THE SUPERIOR WAY TO DRINK BLACK COFFEE (AND IT’S NOT AN AMERICANO)
Just when you thought it was all about the flat white or the cortado (you know that’s an espresso with the same quantity of hot milk, not just a small latte, right?), along comes the long black. The drink that Australians and New Zealanders have been sipping for decades is finally filtering into British coffee shops.
In truth, the long black has been quietly enjoyed in a handful of Antipodean-run cafés in the UK for years. But a few months back, Chiswick coffee shop Tamp shared an Instagram reel explaining the difference between a long black and an Americano. The video went viral, and suddenly social media was buzzing with discussions about this ‘new’ and possibly superior way to drink black coffee.
For those unfamiliar with it, a long black is made by pouring a double shot of espresso over hot water. An Americano, on the other hand, is made by combining them in the reverse order: coffee first, hot water second. So, can changing the sequence really make a meaningful difference?
Edwin Harrison thinks so. He’s been pouring long blacks at Artisan, a small chain of speciality coffee shops in London, since launching the business 14 years ago with his Australian wife, Magda. “It’s all about the crema,” he explains. That’s the silky, golden layer of foam that crowns a properly made espresso. This foam delivers texture so, unlike an Americano, a long black doesn’t feel watery in your mouth. “You get that slightly more silky, smooth mouthfeel when you take that first sip, rather than just a standardised, thin taste,” Harrison says.
How to make a long black
A good long black is made with care. Often, the barista will pull the espresso into a glass and, once the hot water is ready in the serving cup, slowly pour in the coffee. “You’re nestling the espresso on top of the hot water and that maintains the crema and allows it to settle gently,” he says. In a long black, the integrity of the espresso is preserved, while in an Americano, it’s blasted with hot water and diluted.
The other key difference between a long black and an Americano is the amount of hot water added. Opinions about the perfect ratio vary, but a long black generally involves a double shot of espresso added to between 150ml and 200ml of hot water. An Americano, meanwhile, is a much longer drink, with a higher proportion of water.
What really explains the sudden interest in long blacks? It could be that coffee drinkers like to try new drinks – and it’s black coffee’s turn in the spotlight. Black coffee is also less expensive than milky drinks, which, with ongoing cost-of-living pressures, may appeal to those who spend a lot of money on takeaway brews.
Laura Smith, director of Flat White in Soho, London – the original Antipodean café that introduced the flat white to Britain – suspects it’s also part of a broader shift in how we think about coffee. The long black, she suggests, is a step up from the Americano in terms of flavour profile. “It could be that black coffee drinkers are wanting better flavour and quality,” she says. “Coffee prices are really going up and the market is very chaotic, so maybe people are thinking a bit more about the coffee they drink.”
Spot the difference: Six coffees to know about
She says flat whites and café lattes remain the firm favourites at Flat White, and she enjoys a milky coffee now and then, too. But those who favour black coffee tend to be chasing something else: the complex flavours of a quality cup that’s expertly brewed. And there’s more to savour in a long black than in an Americano. “Pretty much all of my team drink filter or espresso black,” Smith says. “Once you’ve really caught the coffee bug, black coffee is where you find the flavour. There’s definitely room for discovery in stepping away from milk.”
The long black also offers something different from a quick caffeine hit. Unlike an espresso, which is over in a gulp, you can sit down with a long black and take your time with it. But here’s the thing: if you really want to stay ahead of the caffeine curve, those in the know are swerving the long black for punchier drinks.
The “quart black”, popular at Flat White, is a more concentrated take: a double shot of espresso with an equal measure of hot water. It sits somewhere between a long black and a lungo (an espresso pulled with extra water), offering the clarity of a long black coffee with a little less volume and a bit more oomph. Meanwhile, at Kaffeine, another speciality café in London, ristretto is on the menu. A fixture on coffee-shop menus in Italy, it’s a potent concentrated espresso shot, made using the same amount of coffee as a standard espresso but with about half the amount of water. Are you keeping up?
Where to enjoy a long black
- Algerian Coffee Stores, Soho, London
- Artisan, five branches in west London, including Fulham and Putney
- Black Sheep Coffee, nationwide
- Flat White, Soho, London
- Kaffeine, two branches in central London
- Laynes, Leeds
- Little Perth, two branches in Bournemouth
- The Scandinavian Coffee Pod, Cheltenham
- Tamp Coffee, Chiswick, London