Head over to drinktrade.com/mdc for $15 off select subscriptions and a free bag of coffee with your subscription purchase! -- 00:00 NEW STUDIO! 00:46 A Little Beverage History 04:11 Making Our Drinks 08:27 Compare And Contrast
nz barista here, the way that my cafe operates is that we would extract the espresso directly into the hot water, using a metal stand to get the cup as close to the portafilter as possible, so that there is a thick crema on top of the water.
Ahhh, music to my ears ! Please come to Western Australia and teach our baristas how to make a long black (hats off to the few who actually do a decent job though). 😎🇦🇺
Agreed, it's not optional. The shot has to be pulled into hot water. I don't know the science behind it, but I'd assume it's similar to the current trend of pulling shots over frozen spheres. The result is either a change or retention of flavor compounds.
I'm from Melbourne. Nothing stopping you from ordering an iced long black. The only rules I have seen is that it should only be espresso and water mix at the correct ratios. With Australian summer heat it's always nice to pour over ice for a refreshing chilled coffee drink with lots of flavour 😊
Iced Long Black is basically the only drink I ever order in Brisbane. The only time I have an issue is when the cafe itself doesn't have ice for iced coffees in general (which is oddly semi-common in Brisbane winters, despite it never getting that cold here lol) I do find that a lot of non specialty places make what would be an iced americano based on this video though (fast food coffee, starbucks, etc), but specialty cafes always make drinks that have the correct ratio and feel like an iced long black as opposed to an iced americano.
Seen a couple of comments about this already but I'll chuck my thoughts out anyway. Barista in New Zealand, here. I've worked in a cafe in the north and 2 in the south, and I like to visit different cafes all the time. What I've seen is that you get just 1 size of both drinks, Americano is a large drink, often served in the largest mug available. The long black is served in a tulip cup. I have been shown at the 3 different cafes that with an Americano, the shot goes in the bottom of the cup and then fill it up with hot water. The long black is served opposite to that, with the water going into the cup then pulling the shot on top. However, with an "at home" set up when you have more time to be making each individual drink, makes sense to pull the shot into an espresso cup and then add it to the water gently. I think a lot of the cafe work I've done has been a case of just making the drinks as fast as possible while still maintaining a high quality. My go to (because my body can't digest milk) is an Americano with a caramel shot, normally. But sometimes I'll skip the flavour shot and drink it black. Recently, when a sweet craving hits, Americano with chocolate. (Basically a mocha without the milk)
The reason I don't put water after the espresso with americanos, is that a lot of machines came with a hot water tap that pours water quite violently into the cup. I don't mind wiping up water splashing out of an empty cup, but cleaning coffee stains all over my workspace is annoying at best. Also, please use your hot water tap instead of a kettle, cycling the water is good for your boiler, and you won't get chalky flavors if your boiler is frequently filled with new water. Don't let minerals precipitate and cause limescale!
As a Russian, we have crazy all-season flavours of creamy coffees, for example lavander раф (pronounced as rough), it's kinda like latte but creamier. Creamy and "milky" coffees are extremely popular here, so for someone like me (an average espresso and espresso-like enjoyer) to find even an okay americano is quite "rough" :)
@@2NDFLB-CLERK there are some crazy flavours that not even all Russians understand, but from what I heard, the lavender one is the strangest for non-russians
I'd never heard of a Long Black, but I guess that's what I've been ordering (here in the US). I always ask for an Americano in their smallest cup, 'with room', and then never add cream. So maybe halfway between straight espresso and a normal Americano.
Can you make an episode about caffeine free coffee? I've been watching your videos forever but had to change my meds a while ago, and now I can't have caffeine anymore. I'd love an episode where you explain how caffein free coffee is made and how it could affect the flavor 😊
Isn't there an investigation or something in the US for if decaf is actually good for you? I mean i don't care but I thought I saw something about it recently
The way I see americano served more and more often is with an espresso in a larger cup and a little jug of hot water on the side. That way you can add as much or as little as you'd like.
As an Aussie who lived overseas for years I got good at explaining a long black to barristas "a short, double shot Americano" would usually get me there or "a strong Americano with half the usual water" very occasionally someone would respond "You mean a long black?" and my day would be made. 😊 I noticed there is a subtle difference between Australia and New Zealand though. In Australia you will almost never see the word "Americano" on a café menu but if you order a large long black that's basically what you get. Whereas in NZ a long black is one size only, the bigger one is called an Americano.
As others have mentioned, you are generally welcome to customise coffee here in Australia as much as you like also. Particularly the Iced long black is a staple of our hot summer it’s standard recipe is: In a standard sized frappe type cup, fill to the absolute top with ice, add cold water leaving just enough room for a double shot of espresso to float on top. This keeps the dilution to a minimum, and still gets you the crema on top
We spent 2.5 weeks in Italy and after several days I definitely was craving my American coffee! I think it had to do with the volume of coffee. A cappuccino doesn’t last as long as a couple cups I get from my French press! I actually really enjoyed the coffee in New Zealand a lot! The flat whites were amazing each day!
I worked in a chain coffee place and I 100% never heard of americano being water first. The long black was a wild and new thing to hear about specifically because it was water first
Aussie Barista here, at our cafe we do Long Blacks but you can get them regular size (double shot), a large (a triple shot) and Iced which follows same shot ratio to the size chosen. We always offer milk and any extras if desired. I did have some Canadians come in the other day asking for an americano and because we dont have it on our menu and havent been taught about it, this video is extremely helpful so next time i get someone asking i can actually make it for them knowing i know what im doing, cause i was very nervous to ask them and explain to them how we do 'our version' so i gave them a long black hoping for the best. lesson learned :) thank you
I really love to see baristas or anyone really in the food and drink industry willing to learn! I'm from Germany and we're not known to have the best customer service so if I were to order something at a café that's not on their menu, there's a 99% chance they'd straight up decline and give me a weird look even. I would appreciate it so much to either be asked about the beverage I'm ordering or to notice that the barista took the time to learn about it by the time I came around again.
i live in aus at the moment, was born in nz. at my work our way of making an americano is espresso then hot water and the long black the opposite way around. ive had to explain the difference to a few of my coworkers as they dont realise theres a stronger taste with the long black due to the crema. iced long blacks are a summer favourite so you can ice both types. long blacks are very VERY common probably the second most i get daily. i prefer espresso with milk, thats just my way of having coffee
My wife and I were recently in China, where third wave coffee is definitely surging in popularity. My wife ordered americano’s, which were on every cafe menu, and we now realize that she received Long Blacks. She would ask for more hot water, and got quizzical stares every time. I guess the proximity of Australia to China has influenced the coffee culture. It was nice being able to get good quality coffee in China, which was not the case when I was last there in the mid-nineties! Thanks for the informative video…. I never really knew what a Long Black is…. Not a common item here in Canada.
I never heard of the Long Black, before watching this video. Thank you for introducing me to it. My usual, every day, pre-work coffee is closer to the Long Black. But, I always just called it a strong Americano. I do a quad shot, into a metal mug (I think it holds 10 ounces,) then add a few dashes of bitters, and fill the mug the rest of the way with cool water.
When you ask for an Americano in Spain, they put the expresso first and use the same machine to fill the cup up with water. I have never had a coffee place serve me an Americano like you prepare it. Not even specialty shops.
... WHY DID I NOT THINK OF THIS :rofl: when im making americano... i used the steam pipe to dispense the hot water :facepalm: you can already guess that i have been having problems with this one hahaha
They do that for convenience. It makes little difference in taste. If you add espresso to water, you at least are taking the care to try to let the crema sit on top which looks nice. Adding water from the machine is kind of a “meh, Americano” approach
Another really well done presentation Morgan - thank you. You do a superb job explaining the basics of your craft, let alone some of the more complicated issues. The key reason I pull my shots directly into the hot water is that all of the shot pours in, with none of the essential oils, crema and other trace elements left behind (in a separate vessel). Personal preference is all that is, but I 'grimace' when I see those glistening, chestnut-colored flavorful ingredients left behind in your stainless cups.
I absolutely love the fact that there is a spectrum to liking/loving something, in this case coffee. On one side you have the "I love it so much I'll gatekeep it" where if you do one teeny tiny thing wrong when making the coffee they get upset and combative over it. Then on the other side, you have the "I love it so much I want to share it with the world" where if you do the same teeny tiny thing wrong they are like "omg that's so amazing, how did it taste?? you must tell me every single detail". Both sides love coffee equally but take their love down completely different paths. I am of the latter and love to experiment, I'm currently drinking iced coffee made from the grounds of a Nespresso pod that was transferred to a Keurig reusable pod, added milk, some toasted marshmallow syrup and 3 ice cubes. I give it a 7/10 lol.
Always love your content Morgan!! as an Australian, a barista and avid drinker of long blacks, i cant say i have ever had or ever made the long black you made. it is always made the Americano way, im now going to run off and try it your way :D
I have to agree, in Australia a long black is just an Americano without milk. It just displaced the commercial drip filter coffee option (American machines) as everywhere switched to making espresso instead. And U have to say, it's not better than drip filter, especially if you want a larger size, it just gets watered down more.
Thank you for this explanation. As an Aussie I am used to drinking Long Blacks at cafés and, having also heard the WW2 story about the Americano, I thought they might be the same drink. Good to learn that my Melbournian Barista brothers and sisters have got the real thing down to a fine art and… well, let's leave it at that in accordance with Morgan's instructions at the beginning of the video, eh? 😁😁
NZ barista here. At my place of work we don't actually make a distinction between Americano and Long Black; they're both espresso with water poured onto it. I suppose our small size would closest approximate the proposed style guide in this video but frankly only about one in one hundred customers actually know what kind of coffee they've ordered and how it's different to the others.
Also consider the different style of shots that people use for theee drinks! Australian cafes usually dose triple shots, pull a split espresso or even ristretto in the cup, while double shots are more common in the US. This is the most common reason a cafe will only put one of these drinks in their menu. The best I've seen is a skilled barista dialing the shot on-the-fly when I asked for a long black in a cafe where they serve americano. But please don't ask your barista this unless you know them well and they don't mind. Also, don't complain, you asked for it...
Iced Americano (decaf) was always my go-to “green mermaid” order back when I was newish to coffee. The reason? I was cheap. Iced Americano with mocha syrup was at least a dollar cheaper than an iced latte, and all I had to do was walk over to the cream pitcher and top it up. That trick doesn’t really work hot, only iced, but I thought the results were tasty. These days… my order is still often the decaf iced americano. Only, I drink it black and unsweetened.
I've been traveling in Europe for a couple months now. Thanks for explaining why I've had to switch to ordering Americanos instead of just a cup of black coffee, and for letting me know that if that is not an option, and Long Black will do basically (but not exactly) the same thing.
In Austria, we have the "Verlängerter" ("elongated"), which is more or less the same as the Americano, usually served in a fairly large cup. It's probably a matter of people in different places having the same idea. Originally, it was probably made with mokka, not espresso, but nowadays espresso is the standard here.
Kiwi here. From my experiences working 10+ years in a variety of high end cafes, thats a prety long long black. And a tulip or ceramic cup is preferred (as you experienced). Sometimes folk want a filter with milk. I'll steer those people towards the americano mostly.
I spent a couple of months in Australia 24 years ago, and greatly enjoyed having long blacks during my time there. When I returned to the US, I never managed to find anywhere that knew what they were, and eventually gave up on it. It’s interesting to learn that lots of places in the US seem to serve them now.
An Ozzie here and my order for a long black is 3/4 and I top it with cold sparking/mineral water. this gives it a sparkly mouth feel and also takes the just-boiled water edge so you can drink straighaway
Hungarian here (working in Austria). Long black here comes usually as it is from the machine. It automatically brews the coffee with more water but I also put one shot of extra hot water in it, or when the guests require then I give and extra shot in a different cup.
@@definiteIynotkenji I would think Lungo also. Like a 1:3 to 1:5 ratio that one would do with a lighter roast bean. To be honest, I prefer this over a long black that is a bit a too watery in relation to the espresso flavor around it. If I want a longer coffee, then a drip definitely would have better aroma for me. I have to keep doing some long black for the wife though 😊
@@jean-michellae9041 this is just me but for a high water ratio coffee nothing really beats a pour over. My wife prefers the coffee from her Nespresso :(
I've ordered an americano three times. Once was at a movie theater, and I think they just watered down some Keurig coffee. It was bad. But I had one at a coffee shop, and it tasted just as watery. The third was at Dutch Bros (they didn't serve black coffee normally, so I ordered a double espresso with water.) It was fine. I'm interested to try the long black. At home, I use an aeropress or moka pot and add a little water.
I'm likewise with the Aeropress. If I want more than the Aeropress will make natively but I want a cleaner cup than my French presses will make (i.e. I'm not putting cream in, or have a lighter roast, etc.), I go 20g drip-or-slightly-finer grind, 216g water in the 'Press, 2:30, press, then add 144g hot water; this yields about 350g of beverage, which is just about right for my "16oz" mugs... You could probably simulate a Long Black by pressing a James Hoffman fake espresso into (eyeballs the math) 110-120g hot water? (for those as don't grok that, 18g not-quite-espresso-grind, inverted or pressure cap, 90g water, stir _aggressively_, 1:30 steep, press - basically simulates what the Italians would call a "lungo" - 5:1 water to coffee)
At my café, in France, we serve the espresso in a large cup and the hot water in a small pitcher so the customer can adjust the amont of water in their drink. Nice studio by the way 😊
I just wanted to drop a thank you here, cause I have learned so much from this channel on how to make and enjoy coffee at home. My hobby of good coffee making has made my expectations so high it is hard to go out for it now hahaha which isnt a bad thing
I vacationed for a month in Australia and had long blacks that were very strong. When I got back to Canada the drip coffee no longer satisfied, it was just hot water with brown colourering, no flavour. I searched for something like the long black. I finally found it with the Moka pot.
When you said to float the coffee over the water, it made me think of my old bartending days. It got me thinking about what would happen if you poured the hot water over the back of a spoon to heat it up, and then pour the espresso immediately over it; how it might effect the crema on a long black.
The fact that you felt the need to ask for people being cordial in the discussion of two drinks of espresso and water, tells you everything you need to know about the Internet. 😌
A recent trip to Barcelona changed my view of coffee. I had always been a fan, but the people of Spain are dead serious about it. In Spain everything starts with espresso. Every restaurant I visited had an espresso machine. I made it home and immediately invested in a moka pot and now have developed "gently brewed" espresso (no sputtering overheated moka at my house!) Finding your channel has been a pure pleasure. I'm more interested in coffee than ever and you've got all the details.
Thanks for the lesson on a Long Black. I find that my tastes seem to change from time to time. I started out making Americanos when I first got an espresso machine. Over time I have come to prefer either a Flat White, or a Latte. Usually a double. If I want a black coffee I will usually just make a pour over. I will however give a Long Black a try. Thanks Morgan.
Thanks Morgan! Very informative!! As a proud Aussie, my morning go-to at home is a long black. I'm not great at steaming milk, so when I'm out I'll spoil myself and get a magic 🙂.
Here in recent day Italy the americano started out as a way to mimic drip coffee with an espresso machine, usually it is a single shot (7 to 10 grams in) diluted to the volume of a standard cappuccino mug. So something more similar to the long black you brewed, a bit stronger even
When I was in Paris and asked for a Long, they served me an Espresso in a regular cup and a pot of hot water. So I pour in the hot water myself to my liking and to add more hot water in as I drink, watering it down. This makes kind of sense, as I am extending my coffee drinking time a bit longer than usual. Truthfully, if the water already poured in ahead of time, I don't think I could even tell the difference between an Americano or a Long Black.
Some other fun facts. I lived in both Singapore and Korea for years. In Singapore because of more Aussie influence I suppose, the proper coffee shops typically have long blacks, flat whites, etc in the menu (ignoring Singapore style coffee which is a diff thing). In Korea, Americano is king - anecdotally I noticed that the default drink for adults in korea is an Americano or iced Americano.
Former Aussie barista here. In my cafe you can get an iced long black or a large long black (3 shots) in a 12oz cup. However, unless you ask for it, you'll get a standard (or regular) sized drink with 2 shots of espresso.
Fun comparison. Nice to see. May I give a suggestion about production : ) Try rotating your lav mic so it points downwards. This may (or may not) have a positive effect on the sibilants.
Going to cafes in the south island of New Zealand, it is quite common/usual to be served a long black in a cup around 1/2 to 3/4 full of just espresso, then get a small stainless jug with the hot water to add to your taste. This seems the best way to my partner who will always drinks long blacks.
I do something kind of like these drinks at home. I don't have an espresso machine, but I do have an Aeropress. So I'll make the largest brew I can with it, put it in my usual travel coffee mug and then top it off with hot water. I've also done cold brew and added hot water to it.
4:50 I love the fact that you pour your water into the empty glass in concentric circles, small but still circles! I guess that´s habitual!! 😀 Otherwise - informative, clear and concise as usual! Congrats on the new studio space!! 😊
My partner was a barista in Aotearoa (NZ) a few decades back and the way they built the Long Back in the cafe she worked in was to pull the espresso into the mug then provide the hot water in a small jug on the side.
My wife is from Spain so I spend quite a lot of time there. In Spain an Americano is typically just an espresso where you put a lot more water though the puck,. They have typically 4 buttons on the espresso machine. Single short, double short, single long, or double long. For an americano you make a double dose and then press double long to get a pretty big drink. Drip coffee doesn't exist there more or less.
I order Americanos a lot when I go to a coffee shop and add a splash of half and half. I have never heard of a long black before so I will give them a try. I like variety but the next time I walk into a coffee shop I'm tempted to order a Long Black Americano just to see what I get.. 🙂 Thanks for the video.
Can you please make a video about caffea liberica. This variety has a special place in my heart since it was the variety of coffee being farmed from my mom’s and my wife’s province back in the Philippines.
If I have a fancy bag of beans, I'll generally make a long black at first and take some time to enjoy it. But day-to-day I make Americanoes - I just need a big cup of hot bean-juice mostly. I still always pour the shot after the water though - it just looks better for absolutely zero extra effort.
As a Canadian in the UK i thought my only cafe quest was finding something similar to a London fog. Now my quest is ordering ammericanos and seeing if they do espresso or water first.
@@KellyS_77 I've asked for that and they just don't understand, putting a tea bag in steamed milk is beyond them. The closest I've gotten was "I can give you earl grey tea with some steamed milk on the side".
Thank you RU-vid algorithm for suggesting your channel! Great video! Subscribed! Long black gang here…and I like to live dangerously by making the shot directly into my cup of hot water 😏
Brit here - everywhere here seems to make Americano as espresso into hot water. Only variation seems to be that some baristas judge the amount of hot water right first time, others put in most of the hot water and top up to required size after adding the espresso.
another kiwi barista here fro the heyday of nfs coffee renaissance in the late 80's early 90s. we served long blacks straight double shots into the coffee cup then a small mini jug of hot water on the side, the customer could pour in the water they wanted, some would just double the liquid amount some would fill the cup. all on each persons taste, this was the early 90s so guessing the process has elevated to this pouring onto water in the cup haha .
We used to make a 1:1 ratio espresso and water and call it a cut double. Served the same purpose as a picollo latte to a latte. Fits right in with your analogy. Being an Aussie I probably fed into the Americano is espresso then water argument, but your analysis is better, its more about how they function for the drinker rather than exsctly how they're built.
I guess my question would be: "why would you ruin a perfectly good shot of espresso by adding water?" When I'm making a "6 [demitasse] cup" Moka pot brew, I'll definitely add roughly the equivalent of a shot (30-35 ml) of water, since it's such a large amount of a rather astringent brew that I find it more pleasant that way. But espresso? Nah.
Hey Morgan, what type of glass is it you used in your video thumbnail (the one on the right) I've been trying to find a one with the same shape as it. Anyways, cool video!
Thank you for explaining this. I thought these drink is interchangeable (pardon my ignorance). No wonder all this while I think the cafe is not consistent, apparently I ordered wrongly. Thus, it come to light that I enjoy long black more than americano😂
I was expecting a Vienna type of coffee reading about the long black (Vienna coffee might be a complete series of its own - hint, hint😊). Haven't heard of it as the down under version before. Will definitely try that with my machine if it makes a difference using the pre selected programs for more water or filling up an espresso with hot water afterwards.
As a person that worked in italian restaurants, I can tell you that in Italy when a customer ask for americano we usually pour the espresso on the cup and on top we add the hot water.... We call it "watery coffee" or "coffee soup". As an italian that live in UK i started to drink and appreciate the americano coffee, something that I never imagined I could enjoy. Never tried the long black, but if I had to compare the two I will say that the americano it probably remains more drinkable while getting cold, while the long black, that has a more stronger taste (like an espresso) it might become to bitter and so is ay best hot or at least warm. At least this is how I imagine... but I might be totally wrong. Something that I am sure of is that every coffee is good, with milk or black, with syrup or ice it just perfect 👌. Ps nice video looking forward for more 👌
I really really wish there was a combination of both, where the ratio remains the same as the long black but the total volume comes out to be 1 Litre or 32 oz.
@@hannahbd9 Espresso is supposed to have a bit less caffeine than Drip, but .. at the Long Black ratio for a liter of finished beverage, you'd still be looking at about 6 double shots of Espresso. THAT, is too much for me. Almost 100g of beans would go into that. Normally, I'd use 60g of beans to 1 liter of water, for drip coffee.
Interesting, my main go to coffee is a double espresso and let the water run a little longer so at the end the drink is about the size of a cortado, still has a great creme on it then.
I'm not here to watch the video. I'm just here to tap the 0 key over and over, playing that first moment on a loop forever. That is simply a perfect intro. Meme-worthy, even. In fact, it's now a gif saved on my hard drive for reaction and meme purposes. (And obviously I _am_ here to watch the video but still...)
I wonder, too, if there's some sweet spot to balance mouth feel and origin flavor. I expect adding more water can open up the coffee in that the lower surface tension might separate out the nuances of the flavors much like adding a bit of water to whiskey can. Interestingly, I find in drinking spirits that some respond better to water than others, which also makes me wonder if the ideal ratio of coffee to water will vary depending on the origin and the roast. All that said, I love good coffee, so consider the experiment worthwhile in its own right!
when traveling and visiting a new cafe, ordering a long black is my benchmark for it’s going to be a good experience. if they don’t know what it is i adjust my expectations 😅
As an Aussie from Canberra, I thought they were pretty much the same thing. I think Aus coffee is a bit more straightforward, less leaning towards toppings and syrups etc. If you order a long black, you don't get questions. Ditto for latte and ... well really everything. I think perhaps we just like to know exactly what's in our coffees. Italian and Greek cafe culture had a huge impact on Aus. You get more US style coffee at the big chains, but they don't do very well here. I've spent some time in Canada and a little time in the US, and remember not liking the coffee. I'm not sure what proportion were drip, but they certainly tasted different! There must be differences other than drink names/ratios.
"In early 2024, in an attempt to discuss the comparisons of the Americano and the Long Black, Morgan Eckroth unleashed the Great Coffee Wars. The result is the day old, refrigerated swill we all drink today, to ensure uniform unhappiness."
“Espressos” is the real dagger Morgan lol. (I am being silly, no offenses) I know it’s correct also depending on what is the spoken language, but it killed me just a little . Love the new studio. Great vid.
I like a luke warm Americano. So delicious. The people that knew me at my coffee place would give me a hot Americano and a cup of ice separate so I could titrate. Not particularly elegant but I enjoyed it.
