Long shot
A lungo is a long espresso: 50 to 60 g pulled from 18 g of coffee, extracting further than a normal shot. Why it is not an americano, and how to pull one well.
A lungo is a long espresso: more water forced through the same dose during the shot itself, typically 50 to 60 grams from 18 g (0.6 oz) of coffee.
Extraction continues for longer, so more is pulled out of the coffee. That brings more of the aromatic compounds that arrive late, and it also brings the dry, bitter ones. A lungo is lighter in body than an espresso and more prone to harshness.
A lungo is not an americano. An americano is a normal espresso with hot water added afterwards — the extraction is unchanged, just diluted. A lungo genuinely extracts further.
The practical difference is that an americano tastes like a weaker espresso and a lungo tastes like a differently extracted one. Anyone who finds lungos harsh and americanos pleasant is tasting exactly that.
Light roasts suit it, because they have more to give before running out. Dark roasts turn bitter quickly.
Grind a step coarser than for espresso, so the longer volume does not mean an excessively long time. Aim for 35 to 45 seconds; well past a minute and you are extracting the parts nobody wants.
It is the standard long drink in much of continental Europe and the default long setting on most super-automatic machines. Nespresso’s Vertuo system, which spins the capsule rather than pressing water through it, was designed largely around long coffees.
A lungo pushes more water through the coffee during the shot. An americano is a normal espresso with hot water added afterwards. The lungo extracts further and can turn bitter; the americano is simply diluted and keeps the espresso’s character.
Because it runs past the sweet spot. Try a step coarser and a shorter time, or use a lighter roast — dark roasts reach bitterness much sooner.
The equipment this actually requires — not a shopping list, the shortest route to doing it properly.
13-step steel burr · manual or LatteCrema wand
The machine most people should start with. The grinder is ordinary and the coffee is good rather than great — but the brew unit pops out in two seconds, and that single design decision is why these are still running after eight years.
Best for: Someone moving off capsules who wants fresh coffee without a hobby attached.
Vertuo, 6 cup sizes 5–18 oz, 37 oz side tank, 30-second heat-up, automatic ejection
Six Vertuo cup sizes from five to eighteen ounces, a 37-ounce removable side tank and a thirty-second heat-up.
Best for: A Vertuo buyer who wants the sizes and the range and will not notice half a minute
≈ $109
