Ristretto as the Base for Flat White: How Is It Made?

"Flat White" is an exquisite small-cup milk coffee that has gained widespread popularity among coffee enthusiasts for its rich and sweet unique experience. What distinguishes it from lattes and cappuccinos, besides the delicate and light milk foam, is that this deliciousness is inseparable from the Flat White's base—"Ristretto."

Because there are simply too many ways to make Ristretto circulating online, beginners often feel confused and cannot truly understand the extraction significance of Ristretto. Therefore, FrontStreet Coffee is here today to discuss this "Ristretto"—what it is and how it's made.

What is Ristretto?

"Ristretto" is directly translated as "Ristretto," and looking at these two terms alone, you might find it difficult to imagine what kind of coffee it is. So, let's look at its other aliases: "Strong Coffee" and "Refined Espresso."

See? Suddenly it becomes clear, doesn't it? These completely different terms all refer to the same type of coffee—"espresso." However, "this espresso is not that espresso." Ristretto is quite niche. Although it belongs to espresso extracted from an espresso machine just like Espresso, it's so niche that among dozens of espresso-based coffees, only Flat White uses it as a base. Almost all other espresso-based coffees use Espresso as their base! The reason lies in the fact that Ristretto's preparation method is not independent; instead, it's an extraction model derived later based on Espresso's preparation method!

Ristretto itself also contains the meaning of "restriction." As the name suggests: since it's an extraction method derived from Espresso, plus the word "restriction," we can understand it as adding certain restrictions when extracting Espresso. This restriction doesn't mean controlling one of its parameters, but rather limiting the substances extracted during the espresso preparation. Obviously! In espresso extraction, the most critical elements are coffee grounds and liquid, and what can limit the extracted substances is inevitably the "liquid"! So, next, let's see how this "liquid" is restricted.

How to Make Ristretto

Currently, there are two main methods for extracting Ristretto. One is to directly limit the liquid output of Espresso, preventing it from extracting the latter-stage substances. For example, FrontStreet Coffee's Espresso recipe is: using 20g of beans, taking 30 seconds to extract 40ml of liquid weight. Then, to make Ristretto, you need to abandon the latter stage of extraction, taking only the front and middle stages of Espresso, which is 70% of the total 40ml extraction—28ml.

The benefit of this extraction method is that it "cuts off" the point where bitter substances are released in large quantities in the later stage, reducing the proportion of bitter substances while increasing the proportion of sweet and sour substances, allowing the coffee to highlight more sweetness! In addition, there are many similar extraction concepts: for example, some coffee shops only extract 2/3 of the total espresso amount; or they use a 1:1 coffee-to-liquid ratio for extraction, etc. So we don't need to rigidly adhere to certain parameters; we just need to understand the principle—any method is correct!

Then there's the second method: "controlling the flow rate of coffee liquid"! By adjusting the grind finer to control the flow rate, thereby obtaining more concentrated espresso! Still using FrontStreet Coffee's Espresso recipe as an analogy: using 20g of beans, taking 30 seconds to extract 40ml of liquid weight. If making Ristretto, we need to adjust the grind finer, then still use 20g of beans for 30 seconds to extract 70% of the original total amount, which is 28ml!

The advantage of this extraction method is that it obtains high-concentration espresso through superposition. Compared to the former method, this approach makes it easier for people to distinguish between Ristretto and Espresso, as it directly designs a brand-new extraction scheme! The texture will also be thicker than the former, with fuller flavors! However, in terms of practicality, the former method is still better!

As mentioned at the beginning, most espresso-based coffees use Espresso as the base, while Ristretto is currently only widely used in Flat Whites. If implementing the second method for preparation, then to ensure other espresso drinks and Flat Whites can be served simultaneously, coffee shops must additionally equip themselves with another grinder, and also spend time adjusting the grind and materials, significantly increasing costs! Shop owners can't simply use one grinder and "jump back and forth" between coarse and fine grinds—it's not practical (unless for personal use). So, rather than using the latter method to give themselves a "professional" title, shops are more likely to use the former extraction scheme, which is convenient, delicious, and also reduces waste.

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FrontStreet Coffee

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