Probably you’re looking for the best espresso beans for ristretto. But, let’s see what beans are good for espresso, and these should be fine for ristretto too. When you go to a local coffee shop you may hear the word coffee shot. They usually refer to a shot of espresso. Ristretto is even a shorter shot of espresso. The coffee beans you may use aren’t much different from espresso coffee beans.
Let’s start with the procedure of espresso making. We need to have fine grounds of espresso coffee and a device to force water to go through the grounds.
This device is the espresso machine we all know. Every espresso machine has several variations in water, temperature or pressure.
Espresso coffee beans usually are dark roasted to prepare our espresso. Dark roasting is important so the coffee has a bitter taste and distinctive boldness. Any kind of coffee beans is good to prepare an espresso. Yet, you should have in mind a few coffee qualities to get the best espresso beans for a ristretto.
Luigi Lavazza started his passion back in 1895. This passion made him search for special blends throughout the globe. He promised to deliver the best quality in every cup of coffee. This legacy stays alive for 4 generations. This famous brand remain the leading ambassador of Italian coffee.
This Super Crema Lavazza is 80% Arabica and 20% Robusta and it’s a medium roast. The origin is from Central America and Indonesia. The flavor is smoky, not bitter, with notes of fruits and nuts. This excellent blend is the best for both espresso and ristretto coffee.
Check also our review on Lavazza Oro
This brand delivers strong coffee. They claim that its caffeine content is double from other brands. For this reason the company markets it as the world’s strongest coffee.
Death Wish is a dark roast and it’s best for preparing ristretto and espressos too. The flavor brings elements of cherries, chocolate, skoky like a classic dark roast. Another Arabica – Robusta blend that has a nice taste. The taste isn’t very bitter and with less acid content.
Your conscience remains clear since it’s Certified Fair Trade. For ristrettos is one of my best due to the taste, body and aroma. As mentioned, ristretto has to do more with quality. Death Wish organic is definitely a high quality coffee.
For some coffee fanatics, a ristretto is a perfect pour. Some others believe that there is no reason for such a hype for ristrettos. Yet, most of the coffee lovers admit that a ristretto is the ultimate espresso experience.
We could say that the opposite of the ristretto is lungo. Ristretto isn’t stronger than espresso since it contains less caffeine than espresso. Since shorter time is needed for extraction, then less caffeine gets out from the grounds. Ristretto has less caffeine than espresso, americano, and lungo.
The unique flavor of a ristretto is based on the procedure that involves less time of extraction. During this shorter extraction individual chemical elements extract at different stages. This is what makes a ristretto an exclusive coffee experience.
To experience the pure essence of a ristretto, you’ll need to skip your frothy milk. That’s because the way to drink a ristretto includes a short volume of a single shot of espresso. Italians, drink their ristretto fast to taste all the elements of flavor to their palate. But, you can use a double shot of ristretto if you prefer more coffee in your cup. It’s important though to prepare every shot separately by using a new coffee part.
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