How do Long Black, Lungo and Americano differ as diluted espresso?

All three are black coffee built on espresso, but they are not made the same way. An Americano is diluted espresso, generally at a liquid-to-water ratio of 1:5 to 1:8, and it came from World War II soldiers in Europe who added water to strong espresso. Long Black is Australia's version of diluted espresso, with a smaller cup and a fuller taste.

Long Black is built the other way around: espresso is poured into a cup that already holds water, at a cafe americano ratio closer to 1:3, and it is served hot so the crema stays on top. Lungo is an extended shot, pulled with a longer extraction time, which pushes bitterness forward. Crema, cup size and strength separate the three in the cup.

Facing Long Black, Lungo, and Americano on the menu, many coffee lovers often can't tell them apart. Although they are all black coffee, their preparation methods and flavor profiles each have their own distinctions. Long Black is the Australian's unique interpretation of espresso diluted with water, with a smaller cup size and a richer taste; Lungo is an extended-shot espresso obtained by lengthening the extraction time, with a more pronounced bitterness; and Americano is the product of American soldiers during World War II diluting espresso to suit their taste. This article will break down the differences between these three black coffees in detail from the aspects of historical origins, brewing parameters, crema performance, and drinking experience, and cite extraction examples from Front Street Coffee to help you make a clearer choice the next time you order.

For those who have just encountered Italian coffee, seeing the two similarly pronounced names Long Black and Lungo, most will probably feel confused: What exactly are they? And what is their connection to Americano?

(From left to right: Lungo, Long Black, Americano)

Long Black ≠ Americano

Everyone should be clear that Espresso (concentrated coffee liquid) plus water makes an Americano. This method first came from World War II, when American soldiers fighting in Europe were not accustomed to the strong taste of espresso, so they diluted it with water to the strength they were used to, and thus the name Americano came about.

Long Black is the Australian term for diluted espresso. Wait, isn't diluted espresso just Americano? Why give it another name? And why has it become a specialty coffee of Australia? This is probably the Australians' last bit of stubbornness.

Actually, it is because Australians have a higher pursuit of coffee flavor. Compared with Americano, Long Black has a smaller cup size and tastes richer. After the espresso is added, the crema floats on the surface, bringing a richer drinking experience.

The difference between Long Black and Americano in preparation is: Americano is made by adding water to espresso to dilute it, with a liquid-to-water ratio generally of 1:5 to 1:8. Long Black, on the other hand, is made by pouring espresso into a cup that already contains water, with a liquid-to-water ratio generally of 1:3, and it can only be made hot.

(Americano and Long Black, with the liquid-to-water ratio both set at 1:3 for a more intuitive comparison of crema)

The action of pouring in the espresso afterward allows the crema to be retained to a certain extent (because Americano has water added afterward, it stirs and disperses the crema, though nowadays cafes rarely intentionally use this preparation order). Without stirring, Long Black, due to the different densities of espresso and water, has different concentrations in the upper and lower layers, so when taking the first sip, you can not only taste the fragrant coffee liquid, but also the smooth mouthfeel brought by the crema; the 1:3 dilution allows the coffee flavor to be expressed more clearly.

What exactly is Lungo?

Like Espresso and Ristretto, Lungo is a "strong coffee" extracted directly from an espresso machine.

First, let's talk about what kind of coffee Lungo is. Taking Front Street's extraction of a serving of Warm Sun blend espresso as an example, using 20g of grounds, extracting 40g of coffee liquid, with an extraction time of about 30 seconds, this is the normal extraction of Espresso. Under the parameter ratio for making Espresso, lengthening the extraction time, increasing the grounds-to-water ratio (about 1:5), and increasing the extraction amount of coffee liquid (such as extracting 100g from 20g of grounds, with an extraction time of 56 seconds), can be simply regarded as an "over-extracted" Espresso, and this is Lungo.

In the 1950s, adding water to espresso was suspected of cutting corners, so in order to drink more satisfyingly, they continued to lengthen the extraction on the basis of espresso to increase the cup volume. Looking at it now, wouldn't the later-stage burnt bitterness also be extracted along with it? But in an era when "whether the bitterness is thick enough and whether the mouthfeel is strong" was the standard for good coffee, such an operation was not at all out of place.

What is the difference between Lungo and Long Black, which adjust concentration in different ways?

On the surface, both have a layer of crema, but relatively speaking, Long Black, which only pours espresso onto water, has a thicker crema, while Lungo has a darker color.

In terms of taste comparison, Long Black, with water added afterward, has a lower concentration, and its mouthfeel is not as full and smooth as the directly extracted Lungo, but Lungo can clearly taste a faint bitterness, though still within an acceptable range. After it cools and is drunk again, Lungo becomes full of bitter astringency, putting a painful mask on the barista 🤡, while Long Black does not change much, and you can feel the rich layers of the coffee.

So, can everyone now distinguish these three black coffee brothers?

If you have the chance, go try and compare them yourself.

- END - Front Street Coffee

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