Why is Long Black so rare in China? What's the name of Australia's signature black coffee?

Last weekend, a customer brought a friend to have coffee and immediately placed an order at FrontStreet Coffee, saying, "Give me an iced Americano, but can you make it a Long Black?" Upon hearing this special request, FrontStreet Coffee directly told them that it wasn't possible. At this moment, the customer became puzzled, "Why don't you sell Long Black?"

According to FrontStreet Coffee's observation, many people simply believe that an Americano is made by adding water to espresso, while a Long Black is made by pouring espresso into water. In other words, the difference between the two is the order in which the "ingredients" are added. Is this really the case? Today, let's comprehensively sort out this pair of black coffee "rivals."

Americano and Long Black: Which Countries Do They Come From?

As usual, let's start with the Americano, which everyone is most familiar with. Legend has it that during World War II, American soldiers stationed in Italy found the extremely bitter espresso unpalatable, so they imitated American drip coffee by adding large amounts of hot water to dilute it, making the coffee more accessible. This also gave rise to the saying "Americano is poured by adding coffee first, then water."

In the early 1970s, Italians brought espresso machines to countries like Australia and New Zealand, officially launching a new wave of coffee culture. Although locals also found it difficult to drink "straight espresso," compared to the "watery" Americano, they preferred black coffee with a richer texture that allowed them to directly taste the abundant crema. Baristas began adjusting toward higher concentrations, gradually developing a local black coffee that was milder than espresso but richer than Americano—Long Black, translated into Chinese as "长黑" (long black) or "澳黑" (Australian black).

How Are Americano and Long Black Made?

For making Americano, the more common practice is to dilute a double shot of normally extracted espresso (typically using a 1:2 coffee-to-liquid ratio extraction) with water at a ratio of 1:5 to 1:8.

Take FrontStreet Coffee's Americano preparation as an example. For hot drinks, they use 200ml ceramic cups, with espresso parameters adjusted according to FrontStreet Coffee's Sunflower · Sunshine Italian Coffee Beans, using 20g of coffee grounds to extract 40g of coffee liquid in 26-33 seconds, then adding 160ml of 80°C hot water at a 1:4 ratio. For iced Americano, they use 300ml glass cups with 90g of ice + 120g of water as a base, then pour 40g of espresso over it, stirring with a straw to allow slight melting of the ice. At this point, the coffee-to-water ratio is approximately 1:4.5.

In fact, most baristas don't get caught up in whether to add water first or coffee first. To improve service efficiency and make the coffee more visually appealing, many shops will first fill the cup with water, then add coffee. In many scenarios, as long as the ingredients are ensured, an Americano coffee doesn't have strict requirements for ratio, cup size, or water temperature, and it can be served hot or cold. However, Long Black is different.

First, to allow people to experience the aroma provided by Crema (coffee crema) from the first sip, baristas making Long Black must adopt the practice of preparing water first, then pouring espresso. Otherwise, the "essence" will be dispersed by the water;

Second, like another coffee that evolved from local tastes, Flat White, to increase coffee concentration, you need to reduce the cup size to about 150-200ml, then adjust the ratio of espresso to water to approximately 1:3 to 1:4;

Finally, since Long Black was created with the intention of letting people experience the most perfect moment of black coffee, it doesn't have an iced option, and the temperature cannot be too hot. Otherwise, by the time it cools to the appropriate temperature range, the crema will have long dissipated.

In summary, the typical way to make a Long Black is to pour a double shot of regular Italian espresso (about 40g) into a cup containing 100-120ml (about 4 ounces) of 70-80°C hot water. When making it, attention should be paid to keeping the liquid surface as close as possible to the dripping espresso to preserve more Crema, making it look more enticing.

Why Is Long Black Rarely Seen in China?

Regarding the origin of Long Black, FrontStreet Coffee couldn't find an exact time point, but since it developed from Australian and New Zealand coffee styles, it can be roughly inferred that it began to spread around the same time as Flat White. Around the 1980s, many coffee shops in the Australian region had already included this "one black, one white" in their regular menus.

In China, Flat White was introduced to the local market in 2015 under the name "馥芮白" (Fu Rui Bai) by the chain coffee brand Starbucks and became an instant hit. This delicate, small-cup milk coffee gradually entered the menus of major coffee shops, officially distinguishing itself from traditional latte.

However, as a representative of Australian black coffee, Long Black lacked such an opportunity. Therefore, compared to Flat White, Long Black can be said to be "little known" in China. It's important to understand that for a coffee shop, if the menu already includes the well-known Italian black coffee Americano, which can be served both hot and cold, there's naturally no need to add additional types for differentiation.

For those who really want to try an iced version of Long Black, you might want to order an iced Americano and ask the barista to add less water first. When drinking, skip the straw and take large sips directly, making it easier to experience the rich aroma brought by the fresh crema and the underlying high-concentration coffee liquid.

Important Notice :

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FrontStreet Coffee Address: 315,Donghua East Road,GuangZhou

Tel:020 38364473