How to Make the Best Lungo Coffee – A Step by Step Guide

Coffee is awesome. I mean what’s not to like about it? It smells terrific even as you open the package. After being prepared, the combination of black bitterness with a drop of sugar makes it the best elixir to start a day, no matter the corner of the world you live in. Coffee can be served and prepared in many ways. One of the most popular servings is Lungo coffee.

A Lungo coffee is essentially the same thing as an espresso. The main difference is that the extraction time is a bit more extended. You end up with a larger serving of coffee of almost 70ml in your cup. The extraction time for a Lungo should be of at least 60 seconds to achieve the best flavor. The Lungo is regarded as a coffee serving with a lesser body and more bitter than his close cousin, the espresso.

Why Lungo Tastes the Way It Does

The science behind this is pretty simple. The amount of water that runs through the ground coffee dissolves the bitterness of it. You will end up with a watery coffee that is lighter in punch but still packs flavor. This serving is very popular among people who can’t stand the bitterness of a strong black coffee, but seem to enjoy the benefits it offers. Lungo is more akin to a personal taste than a quality serving. It’s still popular enough to be the main serving in a lot of coffee shops.

Lungo is regarded by some as a downgrade when it comes to coffee servings. It’s not as intense as espresso yet is not as light as an Americano. Some people will say that the perfect Lungo is something that falls in between both preparations. Many coffee shops make the mistake of serving Lungo by making espresso and pouring extra hot water on it after it’s done. That is just a dilution of coffee, and it tastes terrible.

How to Make a Good Lungo

If you want a Lungo style coffee done at your house, the preparation is not as hard as you think. A coffee maker will never offer true Lungo, but it can come close, the only thing you need to do is add extra water to the cup size that distills the beans. The coffee will not come off too strong, and you will be able to enjoy a lighter coffee without the hassle.

Things can get a bit more complicated when you go to a coffee shop. Since making Lungo is not an exact science, you will have to pay attention to specific details when you place your order. First, take note of the type of ground coffee they are using. Second, make sure they pour water on it after making an espresso. The best Lungo is done when you allow the coffee machine to make the extraction by itself.
Make sure it runs no more than a minute.

The Best Way to Serve Lungo

Lungo is also the basis for many coffee drinks that require a lesser serving of coffee that is not as bitter. It’s a frequent requirement in soft drinks and coffee-based cold drinks. The best Lungo is made with eight grams of coffee and a full-sized cup of water that can hold at least 70ml. Modern cup shot machines are the ones that can make the recipe work with the press of a button. While the preparation is lighter, the flavor is still quite strong when it’s fresh.

Another requirement for good Lungo is a medium grind of the coffee bean. It should be a tad denser than the usual coffee that comes packaged in a supermarket. If you are preparing your Lungo using a coffee machine, the top crème should be thick and with a strong stint of brown colors. The Lungo coffee is best served with a dash of milk, and a cube of sugar stirred adequately. A regular cup will do to drink it off.