Ristretto Coffee or Ristretto Bianco

As coffee sizes are larger in the U.S., coffee shops commonly prepare lattes with a double shot of espresso. So ristretto Bianco is a café latte, made with a double or sometimes quadruple shot of ristretto, using steamed milk along with foam poured on top of it.  A ristretto can be a base for other drinks like cappuccino or latte and sometimes the flat white. The milk in these drinks now complements the sweetness from the espresso. The practice of adding milk to this drink has not been widespread as most cafés and people drink the coffee in its normal form.

Ingredients: 

• Espresso roast coffee, about 0.3 oz for a single ristretto shot and 0.6 oz for a double shot 

Directions: 

1. Grind the coffee until it’s very fine ground
2. Add the coffee grounds to the espresso basket (portafilter) until it’s slightly heaping over the top.
3. Use the tamper to press the grounds evenly into the portafilter, pressing very firmly until it is fully compressed.
4. Place the portafilter on a folded towel before tamping for tamping and discarding used grounds.
5. Place the portafilter in the espresso machine
6. Press the button to pull the shot using Manual mode
7. Make sure it lasts 15 to 20 seconds, resulting in 1 ½ ounces coffee for a double ristretto with a caramel-colored crema (compared to 25 to 30 seconds for a standard espresso double shot)
8. Ristretto Bianco- If frothy milk is your bag this is the way to do it.  Just like a cappuccino, you need to layer the espresso and the frothed milk.  A handheld frother will do the trick.  Because you want to create a small layer of foam with a latte, you should pour the liquid, steamed milk on the espresso, while holding a spoon to prevent the frothed milk from being mixed. 

Start the machine and stop it when you have 20 ml (1 tbsp plus 1 tsp) of espresso and in any case not before 25 seconds have passed: this is the minimum time necessary for obtaining a cup rich in aroma. 

Espresso Options (Regular & Decaf)

Regular: https://monterosagourmetcoffee.com/collections/espresso

Decaf: https://monterosagourmetcoffee.com/collections/decaf-espresso 

Recommended Equipment:

• Espresso Machines: https://monterosagourmetcoffee.com/collections/coffee-espresso-maker
• Milk Frother: https://monterosagourmetcoffee.com/collections/coffee-misc/products/1669004-1215152431
• Tamper: