I find that for a tasty ristretto that isn't too sour, I need to start with a relatively darker roast. I tend to lean more towards lighter roasts with a 2:1 ratio for my daily espresso; however, if I do a ristretto with a 1:1 or 1.5:1 ratio, I'll usually get the best results from a medium or darker roast. At an extreme, I've used some beans that have been roasted to 2nd crack and then used them in a 1:1 ratio; the result was a tasty sweet and dark chocolate sort of flavor.
I briefly roasted coffee for a cafe and some of my practice (not up to QC 😂) batches made great Ristrettos. However some skillfully light roasted coffees can also work surprisingly well!
I find that for a tasty ristretto that isn't too sour, I need to start with a relatively darker roast. I tend to lean more towards lighter roasts with a 2:1 ratio for my daily espresso; however, if I do a ristretto with a 1:1 or 1.5:1 ratio, I'll usually get the best results from a medium or darker roast.
At an extreme, I've used some beans that have been roasted to 2nd crack and then used them in a 1:1 ratio; the result was a tasty sweet and dark chocolate sort of flavor.
I briefly roasted coffee for a cafe and some of my practice (not up to QC 😂) batches made great Ristrettos. However some skillfully light roasted coffees can also work surprisingly well!