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Ristretto Explained: What Is a Ristretto Shot?
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Mar 31, 2025
What is a Ristretto shot and why do coffee lovers swear by it? In this video, we dive into the world of Ristretto, how it's made, what makes it different from espresso, and why it's so rich and bold. In this video, we answer the question: What is a Ristretto Shot? Learn how to make this bold and delicious Italian-American coffee drink, perfect for coffee lovers who enjoy rich, intense flavors without the bitterness. We walk you through the ingredients, brewing method, and tips for creating the perfect ristretto at home. Whether you're a coffee connoisseur or a beginner, this recipe will elevate your coffee game. For more exciting recipes and coffee tips, visit our blog: https://www.eateveryslice.com/drinks/what-is-ristretto-shot-1352/ Follow us for more updates: Instagram : https://www.instagram.com/eateveryslice Facebook : https://www.facebook.com/eateveryslice BlueSky : https://bsky.app/profile/eateveryslice.bsky.social Threads : https://www.threads.net/@eateveryslice Tumbler: https://www.tumblr.com/eateveryslice Mastodon : https://mastodon.social/@EatEverySlice
View Video Transcript
0:00
welcome back everyone ready to dive into
0:02
another corner of the coffee world today
0:05
um we're going to be talking about RTO
0:09
ooh RTO it's one of those things that I
0:12
feel like a lot of people have heard of
0:14
you know like they see it on the menu at
0:15
their local coffee shop right but maybe
0:17
they don't actually know what it is or
0:18
what makes it so special yeah I think a
0:20
lot of people are intimidated by it yeah
0:23
they think it's going to be like super
0:24
strong or bitter or something yeah and
0:27
they're not totally wrong it is strong
0:29
true but it's not necessarily bitter
0:31
yeah so uh I guess before we get too
0:34
deep into it let's just like back up a
0:35
sec okay what exactly is a Resto for
0:38
people who are like totally new to this
0:40
so basically a Resto is a restricted
0:43
espresso restricted yeah like literally
0:46
the word Resto means restricted in
0:48
Italian oh interesting who did not know
0:50
that yeah so it's made with the same
0:51
equipment and the same coffee beans as
0:54
regular espresso okay but we use less
0:56
water and a shorter Brewing time gotcha
0:58
so you're like concentrating the flavor
1:00
even more exactly it's like espresso but
1:03
more intense more concentrated ooh okay
1:06
so this is for like the Serious Coffee
1:07
lever that I mean you don't have to be a
1:10
coffee snob to enjoy a RTO sure it's
1:12
just for anyone who wants to experience
1:14
like the full potential of the Coffee
1:16
Bean okay I like that the full potential
1:18
yeah you get all those nuances of flavor
1:20
all the sweetness and the complexity but
1:22
hold on if it's more concentrated
1:24
doesn't that mean it also has like way
1:26
more caffeine that's actually a common
1:28
misconception really yeah because you're
1:31
Brewing it for a shorter amount of time
1:33
you actually extract less caffeine what
1:36
that doesn't make sense I know it's kind
1:37
of counterintuitive but it's true so you
1:40
get this intense flavor without the
1:42
Jitters okay well that's a game changer
1:43
for me I'm always trying to avoid the
1:45
caffeine Jitters right so uh I'm kind of
1:48
curious now when would you choose a
1:51
retto over a regular espresso like is
1:54
there a right time or a wrong time well
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really depends on your personal
1:58
preference and what kind of coffee
1:59
experience you're looking for if you
2:01
want something that's bold and intense
2:03
but also smooth and sweet then RTO is a
2:05
good choice okay so it's not just about
2:07
being strong it's about those other
2:09
flavors too exactly now I got to ask cuz
2:12
I've always been a little intimidated by
2:13
making espresso at home yeah is it even
2:15
possible to make a RTO at home or do you
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need like a fancy espresso machine in
2:20
years of training you definitely don't
2:23
need years of training but you do need a
2:25
decent espresso machine okay and a good
2:28
bur grinder yeah yeah I've heard that's
2:31
important it's crucial and you want to
2:33
grin The Beans really fine almost like
2:35
powdered sugar wow powdered sugar yeah
2:38
and a scale is also really helpful for
2:40
measuring everything precisely so we're
2:42
talking like serious Precision here not
2:45
just eyeballing it nope RTO is all about
2:48
Precision okay I'm starting to
2:50
understand why people are intimidated by
2:51
this but I'm also kind of intrigued now
2:54
that's the spirit so uh I guess what I'm
2:58
wondering is what are some of the things
3:00
that can go wrong when you're making RTO
3:03
at home like what are the biggest
3:04
pitfalls people should watch out for
3:06
well one of the most common mistakes is
3:08
not grinding the beans finally enough
3:11
okay yeah we talked about that yeah and
3:13
another mistake is uneven tamping
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tamping right that's where you press the
3:17
grounds down in the Porta filter exactly
3:19
you want to create a nice even surface
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for the water to flow through so it's
3:23
like making a little coffee Puck yeah
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kind of and if you don't Tamp evenly the
3:28
water will find the path of least
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resistance and you'll end up with a weak
3:32
shot so you're saying tamping is crucial
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it's one of the key steps to making a
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good RTO okay I'm taking notes over here
3:39
this is a lot to remember don't worry
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it's all about practice so uh let's say
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we've got our espresso machine our bur
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grinder we've ground our beans perfectly
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and we've tamped them like pros what's
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next now it's time to brew okay and how
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do we know when it's done you want to
3:55
aim for a shot that's about 15 to 20
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Mill Okay so pretty small yeah it's a
4:01
concentrated shot and it should take
4:04
about 15 to 20 seconds to brew okay so
4:06
we're watching the time and the volume
4:08
exactly wow this is really like a
4:10
science experiment in a way it is but
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it's also an art form okay I like that a
4:16
coffee science experiment with a touch
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of art that's rutto in a nutshell I
4:20
can't wait to try it I'm already feeling
4:21
more confident about tackling this whole
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Resto thing that's great to hear and
4:26
once you've mastered the art of Brewing
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retto there are so many delicious ways
4:29
to enjoy enjoy it ooh okay spill the
4:32
beans what are some of your favorite
4:33
ways to drink rrea well you can always
4:35
savor it straight of course yeah just
4:37
like a regular espresso exactly but it
4:40
also adds incredible depth to milk based
4:43
drinks like lattes and cappuccinos oh
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yeah I bet it would cut through the milk
4:47
really nicely it does and you can also
4:49
use it to make some amazing desserts o
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like what well have you ever had an
4:53
avado oh my gosh yes ice cream with a
4:57
shot of espresso poured over it exactly
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and RTO makes an even better apagado
5:02
because it's so intense and flavorful
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okay you're speaking my language now ice
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cream and coffee That's my kind of
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dessert and you can also use RTO in
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terisu or mocha mous or even coffee
5:13
cocktails wait RTO cocktails that's a
5:15
thing it is and it's amazing wow I'm
5:18
learning so much today it's a whole
5:20
world of coffee waiting to be explored
5:22
this is making me rethink my whole
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coffee routine good it's always fun to
5:25
try new things Okay so we've covered a
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lot of ground here we've talked about
5:29
what restrict is how to brew it and even
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some fun ways to enjoy it right but
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before we get too carried away I think
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we need to take a little break terms
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good but don't worry we'll be right back
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with even more RTO
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insights and we're back ready for more
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RTO Adventures I'm so ready I feel like
5:47
we just scratched the surface before the
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break yeah we did we talked about
5:50
brewing and a little bit about how to
5:53
enjoy it right but I want to know more
5:56
about like when to choose a RTO over a
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regular espresso so like is it always
6:01
better that's a great question it's not
6:03
really about better or worse it's more
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about what you're in the mood for think
6:08
of it this way RTO is like a fine wine
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you savor it you appreciate the
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complexity I like that analogy while
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espresso is more like your everyday cup
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of joe still delicious but maybe not as
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nuanced so it depends on the occasion
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but if I'm going for RTO what are some
6:24
ways to really make it shine oh so many
6:27
options if you're into mil drinks RTO is
6:31
incredible in lattes and cappuccinos it
6:34
really punches through the milk and you
6:36
get this amazing depth of flavor oh yeah
6:39
I can imagine that my usual latte can
6:41
sometimes feel a little weak on the
6:42
coffee flavor exactly but with RR you
6:45
get that richness and intensity without
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it being overpowering speaking of
6:49
intense what about iced coffee does rroo
6:51
work there too absolutely it's perfect
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for iced coffee because the flavor holds
6:55
up so well even when it's diluted with
6:57
ice oh you're telling me I can have my
6:59
ice latte and taste the coffee too you
7:01
got it and you know what else RTO is
7:03
phenomenal in desserts too ooh tell me
7:06
more I have a serious Sweet Tooth
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remember the apagado we talked about
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That's a classic but you can also get
7:12
creative and use it in tiu mocha moous
7:15
or even make like a coffee infused
7:17
panacotta okay you're speaking my
7:18
language so we got a lattes iced coffee
7:21
desserts is there anything rreo can't do
7:25
honestly I haven't found it yet but I
7:27
will say there are a few things to keep
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in mind mind when you're making rutto at
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home to avoid any mishaps mishaps like
7:34
what you're making me nervous don't
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worry it's all fixable one common
7:38
mistake is using the same grind size as
7:41
regular espresso oh right we talked
7:43
about that finer grind is key yes
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because you're brewing for a shorter
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time the water needs to be able to
7:48
extract those flavors quickly so a finer
7:51
grind is essential okay what else what
7:53
other RTO wisdom do you have for us well
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another thing is paying attention to the
7:57
yield that's like the amount of coffee
7:59
that ends up in your cup right so how
8:01
much are we looking for for RTO you want
8:03
a shot that's about 15 to 20 M okay so
8:07
pretty small yeah it's concentrated if
8:09
you pull too much liquid it'll be more
8:11
like a regular espresso gotcha so a
8:13
scale is pretty important for this
8:15
definitely it helps you be precise and
8:17
consistent right so grind size yield
8:20
anything else we should be mindful of
8:22
don't forget about the beans we
8:24
mentioned fresh highquality beans
8:26
earlier but I can't stress enough how
8:28
important that is for rest
8:30
because we're using less water those
8:32
flavor nuances are really Amplified
8:34
right so we want those beans to be
8:35
bursting with flavor any tips on finding
8:38
the perfect beans for RTO talk to your
8:40
local raster they can point you in the
8:42
right direction based on your taste
8:44
preferences and don't be afraid to
8:45
experiment with different roasts and
8:47
Origins o yeah I love trying new coffees
8:50
it's like a whole world of flavor
8:51
waiting to be discovered exactly and
8:54
when it comes to retto those flavors are
8:56
just Amplified I'm so glad we're having
8:58
this conversation I feel like I'm
9:00
finally understanding the hype around
9:01
RTO it's definitely worth the hype and
9:04
you know we haven't even touched on the
9:05
world of RTO cocktails oh right you
9:07
mentioned that before the break tell me
9:09
more well RTO pairs beautifully with
9:11
certain lurs like you can make an
9:13
amazing RTO martini with a hint of
9:15
chocolate RTO Martini I'm intrigued or
9:18
how about a rreo Negroni the bitterness
9:20
of the coffee balances out the sweetness
9:22
of the vermouth and compari now those
9:24
are some fancy drinks and if you want
9:26
something a little simpler RTO and
9:28
amoretto is a classic combination okay
9:32
my to-do list just got a whole lot
9:33
longer but before we all run off to
9:36
create our own rreo masterpieces we have
9:38
one final tip to share that will truly
9:41
elevate your experience we'll be right
9:43
back after a quick word from our
9:46
sponsors all right coffee enthusiasts we
9:48
are back and we've got one final RTO tip
9:51
for you this one is all about maximizing
9:53
your enjoyment ooh maximizing enjoyment
9:57
I like the sound of that so what is it
9:59
what's the secret it's simple really
10:02
preheat your cup really just warming up
10:04
the cup that's it that's it it makes a
10:06
bigger difference than you might think
10:08
okay I'll admit I'm a little skeptical
10:10
yeah but explain it to me why does a
10:12
warm cup matter so much well think about
10:14
it RTO is this tiny little shot of
10:17
concentrated coffee right it cools down
10:19
really quickly especially if you pour it
10:22
into a cold Cup oh okay yeah that makes
10:24
sense and when it cools down the flavors
10:26
start to dull and the Aromas dissipate
10:29
so so you're saying that a warm cup
10:30
helps to preserve those delicate flavors
10:32
and Aromas exactly it keeps your RTO at
10:35
the ideal temperature for longer so you
10:36
can really savor every sip okay I'm
10:38
starting to see the light now but how do
10:41
we preheat the cup properly is rinsing
10:43
it with hot water enough a hot rinse is
10:46
better than nothing but for the best
10:48
results I recommend filling the cup with
10:50
boiling water and letting it sit for a
10:52
few minutes okay so like a little hot
10:54
water bath for our cups exactly then
10:56
just pour out the water right before you
10:58
add your Resto gotcha
11:00
so simple yet so effective I love it
11:02
it's the little things that make a big
11:04
difference well said so to recap we've
11:07
learned what retto is how to brw at home
11:10
and even some creative ways to enjoy it
11:12
we've covered a lot of ground we have
11:14
but most importantly I think we've
11:16
demystified RTO and shown that it's not
11:19
just for coffee snobs anyone can enjoy
11:21
good retto absolutely all you need is a
11:23
little knowledge a little practice and a
11:25
whole lot of enthusiasm and a warm Cup
11:28
right don't forget the warm cup so if
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you're ready to take your coffee game to
11:31
the next level give her stto a try I
11:34
promise you won't regret it and if
11:36
you're looking for more coffee
11:37
inspiration or maybe you want to share
11:39
your own retto Creations be sure to
11:42
visit our website
11:44
www.ev slice.com we've got tons of
11:47
recipes tips and a whole community of
11:49
coffee lovers over there so come join
11:51
the
11:52
fun and that's it for this episode of
11:54
The Deep dive until next time happy
11:56
Brewing everyone
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