I have heard that a ristretto shot is in the realm of 1:1.1-1.5 bean to coffee yield ratio here. Is the brew time to remain the same? I have used about 25s as a rule of thumb for my espresso shots. If so, the flow of coffee from the machine is very slow, but if not the shot can be completed very quickly. I have tried both preparations and prefer keeping the shot time constant. Is this the prevailing wisdom?
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I am not sure to understand the "coffee to bean" ratio? The link mentions "coffee to yield", which is different, if not mistaken. – Eric Platon Feb 5 '16 at 3:01
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1Thanks I edited it to keep the link and my post consistent! – Steven Vaccaro Feb 5 '16 at 3:06
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How do you think about rephrasing the question title? It seems the real question is "Is the brew time to remain the same?". I was answering when I noticed that, and scrapped my tentative (for now). – Eric Platon Feb 5 '16 at 3:13
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Very true. My question and title did not match. I've updated as well. – Steven Vaccaro Feb 5 '16 at 3:23
The time could absolutely stay the same for both your ristretto and normale shots. But - for that to happen your grind is certainly going to have to change, and obviously your yield (since you are now pulling a smaller / ristretto shot).
An example: If you pull a shot that's:
20g in | 25s | 20g out
And then you decide to pull a larger/normale shot, but you want to keep the time constant. Then you are basically forced to loosen your grind to a coarser grind size. Then you could pull your normale at:
20g in | 25s | 30g out
Hopefully that answers your question!
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I appreciate the analysis on how to keep the brew time constant, but my question really wanted to address if you should in the usual preparation. Saying that I could was a little unsatisfying as a definitive answer. – Steven Vaccaro Feb 7 '16 at 11:58
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Ah I understand. Yes, the time should certainly be around the same exact length. – Induction Feb 8 '16 at 3:45
