Coffee Drink
Doppio Coffee: Double Espresso, Size and Caffeine
A doppio is a double espresso served in one cup, with no added water or milk. It is commonly made in one extraction from a double basket. Some cafés already serve a double when you order an espresso, so check before asking for an extra shot.
Drink Snapshot
- Caffeine
- ~75 mg referenceGeneric USDA espresso reference, 36 gThe figure uses generic prepared-espresso data.
- Calories
- About 3 kcalPlain 36 g espresso estimateGeneric ingredient calculation, without milk or sweetener.
Serving, sugar and sources
- Serving
- 1 plain double espresso; this home recipe yields 36 g
- Made with
- 18 g dry coffee → 36 g espresso in one cup
- Sugar
- About 0 g total. No sugar is added to the plain recipe.
- Preparation
- About 3 minutes with the machine ready
The home estimate and the named Starbucks US serving are compared in the caffeine section. See the full calculation or label comparison.
Key Takeaways
- 1Doppio means double. It does not mean two modern double-basket extractions.
- 2A useful home starting point is 18 g ground coffee and 36 g brewed espresso, a 1:2 ratio by mass.
- 3Serving count, extraction yield and total caffeine are different questions; the word doppio does not fix them all.
On This Page13 Sections
What Makes a Doppio a Double Espresso?
Doppio describes a double serving of espresso. A double basket lets a barista prepare that serving in one pull and collect it in one cup.
To order: ask for “a double espresso, served together in one cup.” If the café already serves doubles as standard, confirm that you want one of those servings rather than two.
The Specialty Coffee Association's 2017 survey illustrates the naming problem: 93% of its 275 respondents called their espresso a double. Most respondents were in the US, so this is historical survey evidence, not a count of every café today.
| What you see or hear | What it tells you |
|---|---|
| “Doppio” or “double espresso” | A double serving, usually together in one cup |
| A double-spout portafilter | It can split the output; the spouts do not define the dose |
| “Our espresso is already a double” | Ordering a doppio may get the café's normal espresso |
| Two complete modern double extractions | Usually a quadruple nominal serving, not the recipe on this page |
How to Pull a Doppio at Home
Recipe
Doppio double espresso
- Makes:
- 1 serving
- Time:
- About 3 minutes with the espresso machine ready
Ingredients
- 18 g coffee beans, ground fine for espresso
- Drinking water as required by the espresso machine
Equipment
- Espresso machine and grinder
- suitable double basket and tamper
- scales and timer
- 60–90 ml (2–3 US fl oz) demitasse and spoon
Method
- Prepare the basket. With the machine and portafilter heated, dry the basket and weigh 18 g finely ground coffee into a suitable double basket.
- Prepare the puck. Distribute the grounds evenly, tamp level and lock in the portafilter.
- Tare the cup. Place a warm, empty 60–90 ml (2–3 US fl oz) demitasse on the scale and zero it. If using two spouts, position the cup to collect both streams.
- Brew to mass. Start extraction and collect 36 g espresso. Record the time, using 25–35 seconds as a starting diagnostic.
- Stir and taste. Mix gently, let the espresso cool enough to sip, and taste. Adjust one variable for the next shot while keeping a record of dose and yield.
Estimated nutrition per serving: 3 calories; total sugar 0 g. Serving: 1 plain double espresso, 36 g brewed beverage.
Recipe notes
Machine warm-up is additional time. Use a double basket suited to the 18 g dose.
Collect the whole extraction in one cup. A 36 g yield is not a 36 ml (1.2 US fl oz) volume target. Nutrition uses a generic USDA reference; actual caffeine varies with coffee and extraction.
Cup: 60–90 ml (2–3 US fl oz) capacity, with space for crema and stirring.
Use the espresso brewing method for detailed setup.
This 1:2 starting recipe follows the approach illustrated by La Marzocco Home. Adjust it to your coffee and basket. Warm-up time depends on the machine and is additional to the recipe time.
Doppio Size, Dose and Brew Ratio
Weigh the drink rather than chasing a crema line. The dry dose is the ground coffee in the basket; the yield is the brewed espresso collected in the cup. The cup's capacity is a third, separate number.
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| Measurement | This recipe | What to keep separate |
|---|---|---|
| Dry dose | 18 g | The basket's recommended capacity |
| Brewed yield | 36 g | Visible volume, which changes with crema |
| Dose-to-yield ratio | 1:2 by mass | Shot count: a double can use another ratio |
| Cup capacity | 60–90 ml (2–3 US fl oz) | A vessel size, not the amount to extract |
How many milliliters or ounces is a doppio? There is no single volume that describes every café's double. For a named example, Starbucks US lists its Doppio as 45 ml (1.5 US fl oz), while our recipe is specified by mass. Do not convert 36 g espresso directly into 36 ml (1.2 US fl oz) or pull extra coffee just to fill a nominal two-ounce cup.
At 1:2, a 16 g or 20 g dose gives a 32 g or 40 g target; adjust for the basket and beans. Use the espresso ratio calculator and the espresso brew-method guide for the detailed technique.
Doppio vs. Similar Espresso Drinks
A useful comparison separates how much coffee is served, how much beverage is extracted, and whether separate water is added.
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| Term | What it describes | What changes |
|---|---|---|
| Doppio | Double serving | Nominal serving count; commonly a double-basket extraction |
| Espresso | The drink and brewing method | Could be a single, double or the café's standard serving |
| Ristretto | Shorter extraction yield | Less beverage from a given dry dose |
| Lungo | Longer extraction yield | More brewing water passes through the grounds |
| Americano | Espresso with separate hot water | Dilution after extraction |
A doppio can also be ristretto or lungo. For illustration, the same 18 g dry dose could target 27 g at 1:1.5, 36 g at 1:2 or 54 g at 1:3. These are starting examples, not strict category boundaries. They change extraction; they do not simply add water to a finished espresso.
What Does a Doppio Taste Like?
It tastes like the coffee and espresso recipe used. Fruit, cocoa, nut and roast notes can appear, with body and bitterness affected by extraction.
At a comparable recipe and concentration, a double gives more drink than a single; it is not automatically twice as bitter or twice as concentrated. A café's single and double may use different recipes, so do not assume those qualities are identical either.
A doppio suits me when I want the espresso's concentrated texture in a few sips. I leave it black to keep that short finish; adding water gives me a longer drink, but loses some of the weight I chose the doppio for.
If you prefer that longer serving, a long black keeps the espresso and adds water separately.
How Much Caffeine Is in a Doppio?
About 75 mg is the generic USDA caffeine reference for the 36 g home serving. Actual caffeine varies with the coffee and extraction.
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| Reference, checked September 2026 | Declared serving | Caffeine |
|---|---|---|
| Generic prepared-espresso reference | 36 g espresso | About 75 mg |
| Starbucks US Espresso | Doppio, 45 ml (1.5 US fl oz) | About 150 mg, brand-reported |
These are separate serving references, so use the café’s own figure for that order.
A 2014 study of 104 commercial espresso servings also documented wide variation; its samples were not a doppio-only category.
A decaf doppio uses decaffeinated coffee, which can still contain some caffeine. When comparing menu items, check the café's own recipe and published information instead of counting crema, bitterness or cup size.
How Many Calories Are in a Doppio?
About 3 kcal for this plain 36 g recipe, with 0 g sugar in the generic reference. No sugar is added here.
How the caffeine and calorie estimates are calculated
USDA's restaurant-prepared espresso record supplies 212 mg caffeine and 9 kcal per 100 g. Scaling to 36 g gives 76.32 mg caffeine and 3.24 kcal, rounded here to about 75 mg and 3 kcal. Its sugar value is 0 g. The calculation scales the prepared beverage rather than the dry grounds.
Starbucks US lists 10 kcal and 0 g sugar for its own 45 ml (1.5 US fl oz) Doppio.
Milk, cream, sugar and syrup change the result. Add their measured amounts using the package nutrition rather than assuming every “splash” or sugar packet is identical. A plain doppio needs none of them, although you can choose additions.
Doppio Troubleshooting
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| Problem | Useful check | First adjustment |
|---|---|---|
| Much more coffee than expected | Whether both “shots” were already doubles | Ask for one double-basket serving in one cup |
| Unequal streams from a two-spout portafilter | Cup positioning and flow | Collect both streams for the full recipe; spout count is not shot count |
| Sour and thin with very fast flow | Grind and puck preparation | Try a small grind adjustment; see sour espresso |
| Dry or harsh with very slow flow | Grind, yield and roast | Check whether the shot needs less resistance or a different yield; see bitter espresso |
| Spluttering or uneven extraction | Distribution and channeling | Improve puck preparation; see espresso channeling |
| Cup looks full before target yield | Crema and cup capacity | Use mass and adequate headroom rather than the fill line |
Keep dose steady while changing grind or yield, and judge the result after it cools enough to taste.
Can You Make a Doppio Without an Espresso Machine?
Moka-pot, AeroPress and concentrated instant coffee can make a small strong drink, but they do not reproduce a portafilter espresso extraction. Use their own recipes; the 18 g to 36 g espresso target and its caffeine reference are not automatically transferable.
Capsule machines and superautomatic machines use their own doses and programmed servings. Follow the maker's instructions for a double espresso instead of forcing the portafilter recipe onto them.
How to Order and Pronounce Doppio
Cambridge's Italian dictionary translates doppio as double and gives a pronunciation approximately DOP-pyoh. Ask for “a doppio” or “a double espresso, in one cup.”
“Double” does not mean that a modern 18 g basket must be filled with 36 g coffee, nor that you should order two complete doubles.
Common Questions
Does a Doppio Contain Milk or Sugar?
The plain drink is espresso only. Milk and sweeteners are additions. For an espresso marked with a small amount of milk, see espresso macchiato.
Can You Serve a Doppio Over Ice?
Yes. Ice cools and dilutes the espresso as it melts, without removing the caffeine already present. The iced espresso guide covers that serving.
Is a Doppio Stronger Than Regular Coffee?
It is usually more concentrated than filter coffee, but a larger brewed-coffee serving can contain more total caffeine. “Stronger” needs a defined comparison: concentration, bitterness and whole-cup caffeine are different measures.
Editor's Take
Sources and Further Reading
6 references
External links open in a new tab
Meaning and preparation
- Cambridge DictionaryDoppio: meaning and pronunciationItalian language reference for double and its pronunciation.(opens in a new tab)
- Specialty Coffee AssociationEspresso terminology survey2017 survey of 275 baristas; historical evidence that double-shot terminology and recipes vary.(opens in a new tab)
- La Marzocco HomeEspresso brew ratiosMass-based ratios and the 18 g dose to 36 g espresso starting recipe.(opens in a new tab)
Nutrition and variation
- USDA FoodData CentralPrepared espresso, FDC 171891Generic caffeine, calorie and sugar reference scaled to 36 g.(opens in a new tab)
- StarbucksDoppio Espresso nutrition, USBrand-reported 1.5 US fl oz serving; 150 mg caffeine and 10 kcal, checked September 2026.(opens in a new tab)
- Ludwig et al., Food & Function, 2014Commercial espresso variationStudy of 104 espresso servings; evidence of variation, not a doppio-specific caffeine range.(opens in a new tab)