The additive haters won me over. I tried a long black today, and I’ll give it another week or so and see how I go!
The taste is good, but it lacks the body/mouthfeel that I’m used to, which I think is what I most struggle with, but I’m hoping that will change as I get used to it!
i find that unfiltered black coffee has a lot of body. 2 heaped teaspoons of ground coffee, 200ish mls of boiling water. let it soak, then stir carefully. the coffee sinks to the bottom leaving you with rich flavorful goodness.
Otherwise known as cowboy coffee, if anyone wants a searchable term to learn more!
IMO good home-brewing options (which I’d personally prefer but to each their own) would be either a moka pot or a French press. They’re more full-bodied as they use metal to filter the grounds rather than paper (like drip/pour-over) which lets through more of the oils present in the coffee beans.
If OP gets her drinks from a café, I’d suggest trying an allongé as well. A long black (in my neck of the woods it’s called an americano and we don’t distinguish between the two, this depends on your area*) is espresso poured over hot water, whereas an allongé is basically an espresso with more water passed through the puck of grinds in the portafilter. Passing the extra water through the ground coffee rather than simply adding a shot of espresso to hot water adds a lot of body. Note that there is a higher ratio of beans to water in an allongé compared to a long black/americano, so it’s definitely going to be a stronger tasting brew.
*In areas where they distinguish between the two, as far as I understand a long black is when you pour the espresso on top of the hot water, whereas an americano is when you add hot water to espresso. The main difference is that when the espresso is poured on top, you preserve the crema. In Canadian cafés, I’ve never seen a long black on the menu, but every café I’ve worked at prepared americanos with espresso poured on top of the water.
uh i didn’t know that’s cowboy coffee was the official name. i always thought that my dad came up with the name at some point that it has since stuck with the family. but yeah cowboy coffee it is. French press also makes great coffee
uh i didn’t know that’s cowboy coffee was the official name. i always thought that my dad came up with the name at some point that it has since stuck with the family. but yeah cowboy coffee it is. French press also makes great coffee
The Turkish way
It’s specifically cafe coffees I’ve been trying to replace, and as amazing as Turkish coffee and its cousins are, I don’t think I’ll have any luck getting most cafes to make it for me :)