Last weekend, a customer came to drink coffee with a friend. As soon as they walked in, they ordered from Front Street, saying, "Give me an iced Americano, can you make it a Long Black?" After hearing this special request, Front Street told them directly, no! At this point, the customer looked confused, "Why don't you sell Long Black?"
According to Front Street's observation, many people simply think Americano is made by pouring water into espresso, while Long Black is pouring espresso into water—in other words, the difference between the two is the order in which the "ingredients" are added. Is that really the case? Today let's sort out this pair of black coffee "rivals" in every aspect.
Which countries do Americano and Long Black come from?
As usual, let's start with the Americano that everyone is most familiar with. Legend has it that during World War II, American infantry stationed in Italy could not get used to the extremely strong and bitter espresso, so they imitated American drip coffee by adding a large amount of hot water to dilute it, making the coffee easier to drink. Hence the saying that "the pouring order for Americano is coffee first, then water."
In the early 1970s, Italians brought espresso machines to Australia, New Zealand, and other countries, officially starting a new wave of coffee culture. Although locals also could not quite accept drinking straight "dry espresso," compared with the "watery" Americano, they preferred black coffee with a thicker mouthfeel where they could directly taste rich crema. So baristas began adjusting toward higher concentration, gradually developing a local black coffee that is softer than espresso but richer than Americano—Long Black, translated into Chinese as "长黑" or "澳黑."
How are Americano and Long Black made?
For Americano, the more widely used method is to dilute a double espresso extracted normally (most commonly using a 1:2 coffee-to-liquid extraction ratio) with water at a ratio of 1:5 to 1:8.
Taking the Americano served at Front Street stores as an example, for daily hot drinks it is 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, extracting 40g of coffee liquid in 26–33 seconds, then adding 160ml of water at 80°C at a ratio of 1:4.hot water; while iced Americano is served in a 300ml glass, with 90g of ice cubes + 120g of water as the base, then pouring over 40g of espresso, stirring with a straw to let the ice melt slightly. At this point the ratio of coffee to water is about 1:4.5.
In fact,most baristas do not fuss over whether to add water first or coffee first. To improve serving efficiency and make the coffee look better, many stores add water first and then pour in the coffee. In many scenarios, as long as the ingredients are ensured, there are actually no strict requirements for the ratio, cup volume, or water temperature of an Americano, and it can be served hot or iced—but Long Black is not like that.
First, so that people can taste the aroma provided by Crema (coffee oils) at the first sip, the barista making Long Black must follow the habit of preparing the water first and then pouring in the espresso; otherwise the "essence" will be broken up by the water;
Second, just like another coffee evolved from local tastes, Flat White (Australian white), if you want to increase the coffee's concentration, you must first reduce the cup size to about 150–200ml, and then adjust the ratio of espresso to water, keeping it at about 1:3 to 1:4;
Finally, because the original intention of Long Black was to let people experience the most perfect moment of black coffee, it does not have an iced option, nor can it be too hot; otherwise, by the time it cools to the suitable temperature range, the crema will have long disappeared.
In summary, a Long Black is usually made by pouring a double regular espresso (about 40g) into a cup containing 100–120ml (about 4 oz) of 70–80°C℃hot water. When making it, note that the liquid surface should be as close as possible to the falling espresso, to preserve more Crema, which also makes it look more tempting.
Why is Long Black rarely seen in China?
As for 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 guessed that it began to circulate around the same period as Flat White. Around the 1980s, many coffee shops 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 under the name "馥芮白" by the chain coffee brand Starbucks in 2015, and became an instant hit. This refined small-cup milk coffee gradually entered the menus of major cafés, formally distinguishing it from traditional latte.
But as a representative of Australian black coffee, Long Black lacked such an opportunity. Therefore, 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 well-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 the iced version ofLong Black, you might as well order an iced Americano and first ask the barista to add a little less water, then when drinking it, do not use a straw—take big sips directly. This makes it easier to feel the mellow aroma brought by fresh crema and the highly concentrated coffee liquid below.
The above content is compiled by CoffeeHunters, a coffee news website.
