Dragonblink: It seems like you’ve been through the drill at Starbucks. This is pretty much what I’ve been hearing. But I have yet to have anyone tell me what ruins the shot just because it gets cold or the layers combine… what goes bad about it.
If the only thing happening to the shot after ten seconds is it getting cold and having the 3 layers combine, and it doesn’t affect the taste, it sounds like it’s mostly marketing then. A “we are the uber fresh coffee makers of the planet” sort of thing.
I’ve had Starbucks pull a triple espresso around 8pm. That espresso went into my fridge for the next morning when I had to get up very early -and I knew I’d be tired to operate my own espresso machine.
In the morning I’d nuke some milk and dump it into the espresso (now 8 hours old) and make a refried latte. It tastes almost like I just bought it from Starbucks. It’s not bitter and it tastes fine. I can tell the difference, but I doubt many could.