A doppio is a double shot of espresso: a double dose of ground coffee pulled through a double basket into one small cup. Doppio is Italian for “double.” A standard doppio is about 2 oz (60 ml) of espresso brewed from about 18 g of coffee in 25–30 seconds, with about 126 mg of caffeine.

It is the default espresso in many cafés and the base of many lattes and cappuccinos. For how the shot itself is brewed and how it tastes, see our guide to what espresso is.

The short answer

Doppio (double espresso)
Meaning Italian for “double”
Pronunciation DAH-pee-oh or DOH-pee-oh
Coffee in About 18 g; Breville’s double basket takes 16–19 g
Espresso out About 36 g, roughly 2 oz (60 ml) by volume
Ratio About 1:2
Shot time About 25–30 seconds
Caffeine About 126 mg (USDA average); Starbucks lists 150 mg
Calories About 5 kcal; Starbucks lists 10 kcal

These are reference values for a home or café double, not fixed rules. Starbucks figures are its published values as of October 2026.

What is a doppio?

A doppio is one serving of espresso made from a double dose of coffee. The Collins English Dictionary defines it as “a double measure, esp of espresso coffee,” and traces the word to the Italian for double. Merriam-Webster takes it back further, to the Latin duplus, and notes that doppio is also a direction in music.

In coffee the word has only one meaning. Starbucks describes its Doppio simply as “two shots of espresso, straight.” Doppio, double espresso, double shot and “two shots” all describe the same drink: roughly twice the coffee of a single, pulled at the same ratio and served in one cup.

How do you pronounce doppio?

Doppio can be pronounced DAH-pee-oh or DOH-pee-oh, two of the forms Merriam-Webster lists. Collins gives the British pronunciation as /ˈdɒpɪəʊ/, closer to DOP-ee-oh.

How many ounces is a double shot of espresso?

Espresso running from a double-spout portafilter into a shot glass marked in milliliters

A double shot of espresso is about 2 fl oz (60 ml) in the cup. Breville’s dialing-in guide uses 1 oz for a single and 2 oz for a double, and the Barista Express presets its 2 CUP button to about 60 ml. Chains and standards land close to that:

Source Double shot
Breville 2 CUP preset About 2 fl oz (60 ml)
Starbucks Doppio 1.5 fl oz
Specialty Coffee Association (SCA) heritage definition 25–35 ml per single, ×2 for a double (50–70 ml)
Istituto Espresso Italiano 25 ml per single, so about 50 ml for two (our arithmetic)

Volume is a loose guide, because the foam on top takes up space but weighs almost nothing. In an SCA survey, baristas who weighed their shots averaged 36.5 g, while those who measured volume averaged 1.8 oz. They were different baristas, but the gap shows how much room espresso crema can occupy.

How many grams is a double shot of espresso?

A double shot uses about 18 g of ground coffee and yields about 36 g of liquid espresso. “Grams” can mean either number, so it helps to keep them apart:

  • Dose (coffee in): Breville’s Barista Express manual gives 16–19 g for its two cup basket. The SCA heritage definition allowed 14–18 g for a double, and the average dose in the SCA barista survey was 18–20 g.
  • Yield (espresso out): about twice the dose at a 1:2 ratio. La Marzocco’s worked example puts 18 g of coffee in a 17 g basket and aims for 36 g of espresso.
Dose Target yield at 1:2
16 g 32 g
18 g 36 g
20 g 40 g

Breville calls 18–22 g “a safe start” in its dialing-in guide, and its own example turns 20 g into 40 g of espresso. Our guide to the espresso ratio explains how to stretch or shorten the yield for taste.

How long should a double shot of espresso take?

A double shot of espresso should take about 25–30 seconds, counted from the moment you start the pump. Breville gives 25–30 seconds as the ideal extraction time, and the typical shot in the SCA survey ran 25–30 seconds as well. La Marzocco allows a slightly wider 25–35 seconds.

The clock is a diagnostic, not the goal. Breville’s Barista Express manual links shots under 20 seconds with sour, under-extracted espresso and shots over 35 seconds with bitter, over-extracted espresso. A single takes about the same time as a double; only the dose and the yield change. Our guide to espresso shot time explains when to start and stop the timer.

How much caffeine is in a doppio?

Bar chart of caffeine in a doppio: about 126 mg in a 2 fl oz double on USDA averages, 150 mg in a 1.5 fl oz Starbucks Doppio and about 183 mg in a lab-tested home double of 20 g of arabica pulled to 40 g, compared with about 63 mg in a single shot and about 95 mg in 8 oz of brewed coffee

A doppio has about 126 mg of caffeine on USDA averages, exactly twice a single shot. USDA FoodData Central lists espresso at 212 mg of caffeine per 100 g, and 2 fl oz weighs about 59 g. Real doubles vary with dose and beans:

Doppio Caffeine
USDA average, 2 fl oz About 126 mg
Starbucks Doppio, 1.5 fl oz 150 mg
Home double, 20 g of arabica to 40 g (lab study) About 183 mg
8 oz brewed coffee, for comparison About 95 mg

The lab figure is from a 2023 Technical University of Munich study that pulled 20 g of 100% arabica to 40 g of espresso and measured 182.6 mg on average. A doppio beats a small mug of drip coffee, but not a large one. For tea, soda and decaf comparisons, see our guide to caffeine in a shot of espresso.

How a doppio compares with other espresso shots

A doppio is the standard double; a single halves the dose, while a ristretto and a lungo keep the double dose and change only how much espresso comes out.

Shot Coffee in In the cup Ratio Total caffeine
Single (solo) About 8–11 g About 1 oz (30 ml) About 1:2 About 63 mg
Doppio About 16–19 g About 2 oz (60 ml); about 36 g from 18 g About 1:2 About 126 mg
Double ristretto A double dose About 18–27 g from 18 g About 1:1 to 1:1.5 Less than a doppio
Lungo (long shot) A double dose About 54 g from 18 g About 1:3 More than a doppio

Doses and volumes come from Breville’s manual and ratios from Breville, Flair and La Marzocco. From the same 20 g dose, the Munich study measured about 130 mg at 1:1, 183 mg at 1:2 and 204 mg at 1:3, so a longer pull carries more total caffeine. A ristretto tastes thicker and sweeter; our guides to the ristretto and to ristretto vs long shot explain the trade-off.

How to pull a double shot at home

Barista pressing a tamper into a portafilter resting on the edge of a counter mat

You pull a doppio with a double basket, a scale and a timer, aiming for about 36 g of espresso from 18 g of coffee.

  1. Heat up. Let the machine reach brewing temperature and warm the cup.
  2. Dose. Weigh about 18 g of freshly ground coffee into the double basket (16–19 g for Breville’s).
  3. Tamp. Level the grounds and press them flat with an even tamp.
  4. Brew. Lock in the portafilter, set the cup on the scale, then start the shot and a timer together.
  5. Stop. End the shot at about 36 g, ideally around 25–30 seconds.
  6. Adjust. Grind finer if it ran fast and tasted sour, coarser if it ran slow and tasted bitter, changing one thing at a time.

Our full guide on how to make espresso covers grinding, tamping and the equipment, and dialing in espresso walks through fixing a shot that tastes wrong.

Why do cafés pull a doppio by default?

Most specialty baristas pull a double as their standard espresso: in the SCA’s survey of professional baristas, 93% said the espresso they pull is a double. Three practical reasons help explain it (our reasoning, not survey findings).

  • Milk drinks need it. A double gives enough coffee to taste through a large cup of milk. Starbucks, for example, uses two shots in its 16 oz Grande lattes and cappuccinos.
  • One basket does everything. With a double in the grinder and basket all day, a spouted portafilter can still split the stream into two singles when needed.
  • Small errors matter less. A stray gram is about 6% of an 18 g dose but about 11% of a 9 g single (our arithmetic), so a double is easier to keep consistent.

None of this is a rule: a well-made single is still a complete espresso.

Iced doppio and other doppio drinks

An iced doppio is simply a double shot poured over ice. Starbucks sells it as an Iced Espresso in a Doppio size, 1.5 fl oz with 150 mg of caffeine and 10 kcal, the same shots as its hot version. For a frothy cold version, shake the doppio with ice and a little sugar to make an espresso shakerato.

A doppio is also the base of several classic drinks:

Drink Built on a doppio Note
Doppio con panna Topped with a dollop of whipped cream Starbucks: 35 kcal, 150 mg
Espresso macchiato, doppio Marked with a spoonful of milk foam Starbucks: 1.6 fl oz
Americano Diluted with hot water See what an Americano is
Iced Americano Diluted with cold water over ice See our iced Americano guide

How to order a doppio

The simplest way to order is to ask for a doppio or a double espresso, and most cafés will serve the same small cup. At Starbucks, it is the Espresso in its Doppio size, one step above the Solo and below the Triple and Quad.

If you want a softer double, ask for it ristretto: Starbucks says it can pull ristretto shots for any of its espresso drinks. In a milk drink, asking for a “double” or “two shots” usually means one doppio under the milk.

The bottom line

A doppio is a double shot of espresso, about 2 oz (60 ml) from roughly 18 g of coffee in 25–30 seconds, at a 1:2 ratio. It carries about 126 mg of caffeine on USDA averages and 150 mg at Starbucks. It is the standard shot in most specialty cafés and the base of many milk drinks, so learning to pull a good doppio is the core espresso skill at home.

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