Is Long Black Coffee Good? Differences Between Long Black and Americano, Characteristics, and Proper Drinking Method

Many friends are very curious about Long Black coffee. On the surface, it doesn't seem much different from Americano, which confuses many people about the difference between these two coffee varieties.

Origins of Long Black

Long Black is a type of black coffee that originated in Australia. In Australia, people generally use "Black Coffee" to refer to black coffee and "White Coffee" to refer to coffee with milk added. Espresso is called "Short Black," and when Short Black is mixed with an appropriate amount of water, it becomes Long Black, which is generally translated as "Long Black" or "Australian Black" in China.

The Pouring Order Misconception

Doesn't this look identical to Americano? Some people have tried to force a distinction between the two—Americano is made by adding espresso first, then diluting with water; while Long Black is made by adding water to the cup first, then pouring in the espresso.

What's the basis for this? The biggest difference between these two methods is the preservation of Crema. If you add espresso first, then pour water, it will disperse the Crema; whereas if you add water first, then pour espresso, the Crema will remain intact on the surface. This layer of Crema provides a rich mouthfeel to the coffee.

This sounds very reasonable, but it's not actually the difference between Americano and Long Black. This is because Americano's preparation method doesn't specify whether to add water first then coffee, or coffee first then water. Therefore, either method works for Americano. However, Long Black does have specific requirements regarding the order of water and coffee—water is added to the cup first, then espresso is extracted directly into the water. FrontStreet Coffee estimates that this misconception about pouring order differences emerged as people tried to find distinguishing points.

The Real Difference: Water Ratio

The most obvious difference between Americano and Long Black is the amount of water added. Americano typically includes more water, with a coffee-to-water ratio usually between 1:5-1:8. This is because Americans are accustomed to drinking drip coffee with very low concentration—just a hint of coffee flavor is sufficient. So when espresso became popular, Americanos made with espresso as the base also required a lot of water to replicate that light coffee taste.

Australians are more particular about coffee flavor. FrontStreet Coffee has previously shared that the taste difference between Flat White and Latte is that Flat White has a richer and more intense coffee flavor. Compared to Americano, Long Black has a more intense coffee flavor and comes in a smaller cup. Long Black is typically made by extracting two shots of espresso (40g) into a cup containing 100-120ml of water, maintaining a rich layer of Crema on the surface.

Adding water at a 1:3 ratio dilutes the espresso concentration, which on one hand reduces the intensity of the espresso, and on the other hand makes the coffee flavors more perceptible after dilution. The retained surface oils help maintain the coffee's rich mouthfeel, creating a unique experience.

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