Lungo
What a lungo is and how to make one: an espresso pulled long with more water through the coffee. The ratio, time, taste, and lungo vs espresso and Americano.
Contents
What is a lungo?
A lungo is a long espresso: the same dose of coffee, but about twice as much water is pushed through it, so you get a bigger, milder cup. Lungo means long in Italian. Specialty recipes often pull it at 1:3 to 1:4, for example 18 g of coffee to 54–72 g in the cup, compared with about 1:2 for an espresso.
At a glance
- Ratio
- 1:3
- 18 g : 54 g
- Grind
- Fine
- Difficulty
- Advanced
- Origin
- Italy
Method
Dose as for espresso
Grind and dose 18 g of coffee into a double basket.
Distribute and tamp
Level the coffee and tamp it firmly and evenly.
Lock in and start
Lock the portafilter in, put your cup on scales and start the shot.
Let it run long
Let the shot keep running until about 54 g is in the cup, roughly three times the dose.
Taste and adjust
If it's harsh and bitter, grind a little coarser or stop a little sooner. If it's thin and sour, grind a little finer.
A lungo is a long espresso. It uses the same dose of coffee as a normal shot, but more water is pushed through it, generally about twice as much, so you get a bigger, milder cup. Lungo means “long” in Italian. Here’s the ratio, how to pull one and how it differs from a ristretto and an Americano.
The short version
- Same dose as an espresso, more water through the coffee.
- About 1:3 to 1:4 in specialty recipes: for example, 18 g of coffee to 54–72 g in the cup.
- Takes longer, up to about a minute.
- Milder but often more bitter than an espresso.
- Not an Americano: in a lungo, all the water goes through the coffee.
Lungo vs espresso vs ristretto
| Ristretto | Espresso | Lungo | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dose (example) | 18 g | 18 g | 18 g |
| In the cup | About 18 g | About 36 g | About 54–72 g |
| Ratio | About 1:1 | About 1:2 | About 1:3 to 1:4 |
| Time | Short | 20–30 seconds | Up to about a minute |
| Taste | Thick, sweet, intense | Balanced | Milder, lighter, often more bitter |
How do you make a lungo?
Dose and tamp exactly as for an espresso, then let the shot run on until you have about three to four times the dose in the cup. Because more water passes through the coffee, the later, more bitter part of the extraction ends up in the cup too. If it tastes harsh, grind a little coarser or stop a little sooner.
Step by step
- Dose 18 g into a double basket.
- Distribute and tamp firmly and evenly.
- Lock in and start, with your cup on scales.
- Let it run until about 54 g is in the cup.
- Taste and adjust the grind or the stopping point.
Lungo vs Americano
They’re often confused. In a lungo, all the water passes through the coffee. In an Americano, an espresso is made as normal and then topped up with hot water. So a lungo extracts more from the coffee and tastes more bitter, while an Americano is cleaner and lighter. The French café allongé sits in between: depending on the café, it’s either a lungo or an espresso lengthened with hot water.
Lungo pods
Capsule machines such as Nespresso have a lungo button and lungo capsules, which run more water through the coffee for a bigger cup. The principle is the same.
General guidance only. Espresso machines run at high pressure and temperature, so always follow the instructions for your machine.
Lungo vs other shots
- Espresso: the standard shot, about 1:2.
- Ristretto: the short, concentrated opposite.
- Café allongé: the French long coffee, made either way.
- Soup shot: a modern, very long espresso recipe.
Explore every pressure method in the pressure chapter.
What you’ll need
Words in this guide
- Tamping
- Tamping is pressing ground coffee down into a firm, flat, even layer with a tool called a tamper.
- Extraction
- Extraction is the process of water dissolving flavour compounds out of ground coffee.
Questions & answers
What is a lungo?
A long espresso. It uses the same dose of coffee as a normal shot, but more water, generally about twice as much, is pushed through the coffee, making a larger, milder drink. Lungo is Italian for long.
What's the ratio for a lungo?
Specialty recipes often use 1:3 to 1:4, coffee to drink by weight, compared with about 1:2 for an espresso. For example, 18 g of coffee to 54–72 g in the cup.
How long does a lungo take?
Longer than an espresso. Wikipedia puts a lungo at up to about a minute, compared with roughly 18–30 seconds for a standard shot.
Lungo vs Americano, what's the difference?
In a lungo, all the water passes through the coffee. In an Americano, an espresso is topped up with hot water afterwards. So a lungo extracts more from the coffee and tastes more bitter; an Americano is cleaner and lighter.
Is a lungo stronger than an espresso?
It's less concentrated, because there's more water. It can taste more bitter, because the water keeps extracting the coffee for longer.
Sources
- Lungo. Wikipedia
- What is lungo coffee?. Trade Coffee
- What is a lungo? How to brew it. Copenhagen Coffee Lab
- Barista skills (espresso parameters). Specialty Coffee Association training
General guidance only. Not medical, food-safety or professional advice. Always follow your equipment's own instructions.