Straight. No chaser.

I think that you should try drinking a straight shot of espresso.  Well, correction, you should try drinking a good shot of espresso.  I'd like to make something clear about myself right away:  I do not drink espresso for pleasure.  I'm not a person that generally enjoys how espresso tastes.  I would even go so far as to say that most people (including most baristas) don't generally drink espresso for fun.  I think there is a common myth that people who drink espresso are in a class of coffee drinker that makes them akin to Buddhist monks in their dedication to coffee.  They spend their entire day recycling, eating tofu, and drinking espresso.  This, however, is not the case.  These people don't enjoy drinking espresso but they do like good espresso and, believe me, there is a distinct difference.  I remember trying espresso for the first time a few years ago.  I cringed and griped and whined.  It tasted like drinking a moldy Gusher but, since I was about to become a barista, I felt unnaturally obligated to continue drinking it.  Every time that I went to a new coffee shop, I would order an espresso and squint through at least two sips before I threw it away and waterlogged myself.  I also remember the first time that I tried a good shot of espresso.  I went through my usual pre-espresso routine.  I loosened up my muscles, smelled the drink to warn my stomach that it was not going to like what was about to happen, and then plugged my nose while I sipped.  The difference that time was the distinct lack of sour-ness and bitterness.  It tasted sweet and spicy at the same time.  It was an intense taste experience and I loved it.

A person that loves espresso is a little like a person that loves to go wine tasting.  They may not enjoy guzzling box wine but they do enjoy the depth of flavor contained in an exquisitely prepared wine.  Did you know that a good wine can contain up to 400 distinct flavors in every sip?  Did you also know that a good espresso can contain up to 600 distinct flavors?  When you drink a well prepared espresso, it should taste like an explosion of flavors in your mouth and not a literal explosion.  That is why almost nobody that drinks espresso enjoys just any couple of shots thrown their way.  So you should try to drink espresso; not just any espresso.  You should try really good espresso.