What Is Ristretto Shot? - HomeGrounds

WHAT IS A RISTRETTO? AND HOW DOES IT COMPARE WITH ESPRESSO?

We all know and love the espresso shot, but what about its plucky little brother, the ristretto?

Coffee enthusiasts rave about the ristretto as the most intense form of coffee. Sweet, rich, and complex – it’s an undeniably bold coffee experience.

You might be tempted to describe a ristretto shot as simply a regular shot of espresso made using less water, but it’s a bit more nuanced than that. So let’s dig a little deeper into espresso and ristretto and why you should experience both.

What Is A Ristretto Shot?

A ristretto is a smaller, more concentrated shot of espresso, typically measuring between 15 and 20 mL (½ to ⅔ of an ounce). For this reason, it is sometimes called a short shot.

The ristretto is usually served without any added milk or sweeteners, though it can also be used as the basis of certain frothed milk drinks. Traditionally, it is made with dark roast coffee, but different types of coffee are used in modern coffee shops.

The History Of The Ristretto

The ristretto is Italian in origin, known in Italy as a caffè ristretto. The word ristretto means “restricted” in Italian because the ristretto uses a finer grind that results in a restricted flow compared with an espresso. In French, this drink is called a café serré, which means “tight coffee.” It is the smallest and strongest of all the types of coffee drinks.

Ristretto gained popularity in North America in the 1980s thanks to David Schomer, owner of Seattle’s famous Espresso Vivace Café (1). Schomer has described a properly prepared ristretto shot as the finest of coffee extracts, saying it has “the ability to preserve the fragrance of the roast and caramelized sugars through the brewing process into a thick chiffon with a silky mouthfeel.”

What Does A Ristretto Shot Taste Like?

The flavor of a ristretto is very intense because it is such a concentrated coffee drink. Not only is it prepared with a very high coffee-to-water ratio, but the initial part of any espresso extraction is always more concentrated.

A ristretto tastes sweeter than an espresso shot made with the same beans. This is because the flavor compounds in coffee beans responsible for sweetness extract faster than those that contribute bitterness and acidity. By cutting short the extraction, the ristretto ends up with a different chemical make-up than an espresso, lungo, or brewed regular coffee – yielding a unique balance of flavors.

Why Do People Like Ristretto?

Coffee lovers who favor the ristretto tend to highlight its rich body, complex flavors, and natural sweetness. It is the strongest type of espresso drink, delivering the most intense flavor experience.

What’s The Difference Between Ristretto And Espresso?

A ristretto and a single shot of espresso use the same amount of coffee, usually around 8 grams of ground coffee, but differ in the ratio of coffee to water. The ristretto uses about half or two-thirds the volume of water of an espresso – producing a smaller, more concentrated shot. It’s also standard to use a slightly finer grind for a ristretto.

The result is a very different flavor profile between ristretto vs espresso. The ristretto is sweeter and more intense, while the espresso has more balance between sweetness, bitterness, and acidity.

What’s The Difference Between A Ristretto And Long Shot?

Again, the difference between the ristretto vs long shot is in the amount of water used. A long shot uses the same amount of coffee grounds but twice as much water as an espresso – roughly four times as much as the ristretto. It has a much milder coffee flavor and larger overall volume, usually around 3.5 ounces.

A long shot is also known as a lungo coffee, as lungo is the Italian word for long. It should not be confused with the doppio, which is a double shot of espresso. The doppio uses twice as much water as a single espresso shot but also twice as much coffee, so the concentration of the drink remains the same.

How To Make A Ristretto Coffee At Home

Making a perfect ristretto espresso is the same procedure as pulling a regular espresso shot. We’re just going to switch up the details a little. Because this is such an intense coffee drink, make sure you use high-quality specialty coffee beans whose flavor you love!

Ristretto Ingredients

• 8 grams of coffee beans
• Espresso maker
• Burr grinder
• Demitasse
• Coffee scale (optional)

AT A GLANCE

Time

5 minutes

Yield

Single ristretto shot

Step-By-Step Ristretto Recipe

If you know how to use your espresso maker, you already know how to make a ristretto. It’s one of the easiest coffee shop drinks because you don’t need to froth milk or infuse a syrup.

This recipe is for a single ristretto. If you want to make a double ristretto, simply double the amount of ground coffee and aim for a 1 to 1.5-ounce final volume.

Step 1: Prepare your equipment

Turn on your espresso machine and let it preheat as per the manufacturer’s instructions. If you’re using a manual machine, preheat accordingly using hot water from a kettle.

You should also ensure the portafilter and your espresso cup are preheated with hot water. Because a ristretto is so small in volume, it cools very quickly if it encounters any cold metal or glass.

Step 2: Prepare the portafilter

Grind the coffee beans to a very fine grind using a burr grinder. You want it just slightly finer than you would use for espresso. The quality of the grind is very important for a ristretto shot, so don’t be tempted to use a blade grinder or pre-ground coffee – unless it is coming from a roaster or coffee shop that ground it specifically for ristretto.

Add coffee grounds to the filter basket in the portafilter, ensuring they are evenly distributed. Tamp with approximately 30 pounds of pressure. Finally, twist the portafilter into the espresso machine, and place your warmed demitasse under the spout.

Step 3: Pull the shot

Start pulling the shot of coffee. You should stop when you have about ½ to ⅔ of an ounce of liquid in your cup. If you don’t have a volumetric espresso maker, the easiest way to measure this is to use a coffee scale. Stop when the weight of your extracted drink hits about 20 grams.

Final Thoughts

Ristretto is a more concentrated version of espresso coffee, prepared using a finer grind and smaller volume of water. The result is a robust and sweet little shot that depends heavily on the quality of the coffee beans used.

So pick up a bag of the best coffee you can afford and give this recipe a try. Every coffee lover owes it to themself to drink a ristretto at least once – if only to experience how powerfully a coffee flavor can punch.

FAQs

Do ristretto shots have more caffeine?

No, despite having a much stronger coffee taste, a shot of ristretto actually has less caffeine than a traditional espresso shot. This is due to the shorter espresso brewing time, which leaves more compounds behind in the finely ground coffee beans – caffeine included.

What are ristretto shots at Starbucks?

A Starbucks Ristretto is made using their standard Espresso Roast coffee beans but with a smaller volume of water than their normal espresso shot (2). The Starbucks Cortado and Flat White both come standard with ristretto shots, and you can request ristretto be subbed for espresso in any espresso-based drink.

How many ristretto shots in a flat white?

A flat white is typically made with a double ristretto – about 1 ounce of ristretto. This is combined with approximately 4 ounces of steamed milk capped with a very thin layer of milk foam. However, it is not at all uncommon to find a flat white made with a standard espresso shot (or two).

References

1. Schomer, D. (n.d.). David’s Blog. Culture of Excellence – Initial training. Retrieved from https://espressovivace.com/education/news/page/2/
2. Starbucks. (2025, January 2). Espresso Explained. Retrieved from https://about.starbucks.com/stories/2025/espresso-explained/