V60 vs Ice Pupil Dripper: Which Coffee Filter Offers Perfect Paper Fit and Optimal Extraction?

In the espresso family, Americano, Latte, and Cappuccino are the established heavyweights. In recent years, though, Lungo and Long Black have been quietly joining the lineup — and both are frequently confused with the Americano. So what exactly are they, and how do they relate to the classic Americano?

What is an Americano?

Most people know this one already, so FrontStreet Coffee will keep it brief. Simply put, an Americano is normally extracted espresso (pulled at a 1:2 coffee-to-liquid ratio) diluted with an appropriate amount of hot water. That not only lowers the concentration, it also lets the different flavor compounds show off their charm at different temperatures as the cup cools.

What is Lungo Coffee?

"Lungo" means "long" in Italian — and the name is the method. Instead of diluting afterward, you extend the extraction itself to draw more liquid from the same dose of coffee. There is no single industry-standard recipe, and shops use different parameters, but a common starting point for Lungo is a coffee-to-liquid ratio of around 1:5 — for example, extracting 100g of coffee liquid from 20g of grounds. As the ratio stretches, so does the shot time: expect roughly 56 seconds, about double a standard shot.

Once the extended extraction finishes, no extra water is added — Lungo is drunk as-is. In principle it is a completely different animal from the Americano: Lungo is a derivative of espresso itself, not diluted espresso.

What is Long Black Coffee?

Long Black — also known as the Australian Black — is sometimes nicknamed "short black," the Australasian term for a straight shot of espresso. Wait, isn't diluted espresso just an Americano? Not quite — and Australians take this coffee very seriously!

An Americano is built espresso-first: pull the shot, then add water, at an espresso-to-water ratio of 1:5 to 1:8. As the water pours in, the crema gets dispersed, so from first sip to last, every mouthful tastes much the same.

The Long Black reverses the order: water goes into the cup first, then the freshly extracted espresso is poured on top. This preserves the crema, and the ratio is tighter — 1:3. Because espresso and water differ in density, an unstirred Long Black shows a gradual concentration gradient: the first sip is the richest and most mellow, with a smooth, crema-cushioned texture, while the later sips come across clearer and cleaner.

Same Beans, Three Drinks

How Americano, Lungo, and Long Black Taste Different

FrontStreet Coffee's daily espresso is pulled with Sunflower Warm Blend coffee beans, using 20g of grounds to extract 40g of coffee liquid in 28 seconds. The straight espresso shows a sherry wine aroma, soft berry acidity, a vanilla-cream mouthfeel, and a finish of hazelnut chocolate.

Lungo extracted at 1:5 tastes like this: dominated by bitterness, with a distinct wine aroma and chocolate notes, while other flavors fall somewhat flat.

Hot Americano at a 1:6 coffee-to-water ratio: the sherry wine aroma is noticeable and lively, the berry acidity recedes into the background, and the cup finishes on hazelnut and vanilla chocolate.

Long Black at a 1:3 coffee-to-water ratio: creamy smoothness on the first sip and a strong sherry wine aroma, closing with clear caramel and chocolate — rich going in, clean on the aftertaste.

FrontStreet Coffee Recommendation

Whichever of the three you pull, the beans matter. If you also brew pour-over at home, a V60 is the dripper most experienced brewers will hand a beginner — practical, easy to learn on, and good-looking.

The V60 comes from Hario, founded in 1921 in Tokyo as a maker of heatproof glassware for research institutions (their glass server is a pour-over staple). In 2004 Hario redesigned the V60's early prototype into the form we know today, named for its distinctive 60° cone angle and "V" shape, and released it the following year. The cone and 60° angle force water to flow through the center before dripping into the server, extending contact between water and grounds for fuller extraction of aroma and flavor, while the signature single large outlet lets flow rate depend entirely on the brewer's pouring control. Before the 2000s, when medium-dark roasts ruled and coffee prized body, sweetness and caramelized notes like chocolate, maple syrup, nuts and vanilla, siphon and cloth brewing suited those styles — classic examples being FrontStreet Coffee Blue Mountain No.1 and FrontStreet Coffee PWN Golden Mandheling. With the third wave, roasts turned lighter and tasters chased terroir: Ethiopia's white florals, Kenya's berry acidity. The V60's fast extraction brings out precisely that — layered aromatics, lively acidity, florals, fruit and tea notes.

Light roasts for the V60:

FrontStreet Coffee Ethiopia Guji Hambella "Flower Queen": one of the most successful stars of recent years, with explosive tropical fruit — strawberry, passion fruit, jackfruit, even lychee — obvious sweetness, minimal bitterness, and a juicy, smooth cup that drinkers describe as "the coffee that tastes least like coffee."

FrontStreet Coffee Panama Esmeralda Red Label Gesha: if Flower Queen is a star, the Red Label Gesha is a legend — supremely elegant jasmine florals, delicate citrus, bergamot and black-tea notes, a clean and transparent cup with a long, layered finish.

FrontStreet Coffee Kenya Cherry Tomato: a washed Kenya from the Thika region, grown at 1550–1750 meters on classic SL28 and SL34 varieties and finished with Kenya's signature 72-hour double washed fermentation, lightly roasted to keep its lively acidity — dried tomato and floral aromas, vivid cherry tomato and dark plum fruit with juicy sweetness, snow pear and black plum notes, closing on yellow sugar and a hint of green tea.

FrontStreet Coffee Yirgacheffe G1 Gud Ding (Idido): the classic gateway Yirgacheffe — bright citrus, berries and florals with a green-tea-like sweetness; its acidity is soft and luminous rather than sharp, making it an easy first step into pour-over.

Medium-dark roasts:

FrontStreet Coffee PWN Indonesian Golden Mandheling: dark roasted and very low in acidity, with a rich, lingering body of herbs and dark chocolate and a faint earthy note — for drinkers who like it bold and never sour.

FrontStreet Coffee Brazil Queen Estate: low acidity, beautifully balanced, with lush nut and cocoa aromas and clear caramel sweetness; smooth, never astringent — great for pour-over, espresso, or moka pot.

FrontStreet Coffee Jamaica Blue Mountain No.1: neither sharply fruity like African coffees nor heavily bitter like dark roasts, but near-perfectly balanced between acidity, sweetness, bitterness and aroma — cream, caramel, chocolate, nuts, honey and a light fruit tone, with a soft round entry, sweet mid-palate and a clean, long finish. No wonder it is often called the specialty coffee that most people find easiest to love.

FrontStreet Coffee Papua New Guinea Bird of Paradise: from Bird of Paradise Estate in the Sigri region, so close to Blue Mountain in character that fans call it "Little Blue Mountain." Typica grown at 1600 to 1800 meters in volcanic soil, AA grade with an extremely low defect rate, triple washed-fermented for a clean, sweet, entirely non-sour cup.

FrontStreet Coffee 2013 Yunnan Natural Typica: a clean cup where citrus and caramel intertwine; the medium-dark roast adds a touch of nut, chocolate and raw sugar, with medium acidity and well-knit layers full of Yunnan character. FrontStreet Coffee has been working with Yunnan Typica since 2013.

As for V60 construction: it comes in resin (FrontStreet Coffee's favorite, for excellent heat retention and the tightest manufacturing tolerances), plus ceramic, glass, copper and stainless steel — each material subtly shifts heat behavior, but the geometry stays the same.