Ristretto, espresso, and lungo — the same dose, three pulls

The three classic espresso-machine pulls start from the same ground dose and diverge only in how much water passes through it. Ristretto ("restricted") targets roughly a 1:1–1:1.5 ratio — the shortest pull, most concentrated, syrupy, and often perceived as sweeter and less bitter, since less of the later-extracted, more-bitter compounds make it into the cup. Standard espresso targets roughly 1:2 — the balanced reference point most of a menu is built around.

Lungo ("long") pushes to roughly 1:3 or beyond — a longer pull through the same puck that reaches further into the bitter, roasty compounds, giving a lighter body with less sweetness and more bitterness. A lungo is not the same drink as an Americano: a lungo extracts longer through the coffee itself, while an Americano is a standard shot with hot water added afterward — the two taste noticeably different even at a similar final volume. Because ristretto and lungo both change the target yield while extraction time is usually kept in a similar window, the grind is what absorbs most of the adjustment — finer to slow the flow enough to hit a shorter target weight, coarser to let more water through in the same time for a longer pull.