Tom Moertel's Weblog: Good espresso at Sheetz?

Good espresso at Sheetz?

Tom Moertel — Fri, 18 May 2007 01:21:00 -0400

A strange thing happened to me over the weekend. While traveling, I stopped at a Sheetz gas station / convenience store in Meadville, Pennsylvania. This store, I noticed, was serving espresso. Curious, I ordered a double, my usual test-out-the-new-place order.

When I received my double, I was prepared for the worst. I had learned the hard way that few coffee houses in the United States can make a decent espresso. And this Sheetz was not a coffee house. My grim expectation was only reinforced by what I had in my hand – a paper coffee cup, feeling ominously heavy. Based on the weight, I knew the espresso was going to be over-extracted – watery and probably sour, too.

After I paid and left the store with my Big Cup Of Espresso, I paused in the sunlight for a closer look. Something wasn’t right. The cup was one-third full, but the crema actually looked pretty good, unlike what I would have associated with insanely over-extracted espresso. When I took a taste, I was surprised again: the espresso was pretty good. While not what I would call a great shot, it was perfectly drinkable and better than what I expect from Starbucks.

It was then that I realized that something unusual was going on at Sheetz. If the espresso I was drinking didn’t look over-extracted, and if it didn’t taste over-extracted, and yet it did fill one third of a 12-oz. coffee cup, it couldn’t have been a double. It must have been a quad.

My curiosity piqued, I decided to call Sheetz and ask what was really in my cup. I ended up talking with John, their coffee specialist, and he (besides being a nice guy) confirmed that, at Sheetz, a single serving of espresso is about 2 ounces in volume and is made from 14 grams of coffee. My double serving, then, was made from two 14-gram pulls, for 28 grams of coffee in total. So I had, indeed, been drinking what at most coffee houses would have been four shots.

Mystery solved.

Based on my conversation with John, I expect that espresso at Sheetz is likely to be fairly consistent. I hope, then, that the sample I tried at the Meadville store is a good predictor of what I can get at other Sheetz locations. If so, I may have found a solution to the problem of finding decent espresso when on the road.

Have you tried straight espresso at Sheetz? If so, what did you think?

Update 2007-05-22: On Saturday, 19 May, I tried another sampling of Sheetz’s espresso, this time at the Grove City, Pennsylvania store. I ordered a “single” serving, equivalent to a double at most coffee houses. The preparer, to my disappointment, pulled the shot into a 12-oz. coffee cup and then, to my dismay, poured the shot from the 12-oz. cup into a 2-oz. cup, leaving much of the crema behind and resulting in a drink that looked damaged. The taste was damaged, too – slightly watery with a mild sour note.

Thus my second trial of Sheetz’s espresso was disappointing. I can only hope that my preparer’s two-cup technique was her own, unique variation on the standard practice at Sheetz. In any case, if you order a single at Sheetz, play it safe: ask that your shot be pulled directly into a 2-oz. cup.

"Good espresso at Sheetz?" by alicia@smithbrosagency.com

Tue, 03 Jun 2008 15:21:52 -0400

Sheetz does have some great coffee…if you are interested, they just began a contest where you can win $5k. All you have to do is make a video of yourself performing a poem about Sheetz coffeehouse coffee. It’s a fun and simple way to possibly cut down on your gas expenses. Check it out at www.Sheetzpoet.com

"Good espresso at Sheetz?" by Sheetz Employee

Thu, 20 Mar 2008 10:44:59 -0400

I stumbled across this while looking up something else about Sheetz and was surprised to see this. I work at the Meadville Sheetz you see (on top of the hill). I agree with you that our expresso is good and you get your money’s worth. I would also like to say that no, they are not supposed to pour it from a bigger glass to a small shot for a single. I’m personally pleased that you liked our expresso at first and even though it wasn’t at our store that that happened to you, I apologize for the team. We are here to provide quality products. We hope to see you soon!

"Good espresso at Sheetz?" by EatItAndLoveIt

Tue, 29 May 2007 02:10:21 -0400

I’ve tried the espresso at Sheetz and it’s great! I just wish they would give you back the ability to make a special request on their computer menus. Many of their menu choices have changed for the worse too.

"Good espresso at Sheetz?" by Andrew Gwozdziewycz

Thu, 24 May 2007 17:32:11 -0400

The one thing I miss about other areas of Pennslyvania (Center City Philadelphia has no Sheetz) is the food at Sheetz. It’s by far the best Gas Station Food EVER. Not being a coffee drinker, I can’t give an opinion on their coffee, but everything else—splendid.

"Good espresso at Sheetz?" by Tom Moertel

Tue, 22 May 2007 11:59:09 -0400

Bill, please let me know what you think of the espresso you get at your local Sheetz. So far (see the update to the main article), Sheetz is 1 for 2 for me. Was the bad shot I received the rule or the exception? Only more data will tell.

"Good espresso at Sheetz?" by Bill Hubauer

Tue, 22 May 2007 08:19:43 -0400

Hey Tom… Thanks for taking the plunge. I’ve been driving by my local sheetz, seeing the sign for espresso. I just couldn’t bring myself to try it. Maybe feeling more embarassed about being seen buying it at sheetz than being worried about getting bad coffee. :-)

I guess I’ll give it a try.

"Good espresso at Sheetz?" by Eric Kow

Tue, 22 May 2007 06:19:51 -0400

Not a particularly helpful comment, but I just found it interesting that coffee in the United States is measured in grams.