Editing Espresso (section)

===Variables===
{{See also|Doppio|Ristretto|Lungo}}
{{Refimprove section|date=January 2025}}
[[File:Doppio.jpg|thumb|Extracting a [[doppio]]]]
[[File:Doppio ristretto Chiang Mai.jpg|thumb|A double [[ristretto]] with the first half of the shot in the glass at the bottom of the image, and the second half in the glass on the right]]

The main variables in a shot of espresso are the "size" and "length".<ref name="hbbr">{{cite web|url=http://www.home-barista.com/tips/brewing-ratios-for-espresso-beverages-t2402.html|title=Brewing ratios for espresso beverages | website = Home-Barista.com|date=13 November 2006 }}</ref><ref name="gimmie">[https://web.archive.org/web/20091009163124/http://www.gimmecoffee.com/galleries/anatomy_of_a_triple_ristretto/ Anatomy of a Triple Ristretto by Jeremy Gauger, Gimme Coffee, 17 March 2009]</ref> This terminology is standardized, but the precise sizes and proportions vary substantially.

Cafés may have a standardized shot (size and length), such as "triple [[ristretto]]",<ref name="gimmie" /> only varying the number of shots in espresso-based drinks such as lattes, but not changing the [[Espresso extraction|extraction]]. Changing between a double and a triple requires changing the filter basket size, while changing between ristretto, ''normale'', and [[lungo]] may require changing the grind.

The size can be a single, double, or triple, using a proportional amount of ground coffee, roughly 7, 14, and 21&nbsp;grams; correspondingly sized filter baskets are used. The Italian [[Multiplier (linguistics)|multiplier]] term ''doppio'' is often used for a double, with ''solo'' and ''triplo'' being more rarely used for singles and triples. The single shot is the traditional shot size, being the maximum that could easily be pulled on a lever machine. Single baskets are sharply tapered or stepped down in diameter to provide comparable depth to the double baskets and, therefore, comparable resistance to water pressure. Most double baskets are gently tapered (the "Faema model"), while others, such as the La Marzocco, have straight sides. Triple baskets are normally straight-sided. Portafilters will often come with two spouts, usually closely spaced, and a double-size basket. Each spout can optionally dispense into a separate cup, yielding two ''solo''-size (but doppio-brewed) shots, or into a single cup (hence the close spacing). True ''solo'' shots are rare, with a single shot in a café generally being half of a doppio shot. In espresso-based drinks in America, particularly larger milk-based drinks, a drink with three or four shots of espresso will be called "triple" or "quad", respectively.{{Citation needed|date=January 2025}}

The length of the shot can be ristretto (or ''stretto'') (reduced), ''normale'' or standard (normal), or lungo (long):<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1983/08/07/travel/fare-of-the-country-in-italy-espresso-is-the-elixir-of-life.html|title=Fare of the Country: In Italy, Espresso is the Elixir of Life|last=Hofmann|first=Paul|work=The New York Times |date=7 August 1983|access-date=25 March 2018|language=en}}</ref> these may correspond to a smaller or larger drink with the same amount of ground coffee and same level of extraction or to different length of extraction. Proportions vary, and the volume (and low density) of crema makes volume-based comparisons difficult (precise measurement uses the mass of the drink). Typically, ristretto is half the volume of ''normale'', and lungo is double to triple the ''normale'' volume. For a double shot (14 grams of dry coffee), a ''normale'' uses about 60 ml of water. A double ristretto, a common form associated with espresso, uses half the amount of water, about 30 ml. Ristretto, ''normale'', and lungo may not simply be the same shot stopped at different times (which could result in an under- or over-extracted shot), but have the grind adjusted (finer for ristretto, coarser for lungo) to achieve the target volume.<ref name="The World Atlas Of Coffee" />{{rp|103}} A significantly longer shot is the ''[[caffè crema]]'', which is longer than a lungo, ranging in size from {{convert|120|-|240|ml|impoz USoz|abbr=on}}, and brewed in the same way, with a coarser grind. Passing too much water through the ground coffee can add other, potentially unpleasant flavors to the espresso.<ref name="The World Atlas Of Coffee" />{{rp|99}}