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Making a ristretto

Matthew_WhiteMatthew_White
edited January 1970 in Coffee Industry related subjects
Alright guys, Question Time is in session.

How do *you* do a ristretto?

Vary the grind? The tamp? The amount of coffee?

Got a secret method you want to share?
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Comments

  • adminadmin
    Hi Matthew - I'm Admin, not an expert barista, but basically 'ristretto' comes from the italian for 'restricted'. It's a shorter pour (around the first 15-17 secs of your shot) resulting in around 15ml of espresso. It should give an intense flavour but also, if you subscribe to the 'best of the bean comes out first' line of thinking a pure, sweet result. Experts, anything to add? -A
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  • mattyjmattyj
    definately not an expert here ... but from what i can gather, the 'recipe' for a ristretto varies greatly from person to person. It varies from simply pulling the cup out from under the spouts early (so a normal double shot, just not catching all of the shot) to up-dosing from a normal 14g to around 18g (my preferred method-the shot runs slower ... more like drips), to grinding finer and tamping harder. I prefer to updose/adjust grind, to change the way the shot flows. I think Campos do this, so a double ristretto is still only 20mls, pulled in about 30 seconds. By not adjusting dose, grind etc, you'd be getting 20mls in say 15 seconds (guess), and you'd only be affecting the flavour by not including the latter part of the shot ... taking away what that part of the shot contributes to the overall cup. Whereas by adjusting dose and/or grind, you're still running the shot until the blonding starts, getting a more complete extraction from the beans, just less liquid (=a more concentrated shot). i feel like i'm crapping on now ... any experts wanna confirm (or slam) what i'm trying to say?
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  • ReschsmoothReschsmooth
    I tend to agree with MattyJ, although I can't alter the grind any finer, I tend to increase the dose a bit to slow the extraction down. But I am no expert. P
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  • johnjohn
    20/20/20 20 ml/using 20 g/in 20 sec from a double spout using fresh coffee that's my poison call it a ristretto or whatever, suggest that you try it John
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  • Unknown
    so if a normal 'espresso' is $3.. how much is a place going to charge for a 'double ristretto'?
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  • mattyjmattyj
    heh, i usually get charged the same, coz i only drink at one or two cafes, and i know the guys there ... i get em for $2.50! can't remember what campos do price wise ... some places i've seen add 50c on for an 'extra shot' ... so a $3 single goes up to $3.50 for a double.
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  • ReschsmoothReschsmooth
    Why, if we know what a cappuccino is, we know what an espresso is, we know what a latte is, is there no uniform definition of a ristretto? I mean, we know that an espresso prepared correctly should extract the 30 odd mls in 30 seconds based on water pressure, grind, dose and tamp. This, apparently gives the optimum extraction of coffee from about 7 gms of dry coffee (mind you, why not 20 secs, or 50 mls?). So is a ristretto more 'optimal' than an espresso? Or is it just less liquid or the result of more pressure exerted in the extraction? Either way, with the right beans, I like 'em. Cheerio P
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  • larslars
    It's an interesting question Patrick, and while there's a certain amount of lattitude in the way any expert makes any of the espresso-based coffees, you're right to point out that the ristretto is the one with probably the least amount of agreed definition. Really, it seems to depend on the barista, and the increasing feeling that the best (sweetest part) of the shot comes in the first 20 secs of the pour. While the 'rule' for an espresso shot is often around 25 ml in 25-30 seconds, many top baristas seem to like to do a pour that is no more than 25 secs, resulting in slightly less than 25 ml, sometimes closer to 20 ml. So according to a textbook definition (if there was one) this is anyway getting pretty close to a ristretto. So is it a ristretto or a short pour on a short black? It depends to a large degree on the barista's experience and inidividuality; I guess this is why it's an art as much as a science. Lars
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  • Unknown
    A ristretto in my mind is a short espresso.  Fairly simply.  I've tried (after the grind and dump are set correctly) increasing either the grind or the dump so my espresso pours 20ml in 30 seconds, in both cases I've found my ristretto is burnt or too much like a turkish coffee.   The best way to make a ristretto is to keep your grind and dump set to 30-25ml in 30 seconds and just keep the amount of coffee in the cup restricted to 15-20ml.  A ristretto.  As they say in those barista handbooks, the best part of the pour is the first bit, just depends how much of that you want.    Tone.
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  • mattyjmattyj
    Pinot, 20g? that's close to a triple ristretto! wow! If only i could cram an extra gram into my basket! My problem with pulling the shot as normal and just not letting all of the shot go into the cup (as you seem to suggest, rgegan) is that you're not extracting the whole shot. In my mind, you're missing out on the balance that the rest of the shot brings to the cup. But if that's the way you like it and that's what makes you smile, then that's great! To my thinking, if you slow down the extraction, you still pull the shot til just before it starts to blonde, and you still get a complete extraction, just using less water. In the end, there doesn't seem to be a set recipe for ristretto (and even with cappuccino/latte/flat white there is the same confusion, trust me!), because you can slow down the flow any number of ways. And in the end whatever makes you happy makes you happy. Taste is entirely subjective, so my recipe is great for me, and your recipe is great for you. I'll try yours one day when i'm feeling experimental, but i'm happy knowing that you're happy! anyone for a hug now? ;)
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  • johnjohn
    mattyj I think that you hit the nail on the head: Taste is subjective and most importantly 'whatever works for you or makes you happy'. My preference is to use a bigger basket for all my drinks. For my ristretto I just cut short the extraction between 15-20 ml. To me that is the sweetest part of the extraction. As an experiment extract the first 15 ml into one glass and then let the next 10 ml flow into a second glass. Try both. However, remember to try the 'best' first, that should be the first 15 ml. Would be interested in you comments after the experiment!!!! John
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  • johnjohn
    mattyj not sure about the 'hug' bit 8) John
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  • mattyjmattyj
    Pinot, it's an experiment that i've wanted to try for a while ... my current batch of coffee needs a few more days to degass (colder weather - it's taking longer than normal), so i'll give it a go on monday. I've been thinking a lot lately about experimenting with different flavour profiles in a blend. Like, discovering diffeerent flavours in a blend with different pulls. For example, how does the taste of a blend change when i pull it ristretto compared to a normal 60ml double? How does the taste change as i adjust the grind, tamp, and dose (grind coarser, tamp harader to compensate ... grind finer, dose less etc). My big struggle is grinder limitations - i've tweaked my little sunbeam machine, got non-crema-enhancing baskets etc, it's really the grinder holding me back (Delonghi kg100). Upgrade is happening this year, and i'm getting a mazzer mini soon! Oh yeah, and an expobar later in the year...
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  • ReschsmoothReschsmooth
    When I want double ristrettos, I will just increase the dose slightly and tamp a bit firmer to slow the flow down to the 20/30 mls in about 20-25 secs from a double basket. The taste is very intense, in a good way. Patrick
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  • nzroasternzroaster
    Its my understanding, and this is how our barista does it, that a ristretto should have the same dose and tamp as an espresso, but the grind should be adjusted to get the same extraction time. It is not only that you want the first half of the extraction, as discussed, but also the finer grind will highlight different flavours of the bean. Try it and see, it is tricky to avoid overextraction this way, but the result speaks for itsself.
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  • Unknown
    Dear Ristretto enthusiasts I think it is fair enough to say everyone has there own interpretation of what a ristretto is, just like we all have own methedology on preparing espresso. Coffee is personal expression for all of us, why label something and put it in a box. If we don't question how something can be better how are we to improve whats in the cup. Though fundamentaly a ristretto is Italian for restricted. The best ristrettos I have had have come from using exactly the same extraction perameters as I would for an espresso, though ristricted only by liquid volume, approx 15-18mls inc crema. Having said that my espresso is between 21-23mls ;)
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