Is a Long Black Just an Americano in Australian Coffee?

A Long Black is not the same as an Americano, even though both mix espresso and water. In australian coffee, a Long Black is made by pouring hot water into the cup first, then adding the espresso on top, which preserves the crema and keeps the coffee flavor more intense. An Americano reverses that order, so the crema breaks up and the drink tastes softer.

Australian cafés call black coffee Black Coffee and coffee with milk White Coffee. Espresso alone is a Short Black, and adding water turns it into a Long Black, sometimes translated as chang hei or ao hei. As Flat White spread to other markets, cafés began listing the whole Australian espresso range, so the long black and the Americano often sit side by side on the same menu.

In Australian coffee culture, Long Black is a highly representative black coffee beverage. Like Americano, it is made from espresso and water, yet it has its own unique preparation logic and flavor expression. As Flat White became popular in China, more and more cafés have introduced Australian-style espresso drinks to their menus, and Long Black has gradually entered the view of coffee enthusiasts. So is Long Black actually Americano? What are the differences between it and Americano in terms of water ratio, preparation order, and mouthfeel? From the perspective of Front Street Coffee, this article sorts out the definition of Long Black, its real differences from Americano, and why it can retain rich Crema and present a more intense coffee flavor, giving you a comprehensive understanding of this Australian specialty coffee.

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Americano can be said to be one of the most globally recognized coffee beverages, and its preparation is not complicated—just espresso plus an appropriate amount of water.

In Australia, there is also a locally distinctive coffee called "Long Black" (often translated into Chinese as 长黑). It is likewise made from espresso and water. Ever since the Australian-style latte Flat White sparked a craze in China, some cafés have simply brought the entire Australian espresso series into their menus, running alongside their original espresso products. As a result, for a period of time, Americano and Long Black would appear on the same menu at the same time.

Front Street will first briefly explain what Long Black actually is. In Australia, black coffee is usually called Black Coffee, while coffee with milk is called White Coffee. As for Espresso, locals call it Short Black, and after adding an appropriate amount of water to Short Black, it becomes Long Black, which is mostly translated in China as 长黑 or 澳黑.

Although both Americano and Long Black are combinations of water and espresso, Australians have always had their own insistence, so differences between the two are inevitable. Front Street has noticed that one widely circulated claim online is that the difference lies in the preparation order—Americano first puts in espresso, then adds water to dilute it; Long Black first adds water to the cup, then pours in espresso.

Does this claim make sense? The biggest difference between the two methods is indeed reflected in the degree to which Crema (coffee crema) is retained. If espresso is added first and then water is poured in, the stream of water will break up the Crema; but if water is added first and then espresso is poured in, the Crema can float intact on the surface. This layer of crema can give the coffee a fuller mouthfeel.

It sounds very logical, but this cannot be regarded as the fundamental difference between Americano and Long Black. That is because Americano has no hard-and-fast rule in its preparation standards about whether to pour water first or coffee first; either order is acceptable. But Long Black does have particular requirements regarding the order of water and coffee—water must first be prepared in the cup, and then espresso must be extracted directly into the water. Front Street speculates that it was precisely in order to identify the distinction between the two that this standard based on pouring order emerged.

The most obvious difference between Americano and Long Black is actually the amount of water added. Americano usually has more water mixed in, with a coffee-to-water ratio of about 1:5 to 1:8. This is because Americans have long been accustomed to the lighter strength of drip coffee, and just a little coffee flavor is enough. So when espresso became popular, Americano, which uses espresso as its base, also needed to add a large amount of water to recreate that light coffee flavor.

Australians have higher demands for coffee flavor. Front Street has previously shared that the difference in taste between Flat White and latte is that Flat White has a richer and more intense coffee flavor. Compared with Americano, Long Black also has a stronger coffee flavor and a smaller cup size. A common way to make Long Black is to extract two shots of espresso (about 40g) into a cup containing 100-120ml of water, keeping a rich layer of Crema on the surface.

Diluting espresso with about a 1:3 ratio of water can, on the one hand, reduce the sharpness of the espresso, and on the other hand, the diluted coffee flavor is easier to perceive, while the crema retained on the surface keeps the coffee mellow and smooth, bringing a distinctive drinking experience.

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