I wonder if you've ever noticed that on coffee shop menus, Americano is often listed first and consistently has the highest sales. As the coffee world becomes increasingly competitive, people have started adding lesser-known coffees from various regions to their menus, such as the Long Black, which looks very similar to an Americano.

What exactly is a Long Black?

Long Black is translated as Australian Black Coffee, and it also has another name, "short black," which is what Australians call a black coffee made by diluting espresso with water.

When espresso was introduced to countries like Australia and New Zealand, Australians fell in love with this rich coffee and created various Australian-style coffee drinks based on their tastes, such as Starbucks' Flat White, which originated from Australia's Flat White. Australians make a Long Black by extracting two shots of espresso (40g) and pouring them into a cup containing 100-120ml of hot water, preserving a rich crema on the surface. This method of making a Long Black allows you to taste a strong coffee flavor and directly experience the smooth texture of the coffee oils.

A Long Black is made from espresso and water, using the same ingredients as an Americano, so it is often confused in preparation.

How did the Americano come about?

During World War II, the Allied forces from the US consumed large amounts of coffee daily to alleviate the monotony of life and boost the soldiers' spirits. However, Italians were accustomed to drinking strong espresso, and the US military found it too bitter and strong, so they diluted the coffee with water to reach a concentration they could accept. Later, Italians opened coffee shops in the US and, following local customs, introduced "diluted coffee" based on espresso, which became very popular. This "diluted coffee" was then called "Americano." Due to its refreshing taste and affordable price, it became highly popular in the coffee community.

Is there a difference between Long Black and Americano?

Many people differentiate Long Black from Americano by thinking that Americano is made by adding espresso first and then water, while Long Black is made by adding water first and then coffee to preserve the crema. However, most baristas today don't fuss over whether to add water or coffee first; to improve efficiency, many shops add water first and then pour the coffee, so emphasizing this difference is not very meaningful.

The most obvious difference between Americano and Long Black is the amount of water added. Americano generally has more water, with a coffee-to-water ratio typically between 1:5 and 1:8. This is because Americans are used to drinking drip coffee, which is very weak and just needs a hint of coffee flavor. But Australians pursue a stronger coffee flavor, using smaller cups and less water, resulting in a higher concentration.

Front Street Coffee believes that there is no fixed ratio for how much water to add to a Long Black; it is more about the barista's understanding of the coffee bean's flavor profile and determining the amount of water based on the desired flavor expression. For example, the Americano served at Front Street Coffee uses the Sunflower Warm Sun blend coffee beans roasted in-house by Front Street. Under ideal extraction, it should have flavors of wine, vanilla, cream, chocolate, and berries. To highlight these aromas, Front Street conducted multiple comparisons and ultimately settled on a 1:3 ratio.

Prepare a cup with 100-120ml of hot water at 80°C and pour the extracted 40g of coffee liquid onto the surface. Due to the different densities of espresso and water, without stirring, the intensity of the coffee presents a gradual change, so the first sip of a Long Black is the richest and smoothest, with the oily texture from the crema, and the subsequent flavors are clearer and cleaner.

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