Espresso “Shot Flipping” for Flavor

If you make espresso at home, here’s a tip I ran across courtesy of World Barista Championship runner-up Pete Licata. It’s called the “PT flip”, named for PT’s Coffee Company in Topeka, KS, where Pete works.

Essentially it’s just pulling your shot into a pre-heated shot glass, then pouring (”flipping”) it into another demitasse, causing the layers of the shot to mix (the first shot glass is preheated to prevent temperature roll-off when the shot goes into the new glass):

I would encourage everyone to try the “PT’s flip” as we have been calling it. Pull a double shot, one straight into a demi and the other into a preheated shot glass and pour it into a second demi and try them side by side. Doing a blind tasting is even better. You might just be amazed that both shots, especially on that first sip, came from the same portafilter.

Espresso is a layered drink, and the bottom of the shot doesn’t often taste like the top or crema of the shot. Flipping the shot mixes the sediments and crema to produce a consistent, nuanced flavor all the way through.

You don’t necessarily want to do this all the time, of course–one of the pleasures of tasting is in how the flavor on the palette changes throughout the shot as certain flavors give way to others. But it can be a boon for many blends as it’ll smooth out some shots, and Pete had great success with the technique in barista competitions, so feel free to give it a try.