Walk into any local coffee shop, and you'll see a barista pull a lever or push a button. Dark, syrupy liquid flows into a tiny ceramic cup. You might think the answer to how many oz is a shot of espresso is a fixed, universal truth, like the speed of light or the number of innings in a baseball game.
It isn't.
Most people will tell you it’s one ounce. They’re kinda right, but also mostly wrong. If you’re at a high-end specialty cafe in Seattle or Brooklyn, that "single" shot might actually be closer to 0.75 ounces. Meanwhile, the chain down the street might be handing you a 1.2-ounce liquid volume that tastes like burnt rubber. The reality is that the "ounce" measurement is becoming a bit of a dinosaur in the professional coffee world. We’re moving toward grams. But since you’re likely standing in your kitchen staring at a measuring glass, let's peel back the layers on why that one-ounce standard is more of a suggestion than a rule.
The Standard Answer (And Why It’s Flawed)
Traditionally, a single shot of espresso is 1 fluid ounce (about 30 milliliters). A double shot, or doppio, is 2 fluid ounces.
Simple, right?
Not really. The problem is crema. That beautiful, golden-brown froth that sits on top of your shot? It’s basically CO2 bubbles trapped in coffee oils. Crema has significant volume but almost zero weight. If you pull a shot of super fresh beans, you might have half an inch of foam. That foam makes the shot look like it’s hit the 1-ounce line on your glass, but once it settles, you might only have 0.6 ounces of actual liquid.
James Hoffmann, a literal world barista champion and the guy who wrote The World Atlas of Coffee, has spent years trying to move the industry away from volume. He argues that measuring espresso by ounces is like measuring a cloud with a ruler. It changes depending on the weather—or in this case, the roast date. Old beans don’t produce much crema. You’ll pull a "1 ounce" shot of old beans, and it will actually contain more liquid than a "1 ounce" shot of fresh beans. It’s a mess.
The Italian Roots
Italy is the birthplace of this whole obsession. The Istituto Nazionale Espresso Italiano (INEI) actually has a certification for what constitutes a "Certified Italian Espresso." They state a shot should be 25 milliliters, plus or minus 5 milliliters.
That’s roughly 0.85 to 1.01 ounces.
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If you go over that, you’re drifting into lungo territory. If you cut it short, you’ve got a ristretto. The Italians are strict because espresso is chemistry. When water hits those grounds under nine bars of pressure, it extracts different compounds at different times. The first few seconds bring the acids. Then the sugars. Finally, the bitter tannins. If you let that shot run until it fills a 2-ounce cup just for a single, you’re basically drinking bitter dishwater.
Why "How Many Oz is a Shot of Espresso" Changes by Cafe
The specialty coffee movement—often called Third Wave coffee—has fundamentally changed the math. Most modern cafes don't even serve single shots anymore. If you order "an espresso," you’re almost certainly getting a double shot pulled from a basket containing 18 to 20 grams of dry coffee grounds.
This double shot usually yields about 1.5 to 2.0 ounces of liquid.
But here’s where it gets nerdy. A barista at a place like Stumptown or Blue Bottle isn’t looking at the ounce markings. They’re using a digital scale tucked under the portafilter. They are looking for a yield ratio. Usually, they want a 1:2 ratio. So, if they put 18 grams of ground coffee in, they want 36 grams of liquid espresso out.
Depending on the density of the coffee, 36 grams of espresso might be 1.2 ounces, or it might be 1.8 ounces.
It’s all about the mass.
Does the Machine Matter?
Heck yes. Your home Nespresso machine or a cheap steam-driven espresso maker isn't playing by the same rules as a $20,000 La Marzocco.
- Nespresso Pods: A standard "Espresso" capsule is programmed to dispense 1.35 ounces (40ml). Their "Lungo" setting is 3.7 ounces.
- Moka Pots: These aren't technically espresso because they don't hit the required 9 bars of pressure, but they produce a concentrated coffee. A "1-cup" Moka pot usually yields about 2 ounces of liquid.
- Automatic Machines: Your Jura or Philips super-automatic usually lets you program the volume. Most factory settings aim for that 1-ounce sweet spot, but the lack of a proper "puck" of coffee often means the texture is thinner.
The Ristretto vs. Lungo Debate
If you’re asking how many oz is a shot of espresso because you want to sound like a pro at the counter, you need to know the cousins of the standard shot.
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The Ristretto (Italian for "restricted") uses the same amount of coffee grounds but half the water. You’re looking at about 0.5 to 0.75 ounces. It’s intensely sweet and thick. It’s the "syrup" of the coffee world.
On the flip side, you have the Lungo ("long"). This isn't just adding hot water (that’s an Americano). A lungo pulls more water through the grounds. It’s usually about 3 ounces. It’s thinner and more bitter because you’ve over-extracted the beans. People who like a punchier, more "European" cup often go this route, but be warned: it lacks the creamy mouthfeel of a standard 1-ounce pour.
Caffeine Content: Does Size Matter?
There’s a massive misconception that a bigger shot equals more caffeine.
Nope.
Caffeine extraction happens very early in the brewing process. By the time you hit the 0.75-ounce mark, you’ve already pulled about 90% of the caffeine available in those grounds. Letting the water run longer to hit 1.5 ounces doesn't give you a bigger buzz; it just gives you a more diluted drink.
A standard 1-ounce shot usually has about 63mg of caffeine, according to USDA data. A double shot (2 ounces) will land you somewhere between 120mg and 150mg. For context, a 12-ounce cup of drip coffee usually has around 140mg. So, ounce for ounce, espresso is a heavyweight, but because the serving size is so small, a double shot is roughly equivalent to your morning mug of Folgers.
The "Ounce" vs. "Shot" Confusion in Lattes
When you go to Starbucks and order a "Tall" (12 oz) latte, you get one shot of espresso. A "Grande" (16 oz) gets two. But here is the kicker: their "shots" are calibrated for volume, not weight. If the machine is slightly out of whack, you might be getting 0.8 ounces or 1.2. Because it’s buried in 10 ounces of steamed milk and pumpkin spice syrup, you’ll never taste the difference.
But if you’re drinking it straight? Those fractions of an ounce are the difference between "wow" and "ew."
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Measuring at Home: A Practical Guide
If you’re trying to dial in your home machine, stop using a shot glass with lines on it. Go to the kitchen and grab a digital scale that measures in 0.1g increments.
Here is the secret recipe for the perfect "ounce" equivalent:
- Dry Dose: 18 grams of finely ground coffee.
- Target Yield: 36 grams of liquid espresso.
- Time: 25 to 30 seconds.
If you hit 36 grams and it looks like it’s filling up 1.5 ounces of your glass, don't panic. That’s just the crema doing its thing. Trust the weight, not your eyes.
Honestly, the biggest mistake people make is trying to fill the cup. If your espresso tastes sour, you probably pulled too little liquid (maybe only 0.5 oz). If it tastes like ash or charcoal, you probably let it run too long, trying to hit that 2-ounce mark.
The Nuance of Freshness
We have to talk about roast dates. If your coffee was roasted yesterday, it is full of gas. When you brew it, that gas expands. You might pull a shot that looks like 2 ounces of pure foam. If your coffee was roasted three months ago, it’s "dead." It will look like brown water with a thin oily film.
In both cases, asking how many oz is a shot of espresso becomes a useless question.
The "dead" coffee will give you exactly one ounce of liquid, but it will taste flat. The "fresh" coffee will give you one ounce of foam and 0.5 ounces of liquid. This is why baristas obsess over the "tamping" and the "grind." It’s all an effort to control how water moves through the beans to produce that perfect, syrupy 1-ounce-ish miracle.
Final Practical Takeaways
Understanding the volume of your espresso helps you troubleshoot your brew and manage your caffeine intake. Don't get hung up on the "one ounce" rule if the coffee tastes good.
- A standard single shot is roughly 1 oz (30ml) including crema.
- A standard double shot is roughly 2 oz (60ml) including crema.
- Specialty shops usually pull "double" shots that are 1.5 oz by volume but 36-40g by weight.
- Ristrettos are shorter and sweeter (0.5 - 0.75 oz).
- Lungos are longer and more bitter (3 oz).
If you want to improve your coffee game immediately, start measuring your output by weight rather than volume. Buy a small scale that fits under your machine. Aim for a 1:2 ratio of dry coffee to liquid espresso. Once you stop worrying about the ounce lines on the glass and start focusing on the weight in the cup, your home lattes will suddenly start tasting like they cost seven dollars. Stop eyeballing it and start weighing it.