Ristretto facts for kids
A ristretto is a very short and strong type of espresso coffee. The word "ristretto" comes from Italian and means "shortened" or "narrow."
To make a ristretto, you use the same amount of ground coffee as a regular espresso, but you use about half the amount of water. The coffee is also ground a bit finer. This makes the ristretto much more concentrated and flavorful than a regular espresso shot. It's usually about 20 milliliters (which is a very small amount, like a tiny sip!).
The opposite of a ristretto is a lungo, which uses double the amount of water, making it a "long" coffee. In France, a ristretto is sometimes called a café serré.
How is a Ristretto Different?
A regular double espresso shot usually uses about 14 to 18 grams of coffee grounds and makes about 40 milliliters of coffee. A "double ristretto" uses the same amount of coffee grounds but makes only about 20 milliliters, fitting into a single small shot glass.
Coffee has many different flavors and smells, over a thousand! A ristretto tastes different from a full-length espresso shot for a few main reasons:
- It's super concentrated: The very first part of any coffee shot is the strongest and darkest. It looks like dark chocolate. The end part of a coffee shot is much lighter, like a light brown color. Since a ristretto is only the first part of the shot, it's very strong and dark. This is important if you drink it plain.
- Different flavors come out: Different chemicals in coffee dissolve into hot water at different speeds. A ristretto has more of the flavors that come out quickly. It has fewer of the flavors that come out when coffee is "over-extracted" (when too much water goes through). This gives it a different, more balanced taste.
- Fewer total compounds: Even though it's more concentrated, a ristretto has fewer total coffee compounds (like caffeine) than a full espresso shot. This is important if you're mixing the coffee with water or milk.
What Does a Ristretto Taste Like?
When you drink a ristretto by itself, usually from a tiny cup called a demitasse, it tastes bold and full-bodied. It often has less bitterness than a regular espresso. These strong flavors are what people often like about espresso, but they are even stronger in a ristretto.
If you mix a ristretto with water to make a americano or long black, or with milk for a latte or cappuccino, it makes the drink taste more intensely like coffee and less bitter.
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A manual espresso machine used to make coffee.
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A semi-automatic espresso machine, which uses electricity to pump water.
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