Ristretto

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Ristretto is a very short shot of espresso coffee. A normal (double) espresso shot is a 60 ml (2 fl oz), while a (double) ristretto is a 30-45 ml (1–1.5 fl oz). The ristretto is often preferred by espresso coffee lovers for its added body and fullness.

One method of pulling a ristretto shot is to grind the coffee finer than that used for normal espresso, and pull the shot for the same amount of time as a normal shot. The smaller spaces between the particles of finer-ground coffee allow less water to pass through, resulting in a shorter shot. However, this can also lead to a gritty taste, if the coffee is ground fine enough that the insoluble components can pass through the filter-basket.

Another method for pulling a ristretto is to simply stop the extraction early, so less water has time to pass through the ground coffee. This produces a slightly different taste than the fine-grinding, equal-time method, and is often preferred because it does not require the barista to change the settings on the coffee grinder.

A third method, that serves as a compromise between the previous two, is to prepare the shot without adjusting the grind but to make the tamp more firm. The firmer tamp will compact the grinds in the filter basket allowing for a shot time comparable to a regular espresso. This method has the added benefit that adjusting the coffee grinder is not necessary while keeping much of the body and flavor of the fine-grinding, equal-time method.

As the amount of water is increased or decreased relative to a normal shot, the composition of the shot changes, because not all components of coffee dissolve at the same rate. For this reason, an excessively long or short shot will not contain the same ratio of components that a normal shot contains. Therefore, a ristretto is not simply twice as "strong" as a regular shot, nor is a lungo simply twice as weak.