Espresso Terminology

[Chris Hennes]

I have been going to a local coffee shop once a week since they opened in December: last week, the guy at the counter sees me and gets all excited. "We've started pulling triples!" he exclaims. "Great!" I say. My internal monologue is more like this: What the $%^& is a triple? Your espressos were awesome, you bettter not have ^&*(ed them up!! Well, the espresso was still awesome, thankfully. But what was the guy talking about? I'm pretty sure that's exactly what he said, or at least, it included the word "triple" and related to espresso.

[nickrey]

It seems to be three concurrent shots of espresso from a triple basket. That would make it 90ml (3oz) of caffiene hit.

However, a lot of pundits talk about pulling 60ml from a triple basket. This actually makes it a triple ristretto, which may be what your guy was getting at.

My favourite poison is a double ristretto (around 40 ml from a double basket).

If you don't know what a ristretto is, try pouring the first half of a double shot (30ml) in one espresso cup and the second half in another. Taste them both. I can best describe the taste of the first one as sweeter and more syrupy. The second is more bitter and thinner. The first part of the shot is what you are trying to capture in a ristretto.

So in a triple ristretto you have a fantastic coffee experience with the same volume as a normal double shot.

[slkinsey]

My guess is that if he's excited and says they're pulling triples it means that they're using a triple basket (meaning one that holds the same amount of grounds that would typically be used for three individual shots of espresso) but not pulling through the triple volume of water.

In other words, they're pulling a double ristretto through the triple basket. This is what I do at home. Although in actuality it may work out to be more of a single ristrettissimo, since if I fill my 2 ounce espresso cup all the way to the top, by the time the crema subsides it's only around 1 1/4 ounces of liquid in the cup.

[Chris Hennes]

Yeah, that seems like it could be right. It definitely wasn't just a triple shot of espresso: I still wound up with one 2oz cup full. So if I am understanding correctly, a "ristretto" is where you use more than the normal amount of grounds for a given quantity of water?

[weinoo]

Or, conversely, use less water for the same amount of grounds.

[nickrey]

I always thought a single ristretto came from a single basket and was around 20ml (~2/3 oz).

A double ristretto comes from a double basket and is around 40ml (~1 1/3 oz).

A triple ristretto comes from a triple basket and is around 60ml (~2 oz, or what Chris had).

[slkinsey]

Yes, I suppose that's right. It's a double-sized shot pulled through a triple-sized basket, making it a triple-sized ristretto.