Why is There No Hot Dirty? What is Dirty in Espresso Coffee? How to Make a Hot Dirty?

Customer: "Boss, I'll have a Dirty!" FrontStreet Coffee: "Coming right up!" Customer: "Make it hot!" FrontStreet Coffee: "... sorry, we don't make hot Dirty..."

In the daily routine of a coffee shop, such a conversation is quite common. Because Dirty is made with the same ingredients as lattes, cappuccinos, and other milk coffees, many people assume that Dirty also comes in both cold and hot versions. After all, to better satisfy customers' needs, whenever possible, coffee shops will offer versions that are opposite to the "original properties." Just as lattes, cappuccinos, Americanos, and pour-overs were initially only available hot, as the number of coffee drinkers increased and the demand for iced beverages grew, products with opposite temperatures to the originals—such as iced lattes, iced Americanos, and iced pour-overs—emerged. Even the Flat White, which is often joked about, has appeared in iced versions in some places. Only Dirty remains available in just one version to this day.

Why Isn't There a Hot Version of Dirty?

"Why isn't there a hot Dirty? Is it because it can't be made?" Some friends, upon learning that there's no hot Dirty, all ask FrontStreet Coffee the same question. Setting aside the difficulty of preparation, a hot Dirty can indeed be made, and FrontStreet Coffee has shared it many times. After all, the ingredients for making Dirty are nothing more than milk and espresso. By simply changing their temperatures, a hot Dirty is complete. However, the main reason why no coffee shop offers hot Dirty is that it's very troublesome to make, and also... it's not pleasant to drink.

What Does a Regular Dirty Taste Like?

First, it's composed of chilled milk and warm espresso. Due to their density differences, the two remain separate, so when we take a large sip, we can sequentially experience two different extremes. First comes the heat and bitterness of the espresso, followed by the coldness and sweetness of the milk.

Although the temperatures and flavors of the two ingredients create a "conflict" in our mouths, it's not jarring. They then blend in the mouth, transforming into an entirely new experience. The layers are incredibly rich. While a hot Dirty can also achieve the same contrast effect, its presentation is rather abrupt.

How to Make a Hot Dirty?

Iced milk and hot espresso are the only two components of a traditional Dirty. If we want to create a "hot Dirty" with opposite temperatures, we need to heat the milk and chill the espresso. Achieving this isn't particularly difficult—milk can be heated using any heat source, while espresso can be chilled using stainless steel ice cubes. Friends who want to try can follow these steps: First, heat the milk to 65°C, then pour it into a prepared Dirty glass that hasn't been refrigerated. Here, FrontStreet Coffee uses 160ml of milk, which is the same amount as when making a traditional Dirty.

For the espresso, the same approach applies: use 20g of coffee grounds to extract 40ml of coffee liquid in 30 seconds, just like usual. However, FrontStreet Coffee adds two stainless steel ice cubes to the glass. This way, when the espresso comes into contact with the ice cubes, it cools down, resulting in a cooler espresso being poured over the milk.

However, it's worth noting that because the temperature of the milk layer changes from cold to hot, the layered effect won't last long. The reason traditional Dirty can maintain its layered state for a long time is because the density of iced milk is high enough to support the espresso. When the milk temperature becomes hot, its density decreases, and the espresso will quickly blend with the milk. Therefore, after making it, we need to taste it promptly to experience the layered effect.

Taste and Texture

If the coffee beans you're using aren't roasted very dark, then when tasting, FrontStreet Coffee believes you'll clearly perceive the abruptness mentioned earlier. When coffee beans aren't roasted very dark, the extracted coffee will have acidity. However, under the masking of bitter compounds and the suppression of high coffee temperature, we can hardly detect the acidity in the coffee.

But because the espresso in "hot Dirty" is cold and not as hot, our taste buds can clearly perceive the acidity in the coffee. Therefore, when we first sip the coffee, we experience a relatively concentrated and noticeable acidity. Although the acidity isn't sharp due to even extraction, it doesn't complement the milk's flavor and feels rather abrupt, failing to create a stunning contrast.

Besides the mismatch in flavors, the overall texture of the "hot Dirty" is not as outstanding as that of a traditional iced Dirty. This is because of the milk! In a cup of Dirty, milk accounts for 80% of the entire beverage, so it can be said to dominate the texture of the entire coffee.

Compared to hot milk, iced milk actually provides a more pleasant drinking experience, which is related to its temperature. Because it contrasts with the temperature in our mouth, through their interaction, iced milk feels smoother and more refreshing than hot milk, giving the coffee an exceptional texture. Therefore, compared to Dirty made with iced milk, the version made with hot milk is much inferior. After FrontStreet Coffee takes one sip, the espresso and milk have already blended together.

In summary, we can understand that the main reasons why coffee shops don't offer hot Dirty are these three points: ① It's relatively troublesome to make; ② The flavor and texture of the coffee are not outstanding; ③ The layered effect lasts for a very short time—perhaps before it can even be served to the customer, the "hot Dirty" has already turned into a hot latte.

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FrontStreet Coffee

No. 10, Bao'an Qianjie, Yandun Road, Dongshankou, Yuexiu District, Guangzhou, Guangdong Province

Important Notice :

前街咖啡 FrontStreet Coffee has moved to new addredd:

FrontStreet Coffee Address: 315,Donghua East Road,GuangZhou

Tel:020 38364473