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How Long Does the Shot Take?

A question that gets asked quite often is how long does the perfect espresso shot take? And what about a double? Is it double the time?




The answers are between 25 and 30 seconds, and a double takes the same time. How can that be?



It's mainly in the filter baskets used to pull a double vs. a single. Take a look at them - you'll see that the single basket is shaped differently, and the surface area of the "filter" part is roughly half that of a double basket. This smaller filter area ristricts the flow of espresso, so that brewing with a single basket means your flow through rate is reduced. And it's reduced roughly by half.

What is an ideal espresso?

For me, the ideal espresso is a double ristretto shot. This is literally a "ristricted" shot. You should also grind a bit finer than normal espresso so you still end up with a 30 second shot, but about 2/3rds to half the total brew volume that you get with normal espresso. Use roughly 16 grams of finely ground coffee, tamp and shape your puck well with about 30lbs of tamping pressure, lock and load the portafilter, and run the switch for about 30 seconds. Your goal is about 1.5 ounces total volume for the double in that time. These are tricky shots to pull off. You grind so fine that you walk a tightrope between pulling a perfect shot, and stalling (or choking) your machine - a phenomenon where no brewed coffee comes out of the portafilter after you activate the pump. But when you achieve a great ristretto, there's nothing else like it.

Starting a double ristretto, 2 cups used to show volume.








With slow ristretto shots, grind finer. crema shows guinness effect.



ideal espresso shows crema all the way through.




less than 1oz/shot over 30 seconds makes the perfect ristretto.

Today's espresso is a 1.25oz - 1.75oz beverage that is brewed under the proper conditions of 190-200F water, at least 130 psi of pressure which would force said water through finely ground fresh coffee, extracts more oils, aromatics, and flavor than any other coffee brewing method. A very opaque, thick and dark liquid, capped by red-golden dense froth, also known as crema is the result.

In addition to this, espresso has a rich, deep, caramelly sweet,coffee-pungent taste with little or no bitterness; the resulting aftertaste should linger but should be present for some time, and some residual bitter-sweetness should exist.



Espresso come in varieties too. A double espresso (or espresso doppio) is a doubleshot - 2-3 oz. total volume. A ristretto is a short espresso, usually between .5 and 1 fluid ounce. a double ristretto is the same as a ristretto, but double the coffee grinds and double the volume.
 

 
Commercial usage are the single spout or double spout portafilter.

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