The difference between a Lungo and an Espresso coffee

A Lungo or an Espresso, you've probably heard of both types of coffee. But do you know what the difference is? It is well known that you get a smaller cup with an espresso with less coffee and that a lungo is often less strong than an espresso. Yet there are many more differences that we will discuss in this coffee blog.

Espresso

The espresso is known for its strong taste and is considered a 'normal' coffee in Italy. To prepare an Espresso, a fine coffee grind, high pressure and a throughput time of about 25 to 30 seconds are used. Relatively little water is used for brewing an espresso, which results in the intense taste that you are used to from an espresso. The high pressure with which an espresso is brewed creates the well-known crema layer on the coffee.

Lungo

Lungo is Italian for "long" and this type of coffee has a longer extraction process than the espresso. Also, twice as much water is used to make a lungo. A Lungo uses the same amount of coffee as an espresso, but the grind is often a lot coarser to prevent over-extraction. Because more water runs through the coffee grind for a longer period of time, more flavor components end up in your coffee. This often makes a lungo coffee more bitter than an espresso.

Is there more caffeine in espresso?

No, this is a fable. Because a lungo coffee has a longer extraction time, the water absorbs more caffeine from the coffee grind. As a result, an average lungo contains more caffeine than an espresso.

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