What is the mediocre American black coffee Americano-do you really know it?

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Compared with latte, American coffee (Americano,Long Black&Lungo...) Be a little thankless.

A cup of espresso Espresso uses a variety of ways to heat water, there are also many factors to consider, but there is no visual sense like latte flower, no matter how to describe the flavor, black coffee can only be drunk but not seen. But even so, American coffee is still a bridge for everyone to transition from milky coffee to Espresso. The taste of any of the above perfectly extracted American coffee may change the impression that the coffee itself is parched and strong.

It needs to be stated here that, in a broad definition, American coffee can be the general name of any black coffee. For example, the coffee made by the drip filter coffee machine can still be called American style. So here, we might as well add hot water to the Espresso drink collectively referred to as American black coffee.

Americano,Long Black & Lungo

Americano knows from his name that he is very popular in North America. And the reason why the definition of American coffee is so broad, we can see two points:

1. Coffee is very common in the United States and is a readily available drink

2. Black coffee can be called Americano any way it is made, so the simple making more or less reflects that this drink is more than a taste, but a drink.

In fact, it is true that in North America, especially in the morning, you can see a lot of people on their way to work, holding a huge take-out cup containing at least 300ml black liquid. Of course, American black coffee is no stranger at home. It can also be seen everywhere in Starbucks and Lucky.

Here we can talk about its two other brothers, one is Long Black, the other is Lungo. Yes, they are also black coffee, a mixture of Espresso and water, and they don't add anything else. So what's the difference between them?

Generally speaking, Americano is to add Espresso first and then water. Long Black is more famous in Australia and New Zealand. Now it is also becoming popular in London, England. (it is largely because many boutique coffee shop owners or baristas in the UK used to be Australian.) it adds water before it begins to extract Espresso. In fact, in Australia, if we say Short Black when we order coffee, it is actually Espresso. Where's Lungo? In particular, it needs to be obtained by changing the scale of the bean grinder to speed up the flow rate of the original Espresso extraction. In terms of capacity, Americano will carry more capacity than Long Black (250ml Vs 150) and Lungo will have the least capacity, about 60ml.

At this point, some people will ask that the way to add water is different, what is the flavor?

The difference between Americano and Long Black

First, let's compare Americano and Long Black. The only difference between them is that water and Espresso are filled in different order. The former is to release Espresso first, while the latter is to release hot water first. This order is different, which actually leads to two differences:

The floating grease on the 1.Americano can be unstable because it is dispersed by later hot water. And Long Black is to let Espresso gradually fall into the surface of hot water. So as you can see from the picture, the grease of Long Black is relatively deep from the beginning, and it is also relatively long-lasting.

two。 Assuming that both Americano and Long Black use the hot water of the coffee machine, Long Black's hot water falls into the cup and waits for Espresso extraction, which will take a little more time to cool.

Summing up these two points, we will find that the Long Black has more grease, and it is possible (only possible, because we assume it comes out of the outlet of the coffee machine); the temperature of the Americano is higher. So what does this mean to our flavor?

Here's a little review of espresso's Crema, which is an important sign that distinguishes Espresso from other low-pressure coffees. Because the insoluble substances in oil (Crema) are the result of emulsification under high pressure. Together with carbon dioxide, it contains many flavors and aromas. At the same time, because of its insoluble ingredients, this layer of oil will form a film on the coating of our tongue in the mouth. This film not only brings us a lasting aftertaste, but also weakens our sensitivity to bitterness.

So in the same Espresso, the same volume, Americano will be a little more bitter than Long Black. What needs to be added here is that the amount of oil can judge the freshness of coffee beans, but the amount of oil has nothing to do with the flavor of coffee. If it is a very bad coffee bean, although it is very fresh, but the presence of oil will degrade our senses.

The difference between Americano and Lungo

After comparing the difference between Long Black and Americano. Then we can take another look at Lungo. Lungo is very popular in Italy, and the volume is only about 60ml. Therefore, a small cup with less water will naturally bring a more mellow taste. Lungo actually means Long in English, and more accurately, Lungo is a long extractive version of Espresso.

For coffee, no matter what kind of extraction it is, it is the process of contact between water and coffee powder and filtering out insoluble particles (except Greek and Turkish coffee). And the coffee bean itself, after all, is a fruit, with plant fiber, it is impossible to dissolve 100% in water, only 30% is dissolved at most. According to a large number of experiments, it is necessary to extract coffee reasonably, whether it is Italian concentration, siphon, or hand flushing. The best extraction rate ranges from 18% to 21%. Too little, can not fully reflect the flavor, too much, the extract is mixed flavor.

Therefore, if the extraction time of Espresso is to be lengthened, the flow speed must be accelerated, otherwise the flow rate of water is the same as that of Espresso, and if you stretch it for a longer time, it will certainly be over-extracted, so that the taste of coffee will be mixed. Therefore, making lungo is a little troublesome, and the bean grinder needs to be thickened so that the gap between the coffee powder is enlarged, the resistance is reduced, the water passes faster, and the stay time is reduced. In a coffee shop, if customers don't cut off Espresso and lungo, it means you have to have two separate bean grinders. (of course, you can achieve Lungo by reducing the amount of powder, but the flavor will be quite different.) compared with the three, Lungo fat is the most stable.

For ordinary consumers, the significance of knowing Lungo lies in that it lengthens the extraction of Espresso and tastes lighter than Espresso, but at the same time it will be a little bitter. Compared with Americano, it tastes more mellow, while Americano may be more bitter.

What's the point of studying American black coffee?

Black coffee is still a bit like bitter tea in today's society. In fact, good black coffee can give you a taste of the original coffee, which is not only bitter, but also sweet and sour. In addition, it can give you a lasting aftertaste and aroma. Although Espresso condenses the most essential flavor of coffee into 30 milliliters of essence through high pressure and high temperature, Espresso is not the only one who can realize the original taste of coffee. Too mellow taste and extremely compressed flavor will deter friends who have just learned about coffee. Moreover, it is not the more concentrated the better, balance is a key. This is why Ristretto (the pre-15ml part of Espresso) will not be mainstream.

Scottie Collaghan, the third runner-up in 2009WBC and the 2008 Australian champion, thinks Long Black is the hardest to make. This is largely because in busy coffee shops, the water coming out of the coffee machine is on the high side (96-97 °), and they are unable to mix it with cold water to achieve the expected temperature. there may also be no extra money and space to buy a hot water dispenser.

However, many small coffee shops in China do not have the same people coming and going as abroad. Many baristas can do a series of experiments to adjust the water ratio and temperature of American black coffee according to the characteristics of their coffee beans, so as to make a delicious cup of coffee for customers. The editor thinks this is meaningful, because in China, there is still a lot of room for consumers to choose between the unpopular Espresso and the fancy Frappuccino.

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