Lungo

A 'long' espresso shot pulled with the same coffee dose as a standard espresso but roughly double the water, extracting for longer and producing a larger, more diluted, more bitter shot than ristretto or standard espresso.

Coffee dose: 18g
Yield: 60ml
Intensity: strong
Preparation time: 1 min
Skill level: advanced

Caffeine estimate

Approximately 70-90mg (single lungo shot).

Well established — More caffeine than a standard shot from the same dose, since more water passes through the puck.

Brewing method

Made using Espresso machine. Grind: Fine, sometimes slightly coarser than standard espresso to avoid over-extraction over the longer pull.

Descriptive grind labels like this are illustrative starting points, not precise measurements — the same label can mean different particle sizes on different grinders. See the grind size guide for how to dial this in on your own equipment.

Steps

Grind 18g of coffee fine, into the portafilter basket.
Distribute and tamp level.
Let the shot run longer, to roughly 60g liquid yield.

Equipment

Troubleshooting

Coffee tastes too bitter

Tools for working out the quantities this drink needs.

Espresso dose and yield calculatorWork out the yield to stop a shot at, the dose to start from, or the ratio a shot actually hit.

Step-by-step techniques this drink depends on, each with what to change when it does not work.

Dialling in espressoFind the grind setting and recipe that make a particular coffee taste as intended, and be able to return to it.