Long black

What pouring the espresso last changes

CoffeeHQ explanation

Crema, the fine foam on an espresso, is fragile. Pour hot water onto it and it breaks up and disperses. Pour the espresso gently onto water that is already in the cup and most of the crema stays afloat on the surface.

The crema carries aroma and contributes a little texture and bitterness, so a long black tends to smell more intense and look more like an espresso than an americano does. The difference in the liquid underneath is small. Most of what people notice between the two drinks in practice comes from size: a long black is made with less water.

Typical proportions

Typical range

Café practice varies, and some serve the water separately so that you can add as much as you like.

Making one at home

Widely documented

1. Warm the cup and add the water. Pour about 120 ml of hot water into a pre-warmed cup. Let it stand for a few seconds if it came straight off the boil.
2. Pull the shot directly onto it. Put the cup under the portafilter and extract the espresso straight onto the water, so the stream falls a short distance and the crema is not broken up.
3. Do not stir. Serve it as it is. Stirring mixes the crema in and removes the one thing that separates this drink from an americano.

Beside the drinks it is confused with

Tendency, not a guarantee

• Americano — Water added to the espresso. Larger, milder, and with the crema mostly dispersed.
• Lungo — No added water at all: the extra volume is pulled through the coffee, which makes it more bitter.
• Filter coffee — Brewed at drinking strength over minutes. Lighter in body and usually more aromatic.

If yours is not right

CoffeeHQ explanation

The crema disappears at once

Usually because: The water was boiling, or the espresso fell from too high and broke through the surface.

Change first: Let the water stand briefly and raise the cup closer to the spouts.

Thin and weak

Usually because: Too much water for a single shot.

Change first: Use less water before changing the coffee.

Weak coffee

Harsh and bitter

Usually because: The fault is in the espresso; water only spreads it out.

Change first: Correct the shot first.

Bitter coffee

An Antipodean name for it

Widely documented

Australia and New Zealand developed their own espresso vocabulary in the second half of the twentieth century, and it travelled with the cafés their emigrants opened abroad. Short black means espresso; long black is the lengthened version; flat white is the best-known export. Outside those countries a long black is most likely to be found in cafés with that heritage.

What to do next

• Americano versus filter coffee — Why diluted espresso and brewed filter coffee taste different at the same strength.
• The flat white — The other drink from the same café tradition.
• Poor or thin crema — A long black shows off crema, so its absence is more obvious here.
• Become a barista — A structured programme from dose and grind through milk, drinks and maintenance.