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In other words – crema may take up a significant portion of the drink’s volume. This means that the volume of a ristretto shot made with a dose of 16 grams may vary from 16 ml. The fresher the beans, the more the crema. The amount of crema varies depending on how recently the coffee beans have been roasted. This is because of the crema – CO 2 gases, trapped in small bubbles that sit on top of the drink. The volume of your espresso, ristretto, or lungo may vary from one shot to another, even if they’re all made with the same amount of ground coffee and water. This means that if a dry coffee dose is 16 grams, you get an espresso shot of 32 to 40 grams.Īuthor’s Note: In the world of espresso drinks, when we talk about brew ratio, we always discuss it in terms of weight, not volume. More often than not, an espresso shot is made with a 1:2 to 1:2.5 ratio. Therefore the espresso, ristretto, and lungo differ not only by volume and weight, but also by strength, texture, and caffeine content. The more hot water that’s in contact with the coffee grounds – the higher the extraction of coffee solubles. Water is actually the solvent that dissolves the caffeine, coffee oils, flavors, and aromas. Here’s a ratio and yield comparison between espresso, ristretto and lungo, prepared with a dry coffee dose of 14 grams (0.5 oz.):Ĭoffee-to-water Ratio (determines how much pressurized water passes through the coffee bed) Nevertheless, the lungo has a lighter body and it’s the weakest in terms of flavor compared to a ristretto and an espresso. lungo differences:Ĭompared to an espresso and a lungo, a ristretto is the most concentrated and has the most intense flavor, because it’s made with the least water.Ī lungo is the largest in terms of volume and weight and contains the highest amount of caffeine. So here’s an overview of the ristretto vs. What sets these drinks apart is their coffee-to-water ratio, or in other words – the amount of pressurized water that runs through a fixed amount of coffee. The pressure creates a layer of crema that lays nicely on top of these beverages. The espresso, ristretto, and lungo shots are all made by running high-pressure water through a puck of finely ground and tamped coffee. What are the Differences between Ristretto, Espresso and Lungo? I’m about to give you all the answers, so let’s dig in! Nespresso pods: ristretto, lungo and espresso compared.A lungo will have more caffeine than regular espresso, but only by a little bit. This is because you’re more fully extracting the coffee grounds. The longer an espresso shot is pulled, the more caffeine it has. A regular shot has about one ounce of espresso and a lungo shot makes two ounces. Lungos are made with about twice as much water, so they’re larger than espresso shots. As mentioned above, espresso has an intense flavor because of the smaller amount of water being pushed through all the coffee grounds. Espresso has a bold, rich flavor and the crema is arguably the most enjoyable part of an espresso shot.
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It also does not have as intense of a flavor as espresso does because it’s less concentrated. Since the extraction takes longer for a lungo, it often has a harsher, more bitter taste than espresso does. The taste will be different because of the different pull times. All three of these are explained in more detail below. The three differences are taste, quantity, and caffeine level.
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