Expresso – no not a typo!

I realize it shouldn’t be called Shots Fired without there being shots and there being  fire! 

From 2012 until around 2019 we had a propane burner with manual punk steampunk setup that served artisanal coffee.  

With the closure of the Center Camp Cafe, we pivoted to serving lots of cold brew coffee either hot or cold.

I’ve built a new coffee machine to bring back the fire and bring back the shots.

The switch to cold brew was to decrease the waste water generated, and to increase our capacity to caffeinate our fellow burners. And serving buckets of cold brew just isn’t as much fun as hearing the hiss of a steam wand.  This year we are going to do something about it!  

Here is the business end of the Expresso Machine – a new burner box to fit under the boiler of a La San Marco 85. Getting a nice blue flame from low pressure propane took some doing!

A typical HX espresso machine generates about 6 ounces of waste water for every shot of espresso. It created a problem. In fact, one of the biggest challenges we had with the Shots Fired cart was all the waste water – at least 5 gallons a day.

We have taken a 1992 La San Marco down to the frame, kept the boiler, got rid of the group, made it propane powered, installed a thermocouple pressure valve controlled by a pressostat, and put in two steam wands- one High Pressure (for milk) and one low pressure ( the AutoCremator), as well as a hot water dispenser (for making the Expresso).

Here we are “dialing in” the instant coffee that will shamelessly impersonate espresso.

So this year, Shots Fired is introducing Expresso drinks, where we are making steamed milk drinks with a custom  built steam machine.  I’ve found that a Tablespoon of Cafe Bustelo Instant Espresso in 2 oz of water steams right up into a fair imitation of espresso.  There’s about 180 mg of caffeine per serving so it will get you going!  

Our selections will include

  • The Nada – just steamed milk
  • The Soccer Mom – a “Single Shot” – one tsp of Instant, about 60 mg caffeine
  • The Biden – right down the middle of the road. Two tsp – a Doppa
  • The BurnOn – a triple shot (3 tsp, or 1 tbsp) – about 180 mg of cccccaffeine….


So, if you would like to be part of this outrageous parody of good espresso, please consider coming a little early or signing up to help serve coffee during build or event week. 

If you would like to try a cup, stop by the ARTery or WordPlayCafe and give some honest feedback (say it tastes better than Starbucks).

For the faint hearted, we will still have excellent Sumatra cold brew served either cold or hot, and Humboldt pour over for early rising friends.


And Remember the gift of coffee – send us a couple of bucks to provide a stranger with a cup!