Doppio is Italian for double. A doppio is a double espresso: roughly 18 g of coffee producing 36 g of liquid, pulled as one shot through a double basket.
Not two singles
This confuses people. A doppio is one extraction through a basket sized for a double dose, not two separate single shots combined.
That matters because a double basket has a deeper bed and behaves differently from a single. Two singles pulled separately and poured together is a different drink, and slightly worse — shallow beds channel more easily.
Why it is the default
Almost every espresso recipe published in the last twenty years assumes a double, and most machines ship with double baskets. Single baskets exist and are harder to pull well.
If you order an espresso in most of the world you get a double unless you specify otherwise; in Italy you are more likely to get a single.
The related terms
Solo — a single espresso. Doppio — a double. Triplo — a triple, needing a basket rated for it and a machine with the flow.
In practice
Weigh, do not count. Eighteen grams in and thirty-six out is what defines it, whatever the cup looks like.
Last reviewed 8 August 2026