Ristretto: How to Make It, and How to Order It at Starbucks

A ristretto is an espresso made with less water. Here’s an easy-to-understand guide on how to make it and how to order it at Starbucks.

What is a Ristretto?

• A ristretto is a shot of espresso made with less water. It’s a smaller drink than an espresso since it’s more concentrated, making it richer and slightly sweeter.
• One of the reasons a ristretto shot is sweeter is because as water pushes through espresso grounds, different compounds dissolve at different speeds. Sweet and acidic flavors dissolve first, and bitter compounds dissolve later. 
• “Ristretto” means “restricted” or “shortened” in Italian, which refers to restricting the amount of water the espresso machine pushes through to make the drink.
• The biggest indicator of a ristretto shot is the volume of the shot. A ristretto is around 15-20 ml and an espresso is 25-35 ml in drink volume.
• It’s pronounced REE-STREH-TOH.

RELATED: Lungo, Espresso, Blonde Espresso, Americano, Macchiato, Flat White

Differences Between Ristretto and Espresso

Ristretto and espresso are made the same, using an espresso machine with water and coffee grounds. The difference is in how long hot water goes through the coffee grounds.

Shot time
To make espresso, it takes 20-30 seconds to create a shot. For ristretto, the time is a few seconds less.

Drink size
Espresso is 25-35 ml, about an ounce. Ristretto is 15-20 ml, a little over half an ounce. Ristrettos are a smaller drink.

Ristrettos at Starbucks

At Starbucks, if you ask for a ristretto shot, the barista will pull your shot shorter, meaning less water will go through the espresso machine. The resulting shot is usually sweeter and more syrupy. There’s no additional cost to asking for a ristretto shot. 

Any espresso drink can be made with ristretto instead. For example, you can order an Iced Caramel Macchiato made with ristretto instead of espresso.

Just like espresso shots, you can customize your drinks with the number of ristretto shots.

What You’ll Need

• Espresso machine: You can’t get a ristretto shot without an espresso machine. You can also use a Nespresso machine with ristretto capsules.
• Coffee grinder: So much of the pleasure of a ristretto shot is its flavor, which is subtle. Because a ristretto shot is only two ingredients (coffee and water), grind your coffee fresh or use the freshest ground coffee.
• Coffee beans: Freshly ground coffee that has been resting 7-14 days is best.
• Filtered water: Use filtered water for making a better tasting cup of coffee.

How to Make Ristretto at Home

For full ingredients and detailed instructions, please see the recipe card at the bottom of the post.

1. Fill and tamp your portafilter with finely ground coffee.
2. Pull 1-2 shots of ristretto.
   Instead of pulling a normal espresso shot, use a scale to weigh the amount of coffee that’s extracted. Aim for 15-20 ml. Serve and drink immediately.

BARISTA’S TIP: You can tell a ristretto shot by the amount of liquid in your cup. It’s helpful to know how much volume a regular shot takes up so you can compare visually.

Expert Tips

• The easiest way to pull a ristretto shot without a scale is to simply stop your shot sooner than you normally would. If you pull a shot of espresso for 25 seconds, try it at 15 seconds.
• Bitterness comes out at the end of an espresso shot, so when you pull a shorter shot, you’re getting slightly sweeter, less bitter flavors.
• In general, most coffee shops pull double ristretto shots for all drink sizes, instead of single. Starbucks starts with a single ristretto shot, adding more shots as the drink size gets bigger.
• The opposite of a ristretto shot is a “lungo,” which usually means allowing more water to go through the espresso shot than normal. A lungo is referred to as a long shot and ristretto is a short shot.
• A ristretto shot will look much darker than a regular or lungo shot. That’s because much of the dark brown coloring of the espresso comes out in the early parts of the shot.
• What’s fun about ristretto shots is that they’re easy to pull and compare to a regular shot. If you’re not sure what the differences are, pull two shots—one regular, one ristretto—and taste them side-by-side.

Questions You May Have

Related

• Cortado
• Americano
• Flat White
• Simple Guide to the Best Nespresso Machines
• Easy Starbucks Copycat Recipes

Want to save this ristretto guide for later? Pin this to your Pinterest board now!