<p>There have been a few questions now asked about the difference between a Caffe Americano vs a Long Black and the merits of each (<a href="https://coffee.stackexchange.com/questions/164/when-making-a-long-black-how-long-should-hot-water-cool-before-adding-espresso">here</a> and <a href="https://coffee.stackexchange.com/questions/402/procedure-for-making-a-caffe-americano/404#404">here</a>).  The main difference seems to be that the Long Black method of adding the espresso after the hot water preserves the crema better.</p>

<p>I conducted an experiment and created an Americano and a Long Black simultaneously using a La Marzocco. Immediately after brewing the result was as expected with the Long Black having more crema.  However, by the time they had sat a bit and cooled enough to drink (approximately 2 minutes), the crema had broken down and they looked almost identical.</p>

<p>Does the crema breaking up during brewing (Americano) or shortly thereafter (Long Black) really make a difference/affect the taste?  If not, is the difference merely academic or is there some other reason why the order of operations matters?</p>

CC BY-SA 3.0
2015-03-03T16:59:43.640Z
... and don't forget [this how-to-pour question](http://coffee.stackexchange.com/questions/1582/how-to-preserve-crema-when-pouring-a-shot-into-a-drink). Looks like we a proper solution to this problem! To me, if you want intact crema, you have a shot of espresso: black and fresh... as (metaphorically) close to the portafilter as you can get. But I hope there's other options...
hoc_age
<brewing-process><espresso>
End result of Americano vs Long Black?
PDePree
# End result of Americano vs Long Black?

(Asked by: username_0 on 2015-03-03)

There have been a few questions now asked about the difference between a Caffe Americano vs a Long Black and the merits of each ([here](https://coffee.stackexchange.com/questions/164/when-making-a-long-black-how-long-should-hot-water-cool-before-adding-espresso) and [here](https://coffee.stackexchange.com/questions/402/procedure-for-making-a-caffe-americano/404#404)). The main difference seems to be that the Long Black method of adding the espresso after the hot water preserves the crema better.

I conducted an experiment and created an Americano and a Long Black simultaneously using a La Marzocco. Immediately after brewing the result was as expected with the Long Black having more crema. However, by the time they had sat a bit and cooled enough to drink (approximately 2 minutes), the crema had broken down and they looked almost identical.

Does the crema breaking up during brewing (Americano) or shortly thereafter (Long Black) really make a difference/affect the taste? If not, is the difference merely academic or is there some other reason why the order of operations matters?

**Tags:** brewing-process, espresso

> **Comments:**
> **username_1**: ... and don't forget [this how-to-pour question](http://coffee.stackexchange.com/questions/1582/how-to-preserve-crema-when-pouring-a-shot-into-a-drink). Looks like we a proper solution to this problem! To me, if you want intact crema, you have a shot of espresso: black and fresh... as (metaphorically) close to the portafilter as you can get. But I hope there's other options...  

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## 0 answers

