Do You Know the Different Ways to Make Americano Coffee? What's the Difference Between Americano and Long Black?

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What is Americano Coffee?

Americano coffee is probably familiar to everyone. It's simply espresso diluted with water. This seemingly ordinary coffee has won the hearts of coffee lovers for several centuries. As times have evolved, Americano coffee has developed different preparation methods in various countries. For example, Lungo and Long Black are actually very close to Americano coffee, with the main difference being how the espresso is prepared. FrontStreet Coffee will now explain what Americano coffee, Lungo coffee, and Long Black coffee are.

What is Americano Coffee?

When FrontStreet Coffee makes Americano coffee, we use sun-dried Yirgacheffe and Honduras Sherry Barrel Fermented "Warm Sun" blend coffee beans as the espresso base. FrontStreet Coffee's parameters for making double espresso are 20 grams of coffee grounds to extract 40 grams of coffee liquid, with an extraction time of 28-29 seconds. The espresso extracted from this blend offers flavors of gentle fruit acidity with wine notes and a chocolate aftertaste.

Because of the distinctive espresso flavor and relatively fresh taste, FrontStreet Coffee uses a 1:4 ratio when making Americano coffee, adding 160 grams of hot/ice water to the double espresso for dilution. This makes the Americano better highlight the wine notes and cocoa aftertaste of the Warm Sun blend while maintaining its rich body.

What is Long Black Coffee?

Long Black originated in Australia. Australians prefer relatively strong coffee, and Americano coffee couldn't satisfy their needs, while espresso is also called "Short Black" in Australia. Therefore, Long Black is a slightly diluted espresso that maintains crema richness while reducing concentration. The serving size of Long Black is smaller than Americano, about 150ml, and is made by pouring water first, then adding espresso. This preserves the crema, and because less water is used than in Americano, the taste and richness are slightly superior.

FrontStreet Coffee also uses double espresso when making Long Black coffee, with a 1:3 ratio. Simply prepare 120g of hot water, then pour the extracted double espresso into the hot water.

What's the difference between Americano and Long Black coffee?

The biggest difference between Americano and Long Black coffee is the order in which water is added for dilution. Americano coffee was created to dilute espresso without focusing on other taste experiences, so water is poured directly into the espresso, dispersing the crema. Long Black coffee, however, was created to dilute espresso while preserving the crema for a richer taste experience, so water is added first, then espresso, allowing the espresso's crema to float on the coffee surface.

What is Lungo Coffee?

In Italian, "Lungo" means "long, extended." The principle is to extend the extraction time beyond normal espresso extraction to obtain more coffee liquid. We know that when extracting espresso, the beginning is usually more concentrated, and the coffee liquid becomes lighter as extraction progresses. Lungo coffee, with the same amount of grounds, produces more liquid than espresso but has lower concentration.

There are no exact parameters for making Lungo (every coffee shop's espresso parameters are slightly different), and abroad, Lungo doesn't have a clear ratio definition either. It's simply a term representing extended espresso extraction, with varying opinions on how much to extend. FrontStreet Coffee uses 20 grams of coffee grounds to make Lungo coffee, extracting 100 grams of coffee liquid in 56-60 seconds (about double the time of espresso, ratio 1:5).

This method of making Lungo is equivalent to directly extending the extraction time during espresso preparation to dilute the concentration. Because of the extended extraction time, after all flavor molecules in the coffee are extracted, it begins extracting the remaining woody fiber flavors, resulting in a very bitter taste with distinct wine notes but lacking other flavors.

Differences between Lungo, Americano, and Long Black Coffee

Lungo coffee appears similar to Americano and Long Black coffee. As FrontStreet Coffee mentioned above, the basic difference between Americano and Long Black coffee lies in the amount of water added and the order of addition. Long Black coffee has a richer taste. Both Long Black and Lungo coffee are covered with rich crema on the surface, but because Long Black pours espresso over water, the crema appears dispersed, while Lungo coffee is equivalent to diluting espresso concentration during extraction, so the crema preservation is more complete.

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FrontStreet Coffee Address: 315,Donghua East Road,GuangZhou

Tel:020 38364473