What Is a Long Black and How Do You Make One?

A Long Black is an Australian-style black coffee made from espresso and water, and it differs from an Americano mainly in build and concentration. Espresso is poured over the water rather than water over the espresso, so the crema stays on top and the cup is smaller and stronger. It is widely popular in Australia and New Zealand.

The Americano was born after World War II, when American soldiers in Europe diluted strong espresso with warm water, which is why it traditionally puts coffee first and water after. Today the pouring order for an Americano is not strict; the real difference is whether the crema is preserved or dispersed. For a Long Black, water first, then espresso, keeps that oily layer intact.

For those just entering the world of Italian coffee, terms like Espresso, Ristretto, Lungo, Latte, and Flat White can often be overwhelming. In this edition of Barista Development Diary, we introduce you to the Long Black—literally translated as "long black," known domestically as "Aussie black," originating from Australia and widely popular in places like New Zealand. It is also made from Espresso and water, yet fundamentally different from the Americano. This article will comprehensively analyze the unique aspects of Long Black coffee from its origin, composition, concentration, cup size to specific preparation steps, and include practical recommendations from Front Street Coffee, so you can easily replicate this rich, oily Australian-style black coffee at home.

For friends new to Italian coffee, a series of coffee terms often leaves them bewildered, such as Espresso, Ristretto, Lungo, Latte, Flat White, and so on. In this edition of Barista Development Diary, let's talk about what Long Black actually is.

Long Black is literally translated as 【long black】, and domestically it is often called 【Aussie black】 (Australian-style black coffee). From the name, it's clear that Long Black originates from Australia and is popular in both Australia and New Zealand. Since it's called Australian-style black coffee, it naturally needs to be distinguished from Americano (American coffee).

The composition of Long Black is not complicated; it's just Espresso plus water. So what's the difference from Americano, which is also made from Espresso and water? Many people simply understand it as: Americano is made by pouring water into espresso (coffee first, then water), while Long Black is made by pouring espresso into water (water first, then coffee). The difference is just the order of "materials." Is it really that simple?

Both are black coffees, but where do Americano and Long Black come from?

First, let's look at Americano. It was born after World War II, when American soldiers in Europe couldn't get used to the overly strong taste of Espresso, so they diluted it with warm water. This also explains why Americano emphasizes pouring coffee first and then adding water. However, today, there are no strict requirements for the order of Americano; the difference is merely whether the crema is preserved or dispersed. Since the key is not the order, what is their real difference?

Long Black comes from Australia. Australians prefer coffee with a rich taste, and Americano cannot satisfy their palates. In Australia, Espresso is also called Short Black, so Long Black is slightly diluted espresso, reducing concentration while still retaining the rich crema. Long Black has a smaller cup size than Americano, about 150ml, and is made by pouring water first and then espresso, so the crema is preserved; because less water is used for dilution than in Americano, the taste and richness are superior.

How to make "Aussie Black Coffee"?

1. First, make 2 shots of espresso. The coffee beans used this time are Front Street Coffee's Sunflower Warm Sun blend coffee beans, with specific information as follows:

The extraction plan adopted is 20 grams of powder to extract 40 grams of coffee liquid.

2. Then prepare a glass or ceramic cup, pour 120ml of hot water (70-80°C) into the cup, and then pour in 40ml of espresso. The crema will float on the surface, very beautiful and soothing.

Tasting the Aussie Black Coffee made this way at Front Street, you can feel a rich and intense coffee aroma, with the dense cream and solid bittersweet flavor going hand in hand. As the temperature drops, you can also feel the rich layers presented by the beans.

In comparison, Americano is mixed with a larger amount of water to alleviate the bitterness of espresso. Taking Front Street as an example, the coffee cup capacity for Americano is 250ml, and the ratio of espresso to water is controlled at 1:5, that is, 40ml of Espresso + 200ml of hot water. In addition, because people have found that the action of adding water afterwards directly disperses the Crema, the visual effect is far less appealing than that hot coffee with golden foam floating on top. Therefore, when making Americano, the detail of adding water first and then pouring the coffee liquid is emphasized.

The above content is compiled by CoffeeHunters, a coffee news website.