Coffee Beans for Long Black & Americano

Café Crème and Americano are both extended coffee drinks based on espresso. However, the main difference lies in the preparation and flavor profile.

Café Crème is extracted with a larger amount of water – the coffee grinder is set slightly coarser compared to espresso, allowing a greater amount of water to pass through the coffee bed. This results in a balanced, mild coffee with a fine crema. Café Crème is very popular in Switzerland and is often considered a middle ground between espresso and filter coffee.

On the other hand, Americano is made by adding hot water to a single or double espresso. In this case, we can keep the grinder setting the same or don’t need a second grinder like with Café Crème. This creates a larger drink with a stronger coffee concentration than Café Crème. The Americano has a bolder flavor and contains more caffeine. Originally introduced by American soldiers in Italy, it has become popular worldwide due to its balanced taste and adaptability to individual preferences.

Although both drinks are based on espresso and are extended, and are almost equal in strength, they differ in preparation and flavor experience.

In the coffee shop, one faces the decision of whether to have a grinder only for espresso and serve an Americano instead of Café Crème, or to invest in an additional grinder with a Café Crème grind setting.

In the 80s, when the first home espresso machines hit the market, drip coffee was widely popular in Switzerland. However, the espresso, with its syrupy and highly concentrated flavor explosion from Italy, was deemed too strong for most Swiss people. Nevertheless, they didn’t want to miss out on the crema compared to traditional drip coffee. This led to the creation of Café Crème, born as a compromise between espresso and drip coffee, with more water but still maintaining crema.

The term “Crème” actually refers to the delicious crema on top of the coffee, created by the pressure in the brewing process, distinguishing it from traditional drip coffee, and not to the cream provided with it in the coffee shop.

Café Crème not only has a long tradition in Switzerland but still constitutes a significant portion of orders in coffee houses today. However, as a barista, we face a challenge—especially when equipped with only one coffee grinder.

The Americano is a popular coffee drink that originated during World War II in Europe. During that time, American soldiers stationed in Italy spent their coffee breaks in local coffee shops. Since they liked the taste of espresso but preferred a larger cup, Americans started adding hot water to the espresso to get a longer coffee. This led to the creation of the Americano, a drink that combines the strong taste of espresso with a larger quantity of liquid. Today, the Americano is enjoyed for its balanced flavor and the ability to adjust the strength individually.