What is espresso? What is the difference between Italian concentration and extra concentration? Does Ristretto taste good?

Espresso, latte, plain white coffee, American coffee, long black coffee. Just when you think you know and understand the difference between all these drinks, you will hear someone ordering "ristretto" in front of the coffee shop. Wait, what do we do now?

What is RISTRETTO?

Before we study ristretto, we need to study espresso. Espresso is a small cup of 30ml coffee. Pass high-pressure and extremely hot water through ground dry coffee for 25-30 seconds to produce high-strength, high-bodied drinks.

A short extract espresso, on the other hand, is the short brother of coffee-but just because it is short doesn't mean it has fewer quotations.

Technologically speaking, the two drinks are almost the same. Put the same dose of dry coffee in the same portafilter basket. They use the same water temperature and pressure. They are all products of coffee machines (no, there are no special commercial grade ristretto machines).

In Italian, ristretto means "limit" and it is translated into your small coffee cup. Ristretto is the restricted "shorter" version of espresso: it uses less water and therefore drinks less. According to the policy of cafes or baristas, the capacity of ristretto is 15 to 25 milliliters. Because the ristretto is very small, most coffee shops choose to offer only two ristretto shots.

Since ristretto is generally shorter than espresso, the final drink is slightly sweeter, more full-bodied and bitterless.

How to make RISTRETTO

Some baristas and coffee shops like to make tacos in a way similar to espresso. Others like to spread out a little.

Keep in mind that all ristretto lenses will use the same dry coffee dose, water pressure and water temperature as espresso. On the other hand, they use less water. To solve this problem, some coffee shops will ask baristas to stop filming after 15 seconds. Others will ask them to grind it more finely, so it takes a similar amount of time to espresso.

Of course, all these figures are general guidelines. Each coffee is unique, as should its espresso and ristretto recipes. The third wave of coffee shops should try to find out the best brewing time, dose, water ratio, temperature, etc. This will ensure the best taste and taste.

Flavor difference

The biggest and most important difference between espresso and ristretto is flavor. First of all, let's take a look at extraction and flavor theory.

The body or taste is determined by the raw coffee, the way it is roasted and how it is brewed. Whether it's espresso or ristretto beer, high pressure can produce a sticky syrup-like taste.

However, different flavors and aroma compounds were extracted at different times. First, you will get a mellow flavor (think of cold wines), followed by acidity, sweetness and balance, and finally bitterness. This means that with ristristto, you can limit the number of bitter compounds that may appear. It should be sweeter, stronger coffee.

This also adds to the extra risk. When we tighten the ristretto to highlight the early sweetness of espresso, we are also at risk of underextraction. Underextracted coffee can be too sour and unpleasant. Therefore, it is very important to find the right balance. You need to control the grinding size and brewing time to extract the maximum sweetness of the coffee.

It should also be noted that the acidity in coffee is not always a sign of shoddy coffee. In fact, lighter roasting tends to have more acidity because it makes more coffee itself (in the form of flower or fruit) glow. The same is true of some origins. It comes down to using the right ristretto formula to make the right coffee.

So can you add milk to ristretto?

Traditionally, ristretto is drunk directly, but more and more stores are using it in milk drinks (cappuccino, latte, pure white, etc.), with slightly different results from espresso.

Milk drinks are sweeter and more creamy. But remember, ristretto has become bolder, sweeter and more intense. This milk is sweeter in ristretto-based drinks than espresso-based milk.

However, some people don't like the light baked ristretto in milk drinks, especially if it takes a little less time to extract.

RISTRETTO VS ESPRESSO: which is better?

In this coffee showdown, the best drink depends on your personal taste. If you are looking for an easy-to-drink espresso, ristretto is a good choice. You can appreciate the increased sweetness and intensity (but with the same caffeine flavor) in a smaller form. On the other hand, espresso may provide you with a more complex cup with a slightly bitter taste.