

Possibly, although two other things could have played a part in this. Sometimes the first sip tastes ok and subsequent sips taste horrid because the first mouthful gives you lots of crema which can taste really nice and mask the sourness (and sometimes it's the opposite...the coffee tastes great but the crema tastes rank). It could also be the addition of sugar cooled the coffee considerably and changed the flavour balance.

Some coffees are ruined by sugar though


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## MikeHag (Mar 13, 2011)

http://colonnaandsmalls.wordpress.com/2012/06/21/sugar/


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## Outlaw333 (Dec 13, 2011)

Thanks Mike, reading that post has given me an idea for a perfect albeit novel solution to the sugar vs customers conundrum!


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## lookseehear (Jul 16, 2010)

Outlaw333 said:


> Thanks Mike, reading that post has given me an idea for a perfect albeit novel solution to the sugar vs customers conundrum!


Are you going to call the shop 'Coffee, no sugar'?


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## vintagecigarman (Aug 10, 2009)

I take a sort of perverse pleasure in proprietors who tell their customers how their products should be consumed.

Some years ago when I was visiting New York there was a take-away soup stall called The Soup Nazi - customers didn't get what they asked for - they got what the owner decided to give them - he decided what flavour, what size, whether they got bread or not (and generally threw in a bit of abuse as well). Result: Queues around the block every lunchtime from about 11:00 to 14:00. The novelty wore off after a while and he closed down, but I bet the guy made a packet whilst he was popular.

Sorry - slightly off-topic, but you get the drift. A double de-caff latte? No, sorry - it's a ristretto for you! Mmmm......


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## Outlaw333 (Dec 13, 2011)

No, my idea was for my sugar container(probably single) to have a bouncy sign on a spring sticking out of the top saying "WARNING, If you are reading this you are about to add sugar to your beverage. While we respect that this is your choice, it is our responsibility to advise that while commercial coffee responds well to the addition of sugar, the specialty coffee we serve can react strangely and the flavour profile will no longer be as we intended. For more information please come and talk to us at the bar."


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## Spazbarista (Dec 6, 2011)

vintagecigarman said:


> I take a sort of perverse pleasure in proprietors who tell their customers how their products should be consumed.


It's a tricky one this and takes a sensitive touch to be able to gather what a customer wants rather than telling the customer what they want, but at the same time if they are offering something special then advise to get the best out of it.

I really liked the attitude of the staff at Colonna & Smalls when I visited last week (even though I didn't like their espresso). They were very upfront about how bright their coffees are, and not at all aggressive or defensive about it. They didn't try and pretend that everyone would like it. I didn't, but I kind of appreciate the way they do things.

I had a less favourable experience recently in a mid-Wales coffee shop that made a big play about how great they were and how much skill they put into their coffee. I overheard the proprietor lecturing somebody who asked for their latte to be made with skimmed milk, and how he might as well just put in hot water. If it wasn't for the fact that the flat white he made me was in fact a cappuccino and was distinctly meh at that, I might have thought he had a point. As it was using skimmed milk wouldn't have harmed the sub-mediocre product he was offering.

Am I rambling?


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## garydyke1 (Mar 9, 2011)

My brother's other half said ''im sorry I didnt want any sugar in this'' upon presentation of a Latte I made her on the weekend. This made me smile. To prove the point I pulled them both a shot of Finca Argentina Washed, slightly on the tight side. ''wow this is really sweet and orangy'', again the only sweetner added my was smile as I made the drinks


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## Outlaw333 (Dec 13, 2011)

Smooth..


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