Why Is a Long Black Hard to Find in China?

A Long Black is made by pouring espresso over water that is already in the cup, while an Americano adds water to espresso. That order matters: the Long Black keeps the crema layer intact, giving a thicker body and richer aroma, and it is meant to be drunk hot. Iced versions lose that crema, which is why ordering one iced rarely works.

The Americano traces to World War II, when US soldiers in Italy diluted strong espresso the way they knew from american drip coffee. Espresso machines reached Australia and New Zealand in the early 1970s, where locals wanted something softer than straight espresso but fuller than an Americano. That local preference produced the Long Black, which never spread widely in China the way Flat White did.

Both are espresso diluted with water, yet Americano and Long Black have completely different brewing logic and flavor goals. The former adds coffee first and then pours in water, suitable for both hot and iced, with flexible ratios; the latter requires water to be prepared first before pouring in the espresso, and must be drunk while hot, all to preserve that layer of Crema's aroma. This article comprehensively sorts out the differences between this pair of black coffee "rivals" from origin, method to serving details, and analyzes why Long Black has never become as popular in China as Flat White. Front Street Coffee will also share the key points for making a standard Long Black based on its own serving parameters, and how to order an iced version if you want one.

A few days ago on the weekend, a customer brought a friend to Front Street for coffee. As soon as they walked in, they ordered: "Give me an iced Americano, can you make it a Long Black?" Hearing this request, Front Street could only reply honestly: we can't. The other party became even more puzzled: "Then why don't you sell Long Black?"

In Front Street's view, many people simply understand Americano as adding water to espresso, while Long Black is pouring espresso into water, and thus believe the only difference between the two is the order of "which goes first." Is that really all there is to it? Today we'll go through this pair of black coffee "rivals" from beginning to end.

Which countries do Americano and Long Black come from respectively?

Let's start with the most familiar one, the Americano. It is said that during World War II, American soldiers stationed in Italy could not get used to the strong and bitter espresso, so they followed the method of American drip coffee and added a large amount of hot water to dilute it, making the taste more acceptable. This is also why it is said that "Americano pours coffee first, then adds water."

By the early 1970s, Italians brought espresso machines to Australia, New Zealand and other places, setting off a new wave of coffee. Although locals also could not accept drinking espresso directly, compared with the Americano, which has a more "watery" feel, they preferred black coffee with a thicker body and rich oils. So baristas began to adjust toward higher concentration, gradually developing a local black coffee that is softer than espresso but richer than Americano—Long Black, often translated into Chinese as "长黑" or "澳黑."

How are Americano and Long Black made respectively?

The more common way to make an Americano now is to use a double shot from normal extraction (mostly a 1:2 coffee-to-liquid ratio) and dilute it with water at a ratio of 1:5 to 1:8.

Taking the Americano served at Front Street stores as an example, hot drinks are usually served in a 200ml ceramic cup. The espresso parameters are adjusted based on Front Street Sunflower · Warm Sun espresso beans, using 20g of coffee grounds to extract 40g of coffee liquid within 26 to 33 seconds, then adding 160ml of hot water at 80°C at a ratio of 1:4; iced Americano uses a 300ml glass, with 90g of ice cubes and 120g of water as the base, then pouring over 40g of espresso, stirring with a straw to let the ice cubes melt slightly. At this point the ratio of coffee to water is about 1:4.5.

In fact, the vast majority of baristas do not fuss over whether to add water first or coffee first. To improve serving efficiency and make the presentation look better, many stores add water first and then pour in the coffee. In many cases, as long as the ingredients are right, the ratio, cup size, and water temperature of an Americano actually do not require much particularity, and it can be made hot or iced, but Long Black is different.

First, in order for the drinker to feel the aroma brought by Crema from the first sip, the barista making a Long Black must develop the habit of preparing the water first and then pouring in the espresso, otherwise that layer of "essence" will be washed apart by the water;

Second, just like another drink evolved from local tastes, Flat White, if you want to increase the coffee's strength, you must first reduce the cup size, keeping it at about 150–200ml, and then adjust the ratio of espresso to water, usually maintaining it between 1:3 and 1:4;

Finally, the original intention of Long Black's creation was to let people feel the most perfect moment of black coffee, so it has no iced option, and the temperature cannot be too hot either, otherwise by the time it cools to a palatable range, the oils will have long dissipated.

In summary, a Long Black is usually made by pouring a double shot of regular espresso (about 40g) into a cup containing 100–120ml (about 4 ounces) of hot water at 70–80°C. During preparation, care should be taken to keep the liquid surface as close as possible to the falling espresso, in order to preserve more Crema and make it look more appealing.

Why is Long Black rarely seen in China?

Regarding the origin of Long Black, Front Street could not find an exact time point, but because it developed from the coffee styles of Australia and New Zealand, it can roughly be inferred that it began to spread around the same period as Flat White. Around the 1980s, many cafes in Australia had already put this "one black and one white" pair on their regular menus.

In China, Flat White was introduced to the local market by the chain coffee brand Starbucks in 2015 under the name "馥芮白" and quickly became popular. This refined small-cup milk coffee also gradually entered the menus of major cafes, formally distinguishing itself from the traditional latte.

But as a representative of Australian black coffee, Long Black lacked such an opportunity, so compared with Flat White, Long Black can be said to be "little known" in China. You should know that for a coffee shop, if the menu already has Americano, this widely known Italian-style black coffee, and it can be served hot or iced, then naturally there is no need to add an extra category to distinguish it.

For those who really want to taste an iced version of Long Black, after ordering an iced Americano, you might first ask the barista to add a little less water, and then when drinking, skip the straw and take big sips directly. This makes it easier to feel the mellow aroma brought by the fresh oils and the highly concentrated coffee liquid underneath.

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