Ristretto vs Espresso – What’s the difference?

Ristretto vs Espresso - What's the difference

Ristretto is not a term that most coffee drinkers are familiar with. Most people are familiar with espressos, flat whites, lattes, long blacks, and Americanos. Just when you think you now know and perfectly understand the differences between these coffee drinks, you are seated in a coffee shop and someone orders a ristretto. What? That’s a new term to most of the coffee drinkers. The person ordering it I can tell you for free is a coffee enthusiast. What’s the difference between Ristretto vs Espresso?

If you don’t know what a ristretto is, fear not, for today is the day you get enlightened. At the end of this article, the next stop will be in a coffee shop boldly ordering a ristretto. Take note of the look your usual coffee guy gives you. These are some of the type of coffee that let others know you are now well versed in coffee.

If coffee nerds existed knowing what a ristretto is would put you on the list. Knowing how to make one and the difference between this and an espresso would get you to the top ten on the list maybe. Anyway let’s take a look at these two drinks and what sets them apart or brings them closer together.

Espresso

This is the coffee shot we are all used to. It is about 1-3 oz. of a concentrated and intensely flavored coffee drink. The espresso coffee beans are not different from the usual beans we use at home on the drip machine. The difference is in the preparation. Espresso is a coffee preparation method.

It is a small amount of water forced through tightly packed coffee beans at high pressure. The amount if coffee and water depends on the espresso machine.

The outcome however is the same. You get a well concentrated and flavored coffee drink that has a unique taste setting it apart from all the other types of coffee. The espresso making process also creates a delicious crema at the top of the espresso shot.

Ristretto

This is the rare coffee shot that most people don’t know. For the coffee geeks, this might be a taste that the taste buds wish and pray for. It is a variation of the espresso. The ristretto is made by restricting water supply by half when you prepare one shot.

What am I saying? A ristretto is made the same as an espresso however, the amount of water in a ristretto is half the amount of water in a shot of espresso.

When the water is restricted, it means that less water comes into contact with the coffee grounds. The result is a lower caffeine drink which is seen as a disadvantage to some people. The same also has stronger aromatic notes in the shot because of the shot extraction time.

A ristretto focusses more on the aromatic aspects of an espresso. Less water flows quickly through the coffee grounds and this leaves the higher concentration and floral notes of the coffee intact. unlike the lungo which we say is a more dilute version of espresso, we can’t say the opposite here. Infact, the ristretto is more of a small amount of the lungo.

The reason why a ristretto is not so common might be because of the concentration, the quantity and maybe the lack of crema. Most people who love espressos love tasting different variations of the same but choose to shy away a bit from the ristretto.

Ristretto vs Espresso – What’s the difference?

Let’s take a look at some of these differences in a broad manner (Ristretto vs Espresso) :

  • Quantity

The ristretto shot contains less water as compared to the espresso. It generally uses about half the amount of water as in the espresso. A single shot of espresso is 1.3 oz. while the ristretto shot is about 0.75oz. not sure if it takes two sips or one to finish but it is what it is.

  • Taste

When preparing a ristretto, the amount of water passing through the coffee grounds is restricted. This means less amount of water comes into contact with the drink. The shot has less extraction time (for the coffee geeks) therefore it tends to produce a little bit more concentrated and bold flavor. The ristretto has much less caffeine as compared to the standard shot of espresso despite having a smaller quantity. The ristretto has a better and sweeter finish too.

  • Caffeine level

Like we said above, less caffeine is found in a ristretto. Less extraction time equals less caffeine. The difference might be small but can’t be compared with the caffeine in a regular espresso.

The difference between an espresso, ristretto and a lungo is challenging for most people. To get a better understanding, do a tasting of all three and let your taste buds help you out. The difference in taste is much more significant than it sounds while reading. I hope this guide has answered most of the questions regarding Ristretto vs Espresso.

For lungo vs espresso, check out our post here.

James

James

Hi, my name is James and I love to write about espresso and coffee making topics that I find interesting. Once in a while, you can also find me writing about garden tools and accessories.