The Coffee Shot, man – it's taking the world by storm. This new / old way to approach brewing coffee on an espresso machine is all the rage in discerning speciality coffee circles, and it may be coming to a boutique coffee bar near you. But how does it work? And what does it mean? And should you order one?

Let's demystify the Coffee Shot a bit (we're using proper noun form in recognition of the Coffee Shot zeitgeist). You take a Mahlkönig EK43 coffee grinder and an espresso machine, and you make a cup of brewed cup coffee with it. It's like having a cup of coffee that looks and acts and tastes like a pour over, or an Aeropress, or a cup of batch brew, but it's coming out of the espresso machine. The Coffee Shot subverts our expectation of what espresso machines were meant to do. It's nothing short of a little bombshell.

For an authoritative look at the Coffee Shot, 2013 Australian Barista Champion Matt Perger (of the St. Ali Family) has collaborated with Mahlkönig to produce a handy “Coffee Shot 101” guide. Mahlkönig released this guide earlier in the week via Facebook:

The Coffee Shot isn't exactly “new”, by the way. The Italian deli around the corner has been making Americanos this way for years! Just let that baby run! And coffee nerds have been jabbering about Coffee Shot-esque drinks on the internet for at least a decade. There really is nothing new under the sun.

However, this particular, rather more refined recipe – developed by the aforementioned Matt Perger and an international speciality coffee consultant named Ben Kaminsky – was introduced to a world audience at the 2013 World Barista Championship:

Since then, the Coffee Shot has taken well-heeled cafes the world over by storm. And with the release of Mahlkönig's definitive how-to guide, surely it won't be long before the Coffee Shot is available at a cafe near you. Try one; maybe you'll like it. We guarantee that having a working knowledge of the Coffee Shot will delight and astound your barista (feel free to add in something like “this is as good as anything I've had in Melbourne!” for an extra dose of flattery).

Have you had a Coffee Shot? What's your opinion of this coffee style? Sound off in the comments below!