RistrettoA double ristretto with the first half of the shot in the glass at the bottom of the image, and the second half in the glass on the right
Ristretto (Italian:[risˈtretto])[1] is a "short shot" (20 ml (0.7 imp fl oz; 0.7 US fl oz) from a double basket) of a more highly concentrated espresso coffee. It is made with the same amount of ground coffee, but extracted with a finer grind (also in from 20 to 30 seconds) using half as much water. A normal short shot might look like a ristretto, but in reality, would only be a weaker, more diluted, shot.[2] The opposite of a ristretto (Italian for 'shortened', 'narrow') is a lungo ('long'), which has double the amount of water. The French call a ristretto a café serré.[3]
Regardless of whether one uses a hand pressed machine or an automatic, a regular double shot is generally considered to be around 14–18 g (0.49–0.63 oz) of ground coffee extracted into about 40 ml (2 fl oz; two shot glasses).[4] Thus, a "double ristretto" consumes the same amount of coffee beans but fills only a single shot glass.
Coffee contains over a thousand aromatic compounds.[5] A ristretto's chemical composition and taste differ from those of a full-length extraction for three reasons:
More concentrated: the first part of any extraction is the most concentrated, its color typically lying between dark chocolate and umber, whereas the tail end of shots are much lighter, varying from the color of dark pumpkin pie to varying shades of tan (see photo, above right). This is an important factor when drinking straight espresso shots.
Different balance: different chemical compounds in ground coffee dissolve into hot water at different rates. A ristretto contains a greater relative proportion of faster extracting compounds, proportionally fewer of the compounds characteristic of over-extraction, and thus, a different balance.
Fewer total extracts: relative proportions aside, fewer total coffee compounds—caffeine being just one—are extracted into ristrettos versus full length shots. This is an important factor when diluting shots into water or milk.
Straight ristrettos—shots that are traditionally drunk from a demitasse and not diluted into a larger cup containing milk or water—could be described as bolder, fuller, with more body and less bitterness. These characteristics are usually attributed to espresso in general but are more pronounced in a ristretto. Diluted into a cup of water (e.g. americano or long black) or milk (e.g. latte or cappuccino), ristrettos are less bitter and exhibit a more intense espresso character.[6]
A manual espresso machine
A semi-automatic (electrically pumped) espresso machine
^"ristrétto". Vocabolario. Treccani.
^"Glossary, R". Coffee Encyclopedia. Archived from the original on 27 November 2010 – via realcoffee.co.uk.
^"Caffè corto, ristretto o lungo, quali sono le differenze?". Caffè Barbera.
^"How Much to Grind for a Double Shot of Espresso?". SeattleCoffeeGear.com.
^"Chemistry in every cup". rsc.org. Royal Society of Chemistry. May 2011.
^Tien Nguyen (30 November 2011). "The Ristretto: The Lame Duck of Coffee". LA Weekly. Retrieved 28 February 2015. The flavor is more intense, sweeter, less bitter since bitter components are introduced at the end of the shot....Overall, you end up with a much more pleasant and flavorful beverage.
Ristretto (Italian: [risˈtretto]) is a "short shot" (20 ml (0.7 imp fl oz; 0.7 US fl oz) from a double basket) of a more highly concentrated espresso...
grounds-to-liquid of 1:1 for ristretto, 1:2 for normale, and 1:4 for lungo. Assuming ristretto is a more concentrated espresso coffee, a ristretto solo is thus 15-20 ml...
ml of water. A double ristretto, a common form associated with espresso, uses half the amount of water, about 30 ml. Ristretto, normale, and lungo may...
September 2005, Rommelmann's husband, Din Johnson, opened a coffee shop, Ristretto Roasters, in Portland's Beaumont-Wilshire neighborhood. The shop grew...
Australia is known as a piccolo latte, or simply a piccolo. This is a single ristretto shot in a macchiato glass that is filled with steamed milk in the same...
glass and consists of a shot of espresso (sometimes a small shot, or ristretto), cocoa powder and milk froth. In some regions of northern Italy, thick...
served on ice, sometimes with a touch of milk.[citation needed] RistrettoRistretto is traditionally a short shot of espresso made with the normal amount...
Down Take On A [sic] Classic". Sprudge. Strand, Oliver (29 July 2010). "Ristretto | Kyoto to Stay". T Magazine. Peters, A. (2003). Brewing makes the difference...
building housed Alan Ladd Hardware. John Monahan is the owner and developer. Ristretto is a tenant. Locale Magazine and Palm Springs Life have called the building...
cannot run under Wayland An image viewer (supporting slideshow mode). Ristretto operates on folders of images, displaying thumbnails along with the active...
was the first who used the term statistics in his unpublished treatise Ristretto della civile, politica, statistica e militare scienza (Alessandria, Bibl...
and a dollop of milk foam. Derived from Caffè macchiato. Magic A double ristretto shot with microfoam textured milk. A Magic has less milk than a Flat White...
Coffee". Fast Company. Retrieved 2021-02-26. Strand, Oliver (2010-10-28). "Ristretto | AeroPress". T: The New York Times Style Magazine. Retrieved 2021-02-26...
served as cocktail and prepared with a shot of chilled espresso, Galliano Ristretto, simple syrups, and Amaro di Toscana. It can also be served with vodka...
cafes are more likely to serve it in smaller (150–160 ml) cups with two ristretto shots used, resulting in a drink noticeably stronger and less milky than...
Turin, in the whole Piedmont and in Milan; similar to the espressino Ristretto Uovo sbattuto "con caffè" – a once popular high energy breakfast, item...
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A manual espresso machine
A semi-automatic (electrically pumped) espresso machine
