You are probably familiar with the term “ espresso ” and you have most certainly already consumed it. But have you ever heard of ristretto ? lungo coffee ? Although these drinks are less consumed and generally little (or not) offered in restaurants or traditional cafes, they nevertheless have their place on the menu of many coffee shops .
You may not know these drinks yet, but maybe one of them will be even more to your liking than an espresso, who knows?
What is an espresso (or espresso)?
Let's start with the basics: what is an espresso? I wrote a full article on espresso , I invite you to take a look if you want more details. In short, an espresso is a drink made from 7 to 10 grams of coffee , on which water is poured under high pressure (9 bars).
The cup result is a short (30ml to 60ml), potent, and thick drink topped with a layer of foam, called a crema .
Although it is accepted by many professionals that an espresso has a quantity of 30 ml of drink, it is often served with a larger capacity.
In France, few restaurants or brasseries will serve you a 30 ml espresso. Customers might complain! Depending on the location, you will therefore be served 30, 50 or even 60 ml of coffee.
What is a lungo?
Lungo is a longer espresso . In fact, we consider that an espresso becomes a lungo from 50 ml. So you've probably already consumed a lungo, even if it was called an espresso.
It differs from Americano or Long Black in that water is not simply added before or after extraction. All the water in your cup has well and truly passed through the coffee grounds.
What is a ristretto?
Ristretto is a coffee that contains less water than espresso. It is an even shorter coffee , which is usually between 15 and 20 ml. It is a coffee concentrate that is even richer and oddly often sweeter than espresso.
In fact, when you pour an espresso, you extract the tangy and sweet side first, the components that bring bitterness only come second. In making a ristretto, there is not enough water in contact with the coffee to bring out the more bitter side.
Espresso Ristretto or lungo… To sum up, here are the quantities commonly accepted for each drink. But, as you have understood, these quantities can vary depending on the baristi who prepare them.
- A ristretto is 15 ml of coffee
- An espresso is 30 ml
- A lungo is 50 ml
Espresso pours out of the machine in 20-30 seconds. The extraction can be cut off slightly earlier for a ristretto and slightly later for a lungo, but ideally the flow should still be within the classic espresso extraction time range .
For this, it is on the size of the grind that the barista must play:
- The finer the grind, the less water manages to pass through it and the shorter the coffee will be. We then obtain a ristretto .
- The coarser the grind, the easier the water passes. We then obtain a lungo .