Caffeine in Ristretto
A ristretto is a short shot, roughly 20 ml, and holds about 44 mg of caffeine, less than a normal espresso.
| Caffeine per serving | 44 mg |
| Serving | 0.7 oz shot (20 ml) |
| Caffeine per 100 ml | 220 mg |
| Share of the 400 mg daily limit | 11% |
| Equal to filter coffee | 0.5 mugs |
| Equal to espresso | 0.7 shots |
| Time to fall below 40 mg | 53 minutes |
How long does it last?
How late can you have it?
For an average metabolism this drops below the 40 mg sleep threshold about 53 minutes after you drink it, so the latest you could have one and still be clear by an 11 pm bedtime is 10:07 pm. A fast metaboliser gains roughly two hours, a slow one loses two.
What to know
It tastes stronger and contains less. The shot is stopped early, so you get the sweet, dense first part of the extraction and leave the water behind. Caffeine keeps dissolving throughout the shot, so cutting it short cuts the dose.
That makes ristretto the lowest-caffeine real coffee here apart from decaf, at about 44 mg. Two of them still come in under one filter coffee.
Some cafés pull doubles as double ristrettos by default, which lands you at roughly 88 mg rather than the 127 mg you would expect from a double espresso.
Compared with the rest of the coffee
| Drink | Serving | Caffeine |
|---|---|---|
| Cold brew | 10.1 oz cup (300 ml) | 180 mg |
| Double espresso | 2 oz shot (60 ml) | 127 mg |
| Flat white | 5.4 oz cup (160 ml) | 125 mg |
| Moka pot | 3.4 oz cup (100 ml) | 100 mg |
| Filter coffee | 8 oz cup (240 ml) | 96 mg |
| Cortado | 4.1 oz cup (120 ml) | 96 mg |
| Instant coffee | 8 oz cup (240 ml) | 65 mg |
| Espresso | 1 oz shot (30 ml) | 64 mg |
| Cappuccino | 6.8 oz cup (200 ml) | 64 mg |
| Americano | 8 oz cup (240 ml) | 62 mg |
| Latte | 8 oz cup (240 ml) | 62 mg |
| Ristretto | 0.7 oz shot (20 ml) | 44 mg |
| Decaf coffee | 8 oz cup (240 ml) | 3 mg |
Common questions
How much caffeine is in ristretto?
Ristretto has about 44 mg of caffeine per 0.7 oz shot (20 ml). That is 11% of the 400 mg daily limit for a healthy adult, or about 0.5 mugs of filter coffee.
How long does the caffeine in ristretto last?
It peaks about 45 minutes after you drink it and halves every 5.7 hours. For an average adult one 0.7 oz shot takes about 53 minutes to fall below 40 mg, the line Cira uses as low enough to sleep on.
How late can I drink ristretto and still sleep?
For an 11 pm bedtime the latest is about 10:07 pm. Move it by the same amount as your own bedtime. People who clear caffeine slowly should stop about two hours earlier.
How many servings of ristretto can I have in a day?
About 9, going by the 400 mg daily limit for healthy adults. That limit covers everything else with caffeine in it too, so the real number is lower on a day with other coffee, tea or cola.
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Where these numbers come from
Caffeine content is the typical value for the serving shown, the same figure the Cira app uses. Brands and brew methods vary, so treat it as a good estimate rather than a measurement of your cup. The 5.7 hour half-life is a typical value for healthy adults, the 40 mg sleep line is a working threshold of the model, and the 400 mg daily limit is the figure used by the European Food Safety Authority and the US FDA. How the numbers are worked out.
