How to make a Doppio or Double espresso at home?
Coffee is a big deal in Italy and there’s no shortage of great coffee shops to choose from. If you’re traveling, it’s important to know that the meaning of the word “Doppio” changes depending on where you are in the world.
If you have an espresso machine at home that goes with a single shot function, then you’re all set for brewing that great Doppio yourself!
What is a doppio exactly?
Doppio is Italian for double, it’s pronounced like “dóp·pio”. It stands for 2 single shots of espresso and thus doubles. Double the amount of espresso, double the amount of caffeine, and so on.
Doppio is a term that got very popular since the upcoming of Starbucks. Chains oversize things and they do the same with coffees.
There’s a difference between European and American coffee cultures.
What is the origin of the doppio?
The doppio can be traced back to Italy in Europe. We’ve already told you that the word is Italian for “double”.
Italians and espresso, it was a great match. They like to keep it simple and good. Italians extract shots from their espresso machines. A single shot is “a solo”, which means a single shot of espresso.
These words, solo and doppio, just mean single shot or double shot of espresso. These words became “coffee terms”.
In Italy, these are mostly served with sugar or cream and consumed directly after it’s served. Brewing a solo or a doppio is very simple, unlike other espresso based beverages like the cappuccino, latte, mocha and so on.
How to order a doppio?
As we’ve said before, one word can mean different things around the world, the same goes for doppio.
Remember when ordering a macchiatto in Italy, you’ll most likely have an espresso macchiatto instead of the latte macchiatto. The same can be said about the doppio.
Italy
When you’re walking around in Italy, you’ll see for yourself. Coffee and espresso bars look like cafés, think about the meaning of the word cafés (café => coffee) look like cafés and not like the famous chains like Starbucks with the fancy interior and so on.
Just like a European will walk into a giant Starbucks store and be overwhelmed, the same goes for a traveler who’s going into one of those Italian espresso bars.
When you order an espresso, it will mean you’ll get a single shot or solo. If you want a doppio or double shot, you’ll ask for a doppio. Those shots of espresso are meant for direct consumption.
Italians mostly drink espresso-based drinks at breakfast.
American
Here we commonly will refer to American culture. Generally, most coffee drinks are popularised by large chains and definitions got mixed up which makes it very confusing.
These drinks are mostly enriched with sweeteners and come in much larger portions compared to their Italian counterparts.
Some espresso-based drinks are meant for consumption in the afternoon or after lunch and contain a lot of sugar and calories.
It has to be said that when you use more coffee, you’ll get higher and more consistent shots. This might be one of the reasons that these chains use these larger quantities.
Summary
They both drink coffee, but Italians like it more pure, basic, and closer to the bean, while American Chains might sell more coffee with extras like sugar, heavy cream, and so on.
Italians tend to drink more espresso-based coffee drinks, while Americans drink more instant coffees and drip coffees.
To sum up, generally, Americans will more likely add milk or other sweeteners to their coffee, whereas Italians like to keep the things purer, extracted from the beans, and have a more burned taste.
What is the difference between doppio and espresso?
It’s quite simple: the size. Doppio stands for ‘double’ and ‘solo’ is referred to as one shot of espresso.
The advice is always to ask what they mean with doppio or solo where you’re ordering a coffee. The confusion is that a lot of coffee shops will give you a doppio in one cup.
A doppio is twice the amount of a normal espresso (solo) and thus it contains twice as much caffeine and will result in a stronger brew.
How to make a doppio coffee at home?
First of all, getting an espresso machine will help you a lot! You have budget espresso machines and more expensive espresso machines. You can even try to make espresso without a machine!
For the sake of convenience, we advise you to for a machine if you can invest the money!
You’ll want to shoot the water at high pressure.
You’ll need 8 grams of grounds per espresso shot, so in this case, we’ll need about 16 grams.
Don’t go for the double shot but go for 2 separate single shots.
Recipe
You’ll need 2 shots of espresso.
- For espresso, we’ll need a fine grind in order to get that flavor. We don’t want medium grind sizes or bigger but fine grind!
- Prepare 2 shots of espresso. We will shot 2 singles instead of 1 double espresso.
- Pressure is key! You can use your espresso machine or can use a manual pressure pump. This can enhance the crema from your espresso.
- Serve your doppio with sugar or milk and enjoy your doppio! You’ll best consume it directly after it’s brewed.
Enjoy your coffee!