Americano vs long black is a question about two drinks made from the same things: espresso and hot water. The usual answer is pour order. An Americano adds hot water to espresso. A long black pours espresso onto hot water. That is true, but it leaves out the difference you notice most in the cup: size. A long black is a small, concentrated drink. An Americano, especially in the United States, is usually much larger and more diluted.
This guide explains what each drink is, how pour order changes things, how the caffeine compares, and how to make or order each one. Where the evidence is thin, we say so.
Americano vs Long Black at a Glance
| Americano | Long black | |
|---|---|---|
| Pour order | Hot water added to espresso | Espresso poured onto hot water |
| Typical espresso | Often 2 or more shots in the US (a Starbucks Grande has 3) | A single or double shot, often a double |
| Typical water | Enough to fill the cup (Starbucks sizes run 8 to 20 fl oz) | About 100 to 180 ml (roughly 3.4 to 6 fl oz) |
| Typical size | Larger | Smaller, about 5.5 to 8 fl oz with a double shot |
| Crema | Less stays on top | More stays on top |
| Taste | Milder, closer to drip coffee | Stronger and more concentrated |
| Caffeine | Depends on the number of shots | Depends on the number of shots |
| Where you see it | US chains such as Starbucks | Australian cafes, and the name is also used in New Zealand |
The numbers above come from the sources in each section below. Recipes vary from cafe to cafe, so treat them as typical ranges, not rules.
What Is an Americano?
An Americano is espresso topped with hot water. Starbucks describes its Caffè Americano as espresso shots "topped with hot water." On its US menu (checked October 2026), the Grande size is a 16 fl oz cup with three shots of espresso. It has about 225 mg of caffeine and 15 calories.
That Grande is a good picture of the American version: three shots, a large cup, and plenty of water. The result looks like a mug of black coffee and tastes milder than straight espresso. If you want to compare it with milk drinks, our guide to Americano vs latte covers that side.
What Is a Long Black?
A long black is espresso poured onto a small amount of hot water. The Australian manual for the Breville Barista Express describes it as "an espresso (or double espresso) extracted over 120-180ml of hot water." It also calls the long black a drink with "a strong aroma and taste" (Breville BES875 manual, Coffees to try).
Some cafes use a little less water than that. In an article for Perfect Daily Grind, Levent Doganay of Coffee Brewmasters in Melbourne describes a double espresso or ristretto (a shorter, stronger shot) over 100 to 120 ml of hot water. A cafe owner in Indonesia interviewed for the same article uses a single shot over 160 ml.
Put together, a long black is usually one or two shots, most often two, over about 100 to 180 ml of water. With a double shot, the whole drink is roughly 160 to 240 ml, or about 5.5 to 8 fl oz. The long black is a common cafe order in Australia, and the name is also used in New Zealand. The term was added to the second edition of the Australian National Dictionary, published in August 2016. Breville's Australian manual also uses "long black" without mentioning the Americano at all.
The Real Difference Is Size, Not Just Pour Order
Many explanations of long black vs Americano focus on which liquid goes into the cup first. That matters for how the drink looks, but it is not the main reason the two drinks taste different. The bigger reason is how much water each one uses.
Compare the two examples above. A long black puts about two shots into 5.5 to 8 fl oz. A Starbucks Grande Americano puts three shots into a 16 fl oz cup. The long black has less water per shot, so it tastes stronger and more like espresso. The Americano has more water per shot, so it tastes milder and closer to drip coffee.
You can see this at home. If you add only a little water to espresso, an Americano tastes very close to a long black. If you pour a double shot into a large mug of hot water, the result tastes much like a large Americano, even though you used the long black pour order. The amount of water does most of the work. If you want to understand why ratio changes flavor so much, our guide to the espresso brew ratio explains the idea.
What Pour Order Changes: The Crema
The most visible thing pour order changes is the crema, the light brown foam on top of a fresh espresso. Perfect Daily Grind says pouring espresso onto the water helps a long black keep more crema than an Americano usually has. An Americano still has some crema. Starbucks, for example, says its Americano has "a light layer of crema."
So what is crema, and does it change the taste? Ernesto Illy and Luciano Navarini worked for the coffee company illycaffè. Their review of crema science appeared in the journal Food Biophysics in 2011. It describes crema as a foam of tiny gas bubbles, mostly carbon dioxide made during roasting. Proteins, other substances in the coffee, and tiny coffee particles help hold the bubbles in place (Illy and Navarini, "Neglected Food Bubbles: The Espresso Coffee Foam").
The same review makes three points that matter here:
- Crema is mainly a visual sign that an espresso was made well.
- On its own, crema tastes somewhat bitter and astringent. Astringent means it leaves the mouth feeling dry.
- The authors call crema "of little sensory interest" as a taste in itself. In other words, it is not where most of the flavor is.
So the crema mostly changes how a long black looks and how the first few sips taste. It does less for the overall flavor. Once you stir either drink, the cup contains espresso and water in both cases. We didn't find any published taste tests that compare the same espresso made both ways, so we cannot say how big the difference is for most people. If you are curious, make both side by side with the same amount of water and taste them before and after stirring.
Which Has More Caffeine?
Neither drink automatically has more caffeine. The caffeine comes from the espresso, so it depends on the number of shots, not on the water or the pour order.
Mayo Clinic lists about 63 mg of caffeine in a 1 oz (30 ml) shot of espresso (Mayo Clinic caffeine chart). Using that figure, a long black made with a double shot has roughly 126 mg. Real shots vary with the amount of coffee used, the beans, and the cafe, so this is only an estimate. Our guide to how much caffeine is in a shot of espresso explains why the number moves around.
This leads to a surprise. A long black tastes stronger, but a large US Americano often has more caffeine. The Starbucks Grande Americano lists about 225 mg because it has three shots. The long black tastes stronger mainly because its espresso is less diluted. For comparison, up to 400 mg of caffeine a day may be safe for most adults. People who are pregnant, trying to get pregnant, or breastfeeding should ask a health care professional about their limit.
How Hot Should the Water Be?
We found no official standard for the temperature of the water you add. At least one experienced barista prefers cooler water for a long black. Levent Doganay, quoted in Perfect Daily Grind, suggests water at about 70°C (158°F). He says it gives "greater clarity in flavour and a clean finish" and that hotter water makes the crema fade faster.
Treat that as one experienced barista's preference, not a rule. If you use a kettle, let the boiled water cool briefly before you pour. A cooler drink is also easier to sip right away, which matters with a small cup like a long black.
How to Make an Americano and a Long Black at Home
You need the same things for both: an espresso machine, freshly ground coffee, and a way to heat water. If your shots taste sour or bitter on their own, fix that first, because adding water will not hide it. Our guide on how to dial in espresso shows how to adjust your grind, the amount of coffee, and the shot time.
Long black
- Heat your water and pour about 100 to 180 ml into a cup. Start near 120 ml and adjust next time.
- Place the cup under the portafilter (the handle that holds the coffee) and brew a double shot of espresso straight onto the water.
- Taste it before you stir if you want to notice the crema, then stir and drink.
Americano
- Brew one or two shots of espresso into a mug.
- Add hot water on top. Start with about three times as much water as espresso, taste, and add more if you want it milder.
- Stir and drink. Add milk if you like, but at that point it is no longer a black coffee.
Some home machines have a separate hot water outlet for this job. The Breville Barista Express manual says its outlet is for "making long blacks and pre-heating cups." Other machines send hot water through the steam wand, the metal tube used to steam milk. The Gaggia Classic E24 manual says it dispenses hot water from the wand and warns you not to run it for more than 60 seconds. Check your manual, and be careful, because the wand and water are very hot.
How to Order Each One
In the US, the menu may list an Americano but no long black. If so, ask for an Americano with less water. You can also ask the barista to pour the shots on top of the water. It is an easy request because the ingredients are the same.
In Australia and New Zealand, ask for a long black. In those countries, a plain espresso is often called a short black. Breville's Australian manual lists the espresso as "also known as an espresso or short black."
Long Black vs Lungo, Short Black and Ristretto
Several espresso drinks have similar names, and it is easy to mix them up. Here is how they compare.
| Drink | What it is |
|---|---|
| Short black | Another name for a plain espresso, used in Australia and New Zealand |
| Ristretto | A very short espresso, about 15 ml |
| Lungo | An espresso shot brewed with more water than usual, so the extra water runs through the coffee grounds |
| Long black | An espresso or double espresso poured onto 100 to 180 ml of hot water |
| Americano | Espresso with hot water added on top, usually in a larger cup |
The lungo is the one most often confused with a long black. With a lungo, extra water passes through the coffee as it brews, changing the shot's flavor. With a long black, the shot brews normally, and you add the water separately. Perfect Daily Grind's article makes the same point and warns readers not to confuse the two.
Where the Names Come From
You will often read that the Americano got its name in World War II. In that story, American soldiers in Italy added hot water to espresso to make it taste more like the coffee they knew at home. The story is widely repeated, but we couldn't find a reliable historical record confirming it. Treat it as a popular story, not a documented fact.
The origin of the long black is also poorly documented. The drink is closely linked to Australia and New Zealand, and the term appears in the Australian National Dictionary. Still, we could not find a trustworthy source that gives a clear date or place for when it began.
Which Should You Choose?
Choose a long black if you like the taste of espresso but want a little more to drink. It is small, strong-tasting, and keeps more crema on top.
Choose an Americano if you want a larger cup that tastes more like regular black coffee. It is milder because of the extra water, though a big one can have more caffeine than a long black.
If you cannot decide, make both with the same double shot and change only the water amount. That simple test will tell you more about your taste than the pour order will.
Frequently Asked Questions About Americano vs Long Black
Is a long black stronger than an Americano?
It tastes stronger because it uses less water for the same espresso. It does not automatically have more caffeine. A large US Americano with three shots often has more caffeine than a double-shot long black.
Is a long black the same as an Americano?
They use the same ingredients: espresso and hot water. A long black pours the espresso onto the water and uses less water, so it is smaller and more concentrated. An Americano adds the water to the espresso and is usually larger.
Why do you pour espresso onto the water for a long black?
It helps more of the crema, the foam on top of the espresso, stay on top. Adding water on top of espresso tends to leave less crema.
Does a long black have more caffeine than a regular espresso?
No. If it is made with a double shot, it has the caffeine of a double espresso. The water adds volume but no caffeine.
Can you get a long black in the US?
Some cafes list it. If yours doesn't, ask for an Americano with less water, or ask the barista to pour the shots over the water.
How many calories are in an Americano or a long black?
Very few. Starbucks lists 15 calories for its Grande Americano. A long black is also just espresso and water, so it falls in the same low range as long as you don't add milk or sugar.
For more drink comparisons, see our guides to espresso vs coffee and flat white vs cappuccino, or browse the Drink Comparisons hub.