Can you tell Lungo, Long Black and American style?

For those who have just come into contact with Italian coffee, when faced with Long Black and Lungo, two black coffees that read a little similar, I believe they are also confused. Who are they? What does it have to do with American coffee?

(From left to right: Lungo, Long Black, Americano)

Long Black › American Coffee

You know, espresso + water = American. Originally originated from World War II, American troops fighting in Europe were not used to drinking espresso coffee too heavy, so they diluted it with water to the concentration that Americans were accustomed to at that time, so it was called Americano.

Long Black is what Australians call their cup of diluted espresso. Wait, diluted concentrate is American! Why another name? And it became Australia's specialty coffee? The last thing Australians do is not.

This is because Australians have more pursuit of coffee flavor, Long Black coffee flavor is smaller than the American cup, drink up the taste is more intense. When espresso is added, the creamy oil floats on the surface for a richer drinking experience.

The difference between Long Black and American coffee is that American coffee is diluted with water and concentrated, and the liquid-water ratio is generally 1:5~1:8. Long Black, on the other hand, is poured into a pre-filled cup of water and then poured into espresso, the liquid-water ratio is generally 1:3, and can only be made hot.

(American, Long Black, for a more intuitive comparison of oil and grease, the liquid-water ratio is set to 1:3)

After pouring espresso action, so that a certain degree of oil retention (American because it is after mixing water, will produce stirring to disperse oil, but now cafes rarely deliberately use this order of production). Long Black is not stirred, because the density of concentrated and water is not consistent, the concentration of the upper and lower layers is different, so when drinking the first sip, not only can you taste the fragrant coffee liquid, but also the smooth taste brought by the oil; the concentration dilution of 1:3 makes the coffee flavor more clearly displayed.

What is Lungo?

Lungo, like Espresso and Ristretto, is "espresso" extracted directly from an espresso machine.

Let's start with what Lungo is for coffee. Take the former street extraction to make a warm sun blend concentrate as an example, use 20g powder, extract 40g coffee solution, extraction time is about 30 seconds, this is the normal extraction of Espresso. Under the parameter ratio of making Espresso, lengthen the extraction time, increase the ratio of powder to water (about 1:5), and increase the extraction amount of coffee liquid (such as 20g powder extraction 100 g, extraction time 56 seconds), which can be simply regarded as "over-extracted" Espresso, which is Lungo.

In the 1950s, adding water to concentrate was suspected of cutting corners, so in order to drink more enjoyable, on the basis of concentration, continue to lengthen the extraction to increase the cup volume. Now, it seems that the bitter taste of the latter part of the coke has not been extracted together? But in an era when the standard for good coffee was "bitter enough, strong enough", such an operation was not abrupt.

What is the difference between Lungo and Long Black, which adjust concentration in different ways?

On the surface, both have a layer of grease, but Long Black, which only pours espresso on water, is relatively richer in grease, while Lungo is darker in color.

Compared with the taste, the concentration of Long Black mixed with water at the back is lower, and Lungo without direct extraction is fuller and smoother in taste, but Lungo can obviously taste a slight bitterness, but it is also within the acceptable range. After cooling and drinking, Lungo becomes bitter and puts a mask of pain on the barista, while Long Black changes less obviously and can feel the rich layers of coffee.🤡

So, can you tell the difference between the three black brothers now?

If you have the chance, try comparing yourself.

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No.10 Baoanqian Street, Yuexiu District, Guangzhou City, Guangdong Province