Five characteristics of espresso gatekeeping that we love to hate
Are the espresso "experts" right?
The times when espresso was just “a coffee” have been irrevocably gone for years. Espresso now has a dedicated and fanatical audience, informed and demanding, who know how to judge and seek the best, and this can only be described as positive.
Only? When something becomes popular, the phenomenon of “gatekeeping” develops with it: it is about the well-known attitude that combines knowledge of everything, snobbery towards “newbies” in the field, a behavior of “indulgence” that can be quite problematic for those who take their first steps in exploring their coffee a little more.
We try to identify five key points of Gatekeeping in espresso, to see the truth they may be hiding and – of course – to restore balance.
Five characteristics of espresso gatekeeping that we love to hate
- Proper coffee is drunk neat and only neat
The Gatekeeping: The number one unwritten law dictates that only with neat coffee do we fully perceive the flavor profile of espresso.
The truth: If we are talking about a quality, single origin coffee, perfectly executed, this view has a basis. In our daily lives, “proper” coffee is… the one we like. And if sugar is best avoided (due to unnecessary calories), a sweetener, if our palate craves it, has certainly never hurt anyone – nor a little milk, of course.
- Freddo destroys the idea of espresso, every time you drink Freddo an Italian commits suicide in shame
The Gatekeeping: The tradition of coffee has always been about hot beverages. Cold coffee destroys the flavor notes of coffee, waters down its taste, is a low-quality Greek patent
The truth: The coffee tradition is about hot drinks, because (long) ago there was no possibility for iced coffees! In fact, making a proper Freddo requires the right choice of blend, good technique and experience. And even the Italians have started to put water in their wine (and ice in their coffee). It is a Greek patent, but it has become part of our everyday life.
- If you don't have a grinder with conical knives, Pablo Escobar's scales and an Olympic sprinter's stopwatch, you can't make proper espresso.
Gatekeeping: The relentless flexing around the equipment, the notebooks with the extractions and the style between a master chef and a mad scientist.
The truth: Of course, good equipment and, above all, knowledge of its use, will help you achieve better extractions. However, the Italians make deliciously fragrant coffee with a simple Moka Pot. If you have a good blend and follow basic instructions, you will be able to make quite enjoyable cups.
- Mmm… notes of lemon zest, jasmine flowers and ripe yellow fruits.
Gatekeeping: The adoption of the vocabulary (and style) of sommeliers by a large part of the coffee community.
The truth: Coffee does have flavor notes, and blends (and single-origin coffees) can differ greatly from each other. Coffee notes are simply a tool for discovering coffees that suit our taste, and not a field for demonstrating knowledge and snobbery. Taste is cultivated through experimentation, and it's important to develop our own personal taste buds so we can enjoy coffees we like – not play "spot the difference" between coffees.
- Decaf is not coffee… drink a tea instead.
Gatekeeping: The snobbery of decaf coffee as a second-rate product.
The truth: Unfortunately, for many years, decaf coffee was not known for its taste, as old decaffeination methods usually removed both its flavor and aroma. Now, with the new methods, we have decaf coffees that really have nothing to envy from conventional ones – and for the real “miracles”, Single Origin Swisswater Decaf Coffees, which would really put the glasses on many of its sure connoisseurs
Espresso has “rules” – if not “rules” in the strict sense of the term, it certainly has a store of knowledge that can help us enjoy our daily coffee a little more. Rules, however, are made to be broken. In the end, what matters is the coffee we like – or as we say at Coffees.gr, the coffee we deserve!
