<p>A long (luongo) and a short (ristretto) shot have two key differences.</p>

<p>The amount of coffee used virtually stays the same although it can increase slightly with a ristretto shot, as the grind is finer.</p>

<p>The key similarity between these two shots and a normal shot is that the <strong>extraction time stays the same</strong>. <em>The grind is altered</em> to achieve this - coarser for a long shot and finer for a ristretto shot.  This, ideally, alters the volume of water which can pass through the coffee.</p>

<p>For a long shot, the volume should be <strong>twice</strong> that of a standard espresso shot and for a ristretto shot, the volume should be <strong>half</strong> that of a standard espresso shot.</p>

<p>The temperature of the water remains the same.</p>

CC BY-SA 4.0
2019-06-08T15:36:46.337Z
Can you support this with some sources? Some will serve a regular espresso cut short (e.g. at 15 seconds) as a ristretto. Can you elaborate why that wouldn't constitute a ristretto (e.g. because of how it affects flavour and texture)?

Are these two just different trains of thought (e.g. purists vs. nonpurists) or is your answer actually the consensus?
JJJ
CC BY-SA 4.0
2022-06-03T01:07:28.493Z
This answers the question as asked, but only in terms of *how* they are prepared. What is the differences in the resulting drink that would make someone prefer one over the other?
Ray Butterworth
CC BY-SA 3.0
2015-02-10T00:37:50.367Z
2015-02-10T00:37:50.367Z
Patrick Sebastien
<p>What is the difference between a long (luongo) and a short (ristretto) shot of espresso?</p>

<p>Is there a difference in grind, extraction time, amount of coffee used, temperature, volume of water?</p>

<p>If so, what are the differences?</p>

<espresso>
What is the difference between a long (luongo) and a short (ristretto) shot of espresso?
Patrick Sebastien
# What is the difference between a long (luongo) and a short (ristretto) shot of espresso?

(Asked by: username_0 on 2015-02-10)

What is the difference between a long (luongo) and a short (ristretto) shot of espresso?

Is there a difference in grind, extraction time, amount of coffee used, temperature, volume of water?

If so, what are the differences?

**Tags:** espresso


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## 1 answers

### Answer by username_0 on 2015-02-10. Score: 8 | Accepted answer

A long (luongo) and a short (ristretto) shot have two key differences.

The amount of coffee used virtually stays the same although it can increase slightly with a ristretto shot, as the grind is finer.

The key similarity between these two shots and a normal shot is that the **extraction time stays the same**. *The grind is altered* to achieve this - coarser for a long shot and finer for a ristretto shot. This, ideally, alters the volume of water which can pass through the coffee.

For a long shot, the volume should be **twice** that of a standard espresso shot and for a ristretto shot, the volume should be **half** that of a standard espresso shot.

The temperature of the water remains the same.

> **Comments:**
> **username_1**: Can you support this with some sources? Some will serve a regular espresso cut short (e.g. at 15 seconds) as a ristretto. Can you elaborate why that wouldn't constitute a ristretto (e.g. because of how it affects flavour and texture)?  Are these two just different trains of thought (e.g. purists vs. nonpurists) or is your answer actually the consensus?  
> **username_2**: This answers the question as asked, but only in terms of *how* they are prepared. What is the differences in the resulting drink that would make someone prefer one over the other?  

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