Coffee culture

[Image] What is Ristretto Coffee? What's the Difference Between Espresso and Ristretto Coffee?

Published: 2026-01-27 Author: FrontStreet Coffee
Last Updated: 2026/01/27, For Espresso coffee, everyone is very familiar with it. It's the coffee base used to make our daily Americano and Latte. Ristretto, however, is relatively unfamiliar to many. In this article, FrontStreet Coffee will now discuss with everyone about Ristretto coffee. Ristret

For Espresso, everyone is quite familiar with it—it's the coffee base used to make our daily Americano and latte. Ristretto, on the other hand, is relatively unknown. In this article, FrontStreet Coffee will discuss Ristretto coffee with you.

What Exactly is Ristretto?

Ristretto can be translated into Chinese as "芮斯崔朵咖啡," "意式特浓咖啡," or "精粹浓缩咖啡."

Ristretto coffee preparation

Everyone knows that espresso is a small cup of coffee of about 1 ounce (30ml). Its intensity makes it rarely consumed directly outside of Italy—in layman's terms, it's "strong, bitter, like drinking traditional Chinese medicine." Ristretto, however, is even more intense and stimulating than espresso.

How to Make a Ristretto?

In Italian, "Ristretto" means "restricted" or "limited." Ristretto can be seen as a "restricted" version of espresso—it involves stopping the extraction after only extracting the first half of the espresso, hence the meaning of "artificial limitation."

Ristretto extraction process

Currently, there are two mainstream methods for making Ristretto, both of which require adjustments based on an espresso extraction recipe.

Therefore, let's first establish an espresso extraction recipe. Since every coffee shop's espresso extraction parameters differ, we'll use FrontStreet Coffee's espresso parameters as an example, using FrontStreet Coffee's "Sunflower Warm Blend" as the espresso beans.

FrontStreet Coffee's espresso extraction parameters are:

20g of coffee grounds to extract 40g of coffee liquid, taking 27 seconds.

Ristretto Method ①: Shorter Extraction Time for the First Half

Without changing grind size or dose. Use 20g of coffee grounds to extract 27g of coffee liquid, taking 20 seconds.

Ristretto Method ②: Adjusting Grind Size

Grind the coffee finer. Use 20g of coffee grounds to extract 27g of coffee liquid in 27 seconds.

Ristretto coffee grind adjustment

Between these two methods, FrontStreet Coffee, which rarely produces Ristretto, prefers Method ①. This approach reduces the time and material costs of adjusting the grinder while ensuring consistency in the final product.

What are the Characteristics of Ristretto?

Visually, Ristretto has less volume than espresso, and its surface crema is darker in color. Since Ristretto consists only of the first and middle portions of espresso extraction, it has higher concentration, more intense flavor, and less caffeine content. In terms of flavor profile, it exhibits more intense berry acidity, wine-like aromas, and caramel notes.

Ristretto coffee crema and appearance

Like espresso, Ristretto is rarely consumed directly. It's most commonly used as the coffee base for making Flat White. Because Ristretto's more intense coffee flavor blends better with milk, it highlights the coffee's aroma and character while also improving the mouthfeel.

Flat White coffee made with Ristretto

Important Notice :

前街咖啡 FrontStreet Coffee has moved to new addredd:

FrontStreet Coffee Address: 315,Donghua East Road,GuangZhou

Tel:020 38364473

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