The hot cup dilemma

Kelsey

On the heels of the superheated milk thread, I have a question:

Why are some cafes superheating their espresso cups (and perhaps other cups also, I wouldn't know) to the point of inducing burns?

I've run across this a few times now and my favourite local cafe also seems to do it - the espresso cup is so hot when I receive it that I can't touch my lips to it.

Now the perceived benefit is probably that it will let the espresso stay warm a little longer, particularly as the cup seems to be hotter than the espresso!

So what's the implication for the brew?

How will being shot into a overheated cup affect the flavour?
How will being kept at a higher temperature for longer affect the flavour?

I'm genuinely curious as to the reasoning behind this technique and its effect.

I know I should be able to tell just by tasting, but usually my lips are hurting too much to pay attention to the brew. 😉

Kelsey

I suspect the old case of the chef no longer tasting his signature dish... and failing to realise that the minor iterative changes that compound over time have transformed his amazing dish to something.... less....

UNM

never suffered this problem. maybe I just don't have sensitive girlie lips. :stir Perhaps it's just a local issue for QLD? anyone in melbourne had this problem?

Thundergod

I can't recall this problem in Sydney. But then again I do usually only frequent better coffee places. I take it as a given that a cold cup will detract from the espresso's taste (was told so by a respected coffee judge). Therefore heating the cup makes sense. I'd be willing to bet that some places have decided that if heating the cup a little is good then heating it a lot is better.

Kelsey

I've definitely experienced it on a recent Sydney trip too... just can't recall where, but it was supposed to be one of the better places.

The_Tempest

Kelsey wrote:

Why are some cafes superheating their espresso cups (and perhaps other cups also, I wouldn't know) to the point of inducing burns?

I don't know about espresso cups, but they do it with other cups because so many complain about their coffee not being hot enough so rather than sacrificing their quality by overheating the milk, they heat the cups up significantly. It works, too.

edmmuggles

Im with the tempest on this one We work in an area with an older clientele, that like hot coffees. On Average you loose 10+ degrees by making the coffee in cold cup. (That's before you even sent it out.) And it gets costly to have to keep remaking coffees or loosing customers. Mind you we only do this to orders that have been specified as hot or look like that sort of customer :p

askthecoffeeguy

I do a 30sec preheat with about 30ml of hot water for every coffee that we make - the reason being that any longer can scold the coffee, and any shorter and the cup is too cold Cold cups collapse Crema and can make the espresso shot taste sour and or bitter - which can not be redeemed by any amount of finesse in the milk texturing But too hot as the opposite effect and can scold the coffee and separate the milk My other pet hate is no splash of cold milk in a long or short mac I like to slam my mac straight back - and if its scolding then I just end up scorching the roof of my palate - which just about guarantees that I won't be back to the same joint for another coffee !

AndyStaples

Our local coffee house has started doing this and it burns like hell! They also do it with the plates on which they serve food, even if the food is served cold. What makes it worse is that there isn't table service, so you have to carry it from teh counter to your seat without bursting into flames or spilling it on yourself.

askthecoffeeguy

AndyStaples wrote:

Our local coffee house has started doing this and it burns like hell! They also do it with the plates on which they serve food, even if the food is served cold. What makes it worse is that there isn't table service, so you have to carry it from the counter to your seat without bursting into flames or spilling it on yourself.

a 30 second preheat should not scold the cup or your palate - Id suggest that there's more going on here like over extracting the coffee and or over heating the milk either that or the cups are being over heated for too damn long! ASg

Journeyman

I thought warming the cups was best practice so as not to affect coffee quality. Heating the cups to burning point would seem unwarranted. When I get asked for extra hot coffee I take the milk a bit hotter into a warm cup. If they complain that still isn't enough I sacrifice the milk on the altar of quality to please them - then wash the jug so others don't have to taste it. The cup should, to my way of understanding it, be at or close to the temp of the coffee landing in it - the milk then raises the temp a bit as you add it. I think the ideal is the crema/froth should be drinkable but gulping immediately into the liquid would be slightly too hot - by the time you've sipped the crema/froth the coffee is just right to drink. Could be wrong but when I get that in a caf