A double espresso is standard in most coffee shops. Yet, confusion reigns at home: How much coffee goes in? How much liquid comes out? And why does a single often taste worse? We'll clarify quantities, ratios, and the difference that truly matters in your cup. (You can find basic preparation instructions in our Espresso Preparation Guide.)
What a double espresso is
A double espresso (Doppio) uses twice the amount of coffee compared to a single espresso and delivers twice the amount into the cup. The common values are:
Double espresso: 16–20 g coffee in, 32–40 g espresso out (approx. 40–50 ml in the cup). Single espresso: 7–10 g coffee in, 14–20 g espresso out (approx. 20–25 ml in the cup).
At Kaffeemacher, we usually work with 18 g of coffee for a Doppio. This is the amount for which most portafilter double baskets are designed. This results in 36 g in the cup with a brewing ratio of 1:2 and 45 g with a ratio of 1:2.5, which we recommend for many coffees.
Grams, milliliters, volume — why they are not the same
A common confusion: 36 g of espresso is not 36 ml. Espresso contains crema, and crema has a lower density than water. In practice, 36 g of espresso is more like 40–50 ml of volume in the cup. The exact amount depends on how much crema your coffee produces.
That's why we always weigh espresso in grams, not milliliters. A measuring cup is useless for espresso recipes. A scale that displays accurately to 0.1 g is available cheaply in our shop and will immediately make your espresso preparation more reproducible. This is the most sensible investment you can make in your setup.
Why the Doppio almost always tastes better
We generally recommend a double espresso. Not because more coffee is automatically better, but for a physical reason.
A double basket is designed for a specific amount of coffee — its geometry, depth, and hole distribution at the bottom. If you only fill 7–10 g into a single basket, a thin layer of coffee forms, which builds significantly less resistance than intended. Small density fluctuations in the puck, which are irrelevant for a Doppio, immediately turn into channels in a single basket: water pushes coffee particles aside, the resulting gap allows water to flow through faster, further enlarging the channel. The result is often uneven extraction – over-extracted in some places, under-extracted in others. The espresso then tastes simultaneously sour and bitter – a typical channeling problem.
With 16–20 g of coffee in the double basket, the puck is as deep as the basket intends. The water distributes more evenly, and the puck resists minor inconsistencies better. The extraction becomes more homogeneous, and the taste clearer. Many problems that beginners have with a single espresso disappear with a Doppio – not because a miracle happens, but because the equipment is used as it was designed.
If you only want a small amount of espresso: Still make a Doppio and drink half. Or use the rest for a cappuccino. The result is generally better than a single from a single basket. And usually someone in the household, or a neighbor, will be happy to have it.
Single Espresso Secret Tip
A compromise is 14-15 gram double baskets or large single baskets like the ones we have in our shop. Our single basket holds up to 14 grams of coffee. With a brewing ratio of 1:2, you then get 28 grams of espresso. This also makes a single espresso a tasty shot.
Brew ratio: The number that really counts
The brew ratio describes how much coffee goes in and how much espresso comes out. With a 1:2 ratio, 1 g of coffee yields 2 g of espresso.
18 g coffee → 36 g espresso = 1:2. This is the standard range for most coffees. Lighter roasted coffees often tolerate a bit more water (1:2.5), darker roasted ones sometimes less (1:1.5 to 1:1.8).
Where 1:2 stands in a global comparison is shown by a field study by André Eiermann (2024): He measured 106 espresso shots with a refractometer in 85 cafés from 11 countries. Specialty coffee shops averaged 9.4% TDS (total dissolved solids in the cup). A well-extracted Doppio with 18 g in and 36 g out falls precisely within this range. Commercial cafés reached 6.4% TDS, and automatic machines 5.2%. So, the 1:2 ratio is not an arbitrary value – it is the parameter used by espresso bars that focus on extraction quality. Anyone familiar with traditional Southern Italian espresso will find this ratio significantly lower: Neapolitan espresso is often brewed considerably more concentrated.
One more thing about whether Doppio and single espresso taste identical at the same ratio: mostly similar, but not necessarily the same. A thicker puck extracts in horizontal layers – the uppermost coffee layers are saturated earlier and extract differently from the bottom layers, which are still operating within the full extraction window. If you switch between a single and double basket and wonder about a taste difference with the same recipe: that's the reason.
Our recipes always specify the amount of coffee, brew ratio, and time window. With these three values, you can transfer any recipe to your machine.
Brew time: Single vs. double espresso
Does a double espresso need to run longer? Not necessarily. With twice the amount of coffee in a larger basket and twice the amount of water, resistance and flow scale in practice. The extraction time often remains within the same window for the same brew ratio — typically 25–30 seconds.
If your Doppio runs significantly faster or slower than a single with the same parameters, the grind size is almost always the problem. When switching between single and double baskets, you need to adjust the grind size because the puck thickness changes, and with it, the resistance.
Our advice: Settle on one basket size (preferably the double basket) and optimize your grind size for it. Constantly switching between single and double baskets makes dialing in unnecessarily complicated.
Caffeine: Twice as much?
Yes, approximately. A double espresso contains about twice as much caffeine as a single, because twice as much coffee powder is extracted. With 18 g of coffee, depending on the variety and roast level, you'll get about 120–140 mg of caffeine — this value varies because the caffeine content differs depending on the Arabica variety and origin. A single espresso with 9 g of coffee accordingly contains around 60–70 mg.
For comparison: a cup of filter coffee (200 ml) contains 80–120 mg of caffeine, depending on preparation. So, a double espresso has slightly more caffeine than a normal filter coffee, even though it appears much smaller in the cup.
Our Sueño Espresso is decaffeinated using the chemical-free Mountain Water Decaf process in Mexico. If you enjoy espresso in the evening, the Sueño is the perfect companion for your espresso hobby.
Ristretto, Lungo, and Espresso: The variations
Besides the standard 1:2 ratio, there are two common variations often confused with the Doppio:
Ristretto (1:1 to 1:1.5): Same amount of coffee, but less water. 18 g coffee → 18–27 g espresso. Shorter, more concentrated, less bitter, but often more acidic. A Ristretto is not a "stronger espresso," but a different balance of flavors. If you drink a very small, very intense espresso in a traditional Southern Italian café, you're in this range — often less coffee is used, but with a short extraction, which results in similar concentration.
Lungo (1:3 to 1:4): Same amount of coffee, but more water. 18 g coffee → 54–72 g espresso. Thinner, more volume, often more bitter because the extraction runs longer. Not the same as an Americano, where hot water is added to the finished espresso.
The amount of coffee remains the same for all variations. What changes is only the amount of water - and thus the brew time and taste. If an espresso tastes too sour, a little more water (towards 1:2.5) can help. If it tastes too bitter, a little less (towards 1:1.8).
Café Crème (Switzerland): The most consumed coffee drink in Switzerland is not a Lungo — even though it comes in a similar large cup. The difference lies in the recipe: for Café Crème, 12–15 g of coffee is brewed in a double basket with a ratio of 1:8 to 1:10, and the grind is significantly coarser than for espresso. From 15 g of coffee, around 120–150 g go into the cup, in 25–30 seconds. If you prepare a Café Crème as a Lungo — same grinder setting, just more water — you get an over-extracted, bitter coffee. A good Café Crème needs its own grinder setting, ideally a second grinder. Our detailed Café Crème article explains everything about its history, brewing recipes, and whether coffee cream is really necessary.
The key facts at a glance
Double espresso: 16–20 g coffee, 32–40 g in the cup, 25–30 seconds. Brew ratio 1:2 as a starting point. Generally tastes better than a single, as extraction is more even. Contains approx. 120–140 mg caffeine.
Do you want to better understand your brew time? Then read our article Espresso Extraction Time: When does the brew time really start? — including the +3-second rule for vibration pumps.
And if your espresso doesn't taste good despite the correct amount: Check out how to adjust the grind size correctly and what you can do if the espresso is too sour.
