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Ristretto is Italian for “restricted”.
Also called a short shot, a Ristretto has a smaller amount of water and shorter brew time. While a normal espresso has a 1:2 ratio of coffee grounds to water, a ristretto has a 1:1 brew ratio.
Some baristas make a coffee shot for a ristretto by stopping an espresso halfway through its brewing process (about 15 seconds in). Others simply grind the coffee beans finer.
Either way the result is about half the volume of a normal espresso and has a heavier, more intense flavour.
A long shot is an espresso shot with a longer pull time, sometimes as long as 60 seconds, depending on the barista. The long shot espresso’s ratio of coffee to water is around 1:3 and often higher.
It can have similar flavours to an Americano.
It is more concentrated with a colour that is between dark chocolate and umber.
A ristretto contains a greater relative proportion of faster extracting compounds, proportionally fewer of the compounds characteristic of over-extraction.
Darker roasts are usually preferred for this type of shot.
It has fewer total coffee compounds extracted, particularly caffeine. It uses a fine grind, either as espresso or slightly finer, depending on how the barista plans to make the shot..
The ristretto is drunk from a demitasse and not diluted into a larger cup with milk or water, so ristrettos are less bitter and exhibit a more intense espresso character.
A long shot is an espresso shot made with twice the amount of hot water as a regular shot of espresso, thus yielding a less concentrated flavor profile with a milder taste.
It can be made using a coarser grind to allow for more coffee to pass through the portafilter in 30 seconds. This can also prevent over-extraction. Alternatively, you can simply pull the shot for a longer amount of time.
Depending on how it’s brewed, it can be more mellow than espresso, but still finely layered with a variety of coffee flavours. It will be less intense than the ristretto, and smoother, with the characteristic bitter, chocolatey, smoky notes of coffee.
The origin of the ristretto seems to been unknown. One theory is that the ristretto was developed during World War II when coffee beans were extremely expensive and not so easily available. It is thought that coffee shop owners would use less of the coffee grounds to make the espresso shot.
Others believe that the ristretto was, in fact, the original espresso!
While the theory is that it developed in Italy, there is also documentary evidence of the long shot in America, where it was popular as a milder form of espresso with the coffee flavour but less caffeine content.
According to https://twistedgoatcoffee.com/blogs/espresso/ristretto-vs-long-shot both the ristretto and long shot take practice and skill, a quality espresso machine, and patience. If we did have to choose, a long shot needs closer attention during the extraction process so as not to over-extract.
Why not try both processes with our roast Espresso Smile.
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