Many people have found themselves confused on the difference between Black Coffee VS Americano VS Long Black. Although they are all kind of similar in coffee shops, they are definitely not the same!
What sets the three apart? How about the taste? Let’s find out through the article below!
Black Coffee VS Americano VS Long Black
Before we discuss the differences further, let’s get acquainted with each of these coffee drinkers’ favorite ‘black coffee families’!
Get acquainted with Black Coffee!
Black coffee may be one of the first coffees we know about. Black coffee is the first coffee that may be present in our lives. The culture of the Indonesian people to drink coffee seems to be passed down from generation to generation, and of course, black coffee is one of the first coffees we know and maybe taste.
The black coffee we use to know was also known as “Tubruk Coffee”. Tubruk coffee is a black coffee that is enjoyed along with the coffee grounds. Therefore, Tubruk coffee is usually prepared with ground coffee that is finely ground and then doused with boiling water.
As the time goes, the black coffee we know is now more than just a Tubruk coffee. Just call it filter/drip coffee. The coffee made using the manual brewing method is also ‘one family’ with traditional black coffee such as the Tubruk coffee.
The difference is, for black coffee, the coffee filter type is more modern with the use of many kinds of tools. The resulting taste will also be different from brewed coffee, you know!
What is Americano?
The simple answer that we usually get is a mixture of water and espresso.
In fact, Americano is a regular brewed espresso drink. Traditionally espresso is served as a strong, strong coffee. Americano uses the same method of making espresso, but after that, the espresso is diluted by mixing it in hot water.
The name comes from American soldiers who wanted their coffee to resemble home-brewed coffee but use a cup of espresso. So that added water is also to reduce the density of espresso.
What is Long Black?
Long Black is a drink consisting of hot water and espresso. This drink is served by preparing hot water first and then pouring espresso into it. Long Black comes from Australia and New Zealand, therefore the way of presentation must follow the country of origin, not the other way around.
The Long Black is identical to the rest of the crema on the surface of the coffee. Because the way to make is to pour hot water first before the espresso. The crema above the coffee remains on the surface of the cup. This is what makes long black different from other types of black coffee.
What Are the Differences?
From the three meanings of the ‘black coffee family’ above, have you started to find the difference?
Black coffee which became our first coffee is certainly different from Americano and Long Black. Why is it different?
Americano and Long Black are espresso-based coffee drinks, where the basic ingredients of the two drinks are espresso which is then mixed with water. Meanwhile, traditional black coffee and manual brewing do not use espresso as the basic ingredient but brewed directly using a different method.
While espresso is made with an espresso machine where high-pressure water is rapidly passed through the ground coffee, manual brew black coffee is made simply by pouring hot water over the coffee grounds and allowing the resulting extraction to drip through a filter.
The same is true for the traditional black coffee we know as ground coffee!
Even though brewed coffee does not use a filter and is enjoyed still with coffee grounds, brewed coffee does not use espresso as the basic ingredient. The resulting taste will also be different.
As reported by perfectdailygrind.com this type of Black Coffee has a rich and original taste! The results also vary greatly depending on the coffee beans used (origin, variety, and processing method, for example) and the brewing equipment used.
Americano VS Long Black
Now we come to the ‘black coffee family’ which may be very difficult to distinguish.
What is the difference between Americano and Long Black? Reported by the homegrounds.co site says that Americano and Long Black are almost no different.
Then, what makes people think that Americano and Long Black are different?
The basic difference between Americano and Long Black lies on how it is served.
The way to make Americano is to prepare the espresso first and then add hot water afterward. Americano usually barely leaves crema on the surface of the cup. This is because the espresso is poured with hot water so that it breaks the crema in the espresso.
Meanwhile, the way of presenting Long Black as mentioned above is by pouring hot water first before the espresso, so that the crema of the espresso remains on the surface of the cup.
This difference is also based on the origin of the two drinks from the ‘black coffee family’. Americano as the name implies certainly comes from America and adapts to the way it is served in America. Likewise, with Long Black originating from Australia and New Zealand, the way of presentation of course follows the country of origin.
Regardless of the way of presentation, the flavors of Americano and Long Black certainly have their fans!