Black Coffee ☕ Americano vs Long Black

Caffè Americano

A single serving of espresso with hot water added to fill a 6-ounce cup. Note that simply running 6 ounces of hot water through a single dose of ground coffee will not produce an Americano, but will produce 6 ounces of thin, bitter, over-extracted espresso. The Americano allows a regular 1 1/4-ounce serving of espresso to preserve its integrity and perfume while stretching it to 5 or 6 ounces by adding the hot water.

Long black

A long black is made by pouring an espresso or ristretto over hot water. A long black is similar to an Americano, which is made by adding hot water to the espresso shot; but a long black retains the crema and is less voluminous, therefore more strongly flavoured.

Water first, espresso second is the important order to brew long black —reversing the steps will destroy the crema from the espresso shot and make an Americano.

How to make black coffee at Home?

1. Have a latte mug, or coffee mug ready.

Optional: pre-heat the mug by adding water, then boiling it in the microwave.

Americano

1. Pull a 3oz (or more if you like your drink stronger) espresso shot into a separate glass.
2. Pour about 3oz or so of hot water into the mug you plan to drink from.
3. Pour the espresso shot into the mug.

Long black

1. Pour about 3oz of hot water into the mug you plan to drink from.
2. Pour the espresso into the water.

Enjoy your black coffee!

Like any espresso-based drink, personalization prevails. Tweak the proportions of the ingredients – there’s only two of them (water and espresso) to make your favourite style.