What is Lungo Coffee? What's the Difference Between Lungo and Americano Coffee? How Does Lungo Differ from Americano? What is Lungo Coffee?

Recently, many specialty coffee shops have started selling a "niche" coffee known as "Long Extraction" (Changcui). For those who are new to coffee, Long Extraction might seem quite unfamiliar, which is why FrontStreet Coffee has received many inquiries lately asking, "What is Long Extraction?"

Frankly speaking, FrontStreet Coffee believes that the unfamiliarity mainly stems from its name "Changcui." If we use its other alias "Lungo" or "Longge" to refer to it, FrontStreet Coffee is confident that it would no longer seem unfamiliar to most people.

What is Long Extraction/Lungo/Longge?

In the article "How to Perfectly Extract the Three Titans of Espresso," FrontStreet Coffee shared that espresso extracted from espresso machines isn't limited to just one version. Besides the common espresso we're familiar with, there are also Ristretto (short extraction) and Lungo (long extraction). The main difference between them lies in the variation of extraction volume and the resulting coffee concentration and extraction rate influenced by liquid volume. From left to right are Ristretto, Normale (regular espresso), and Lungo.

A 1:2 ratio is the most commonly used coffee-to-water ratio for regular espresso extraction. If using 20g of coffee grounds, you would need to extract 40ml of coffee liquid. Espresso extracted with this ratio will have relatively high concentration and extraction rate, resulting in a flavor that is both rich and balanced. If you reduce the output liquid volume based on the regular standard, the resulting espresso would be "Ristretto." Due to its higher concentration but relatively lower extraction rate, Ristretto tastes rich without being overly bitter, possessing a high sweetness. Conversely, if you increase the output liquid volume based on the regular standard, the resulting espresso would be "Lungo." Compared to the previous two, Lungo has a much lower concentration, so it doesn't taste as "intense" as the other two. It's relatively smoother, and the coffee's flavors can shine through due to the lower concentration, making them easier for us to detect.

The History of Lungo

Lungo actually appeared much earlier than most people imagine. Before the current version of espresso became widespread, Lungo already existed. In the early 20th century, the world's first truly meaningful espresso machine was invented. Shortly after, the term "Espresso" was included in Italian dictionaries, translating to: "concentrated coffee made using pressurized machines or filters." However, coffee machines at that time weren't as advanced. Although they already had pressurization capabilities, the pressure was only 1.5-3 bar, similar to a moka pot. Those who have used moka pots would know that such pressure obviously cannot produce the high-concentration espresso common today. Therefore, if coffee was to have enough rich flavor, it could only be achieved by increasing the liquid volume to enhance the coffee's extraction rate. And this is what we now know as Lungo/Long Extraction.

It wasn't until the mid-20th century that the advent of lever espresso machines allowed pressure to increase to 9 bar. The 9 bar pressure not only made espresso extraction faster and more concentrated but also created a layer of golden, rich crema on the surface. From this point onwards, the system of espresso gradually established itself. Various espresso drinks used Espresso as the base foundation, leading to the definition and standards for different espresso beverages. Lungo and Ristretto were defined during this period.

The Continued Presence of Lungo

Even during the era when standard espresso became mainstream, Lungo didn't disappear. In Italian, "Lungo" means "long" or "extended," so we can understand it as an extended version of Espresso, hence Long Extraction. If you ask why retain Long Extraction instead of simply diluting espresso with water, the answer would of course be that Europeans have their own consistent ways

(those who know, know). As FrontStreet Coffee mentioned earlier, Lungo has more liquid volume than Espresso, typically using a coffee-to-water ratio of 1:4, 1:5, or even more. Its advantages, as FrontStreet Coffee introduced, are that because the concentration isn't as high, the flavor isn't too concentrated, making it smoother to drink, and the flavors are easier to detect.

The Art of Making Lungo

However, we need to understand that Lungo isn't simply made by increasing the extraction liquid volume based on espresso. Such an approach would obviously lead to excessive extraction efficiency due to the significant increase in liquid volume and time, causing undesirable substances in the coffee to be extracted, resulting in prominent bitterness. Therefore, if you want to make a good cup of Lungo, we need to readjust the coffee parameters, especially the grind size. Generally, the grind size used for Lungo extraction is coarser, aiming to increase the gaps between coffee particles, allowing water to flow through faster, thus reducing extraction time and helping the coffee avoid the risk of over-extraction.

However, things aren't that simple. After adjusting the grind to be coarser, the increased gaps between coffee particles make channeling more likely to occur. Therefore, after extracting a Lungo, we often see coffee liquid splattered everywhere, as well as "under-extracted" coffee pucks (with parts still dry), and the coffee's flavor isn't as good due to uneven extraction. For a long time, Lungo wasn't very popular. It wasn't until the popularization of variable pressure extraction that Lungo returned to people's attention. By adjusting pressure during the extraction process, the occurrence of channeling was greatly reduced, making extraction more stable, and Lungo's flavor no longer unpredictable.

The Advantages of Lungo in Modern Coffee Culture

Most importantly, Lungo made with this approach allows for a higher tolerance in coffee grind size. Unlike regular espresso or Ristretto, which require extremely precise grind settings—with each bean needing its own specific grind size—Lungo only needs to be within a general range. Because of this, even when using different coffee beans to make Lungo, there's no need to equip them with dedicated grinders; one grinder can handle them all. This not only shortens coffee preparation time but also offers customers more diverse choices. Lungo's flavor performance is not inferior to other black coffees, which is why more and more coffee shops have started making Long Extraction coffee.

It's worth mentioning that making this type of Long Extraction/Lungo requires considerable skill. The shop needs to have sufficient understanding of beans and extraction. If the understanding isn't deep enough, the resulting Long Extraction coffee can easily lack flavor, taste watery, or suffer from uneven extraction. Therefore, it remains a test of a barista's skill level~

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