Ever looked at a coffee menu and wondered what actually separates a ristretto, espresso, lungo, long black and Americano?
They're all built around espresso, but the amount of coffee and water changes considerably.
Here's our slightly less serious guide to the espresso menu.
Ristretto vs espresso
A ristretto is a shorter espresso, traditionally made with less water than a standard espresso. In our quick menu guide:
Ristretto — 20 ml
Espresso — 30 ml
A ristretto is shorter and more concentrated, while an espresso gives you the classic shot most coffee drinkers recognise.
Double ristretto and doppio
Want more coffee?
Double ristretto — 40 ml
Double espresso (doppio) — 60 ml
“Doppio” simply means double in Italian, so a doppio is a double espresso.
What is a lungo?
Lungo — 90 ml
Lungo means “long” in Italian. It's an espresso made with more water passing through the coffee, producing a longer drink than a standard espresso.
Long black vs Americano
This is where things get interesting.
Both drinks combine espresso and hot water, but they're traditionally prepared differently and recipes vary between cafés.
In Australia, the long black is a café staple and is generally made by adding espresso to hot water, helping preserve more of the crema.
An Americano is also espresso diluted with hot water and is commonly served as a longer black coffee.
And according to our highly scientific Revs Coffee measurement system:
Americano — approximately one gallon.
Okay, maybe not quite.
The espresso menu at a glance
Ristretto, espresso, doppio, lungo, long black and Americano all start with the same basic idea: espresso coffee without milk.
Change the amount of coffee, extraction and added water, and you end up with a completely different drink.
Who needs milk anyway?
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