Will the long black soon be the UK’s favorite coffee?
Fans of this coffee, made differently from an americano, say it tastes much better – and it’s going from a niche drink to a bestseller.
If you visit high-end coffee shops in the UK – the kind where baristas carefully measure coffee grounds on tiny scales and dislike adding syrup – you might have noticed that americanos are becoming less popular. Instead, a new coffee from Australia and New Zealand is taking over: the long black.
When I asked different baristas about it, I got mixed answers. One quietly told me, “It’s basically the same as an americano.” Another said, “It’s a smaller black coffee, the same size as a flat white.” The last barista just shook her head in disappointment when I asked if a long black was just a fancier way of ordering an americano.
What’s the difference between a long black and an Americano?
In 2023, a coffee shop called Tamp in Chiswick, west London, posted a video on Instagram asking this exact question. It went viral, with 2.1 million views.
Even though it’s called a long black, this drink is actually smaller than an Americano. One key difference is how it’s made. Many baristas believe that adding the espresso after the hot water makes a better drink. According to Ollie Simon from Allpress, a coffee company started in New Zealand, this method keeps the temperature more even. Pouring hot water onto espresso can disturb the drink and reduce its delicate flavors and aromas.
Laynes, a coffee shop in Leeds, also adds the espresso second. Owner Dave Olejnik says it’s a quicker way to make the drink, and espresso is meant to be fast. He also believes that pouring hot water onto espresso ruins the texture and crema (the smooth layer on top). He thinks the drink looks better when the espresso is poured into the water.
The long black is becoming more popular in the UK. In 2023, a small survey found it was the fifth most-ordered coffee in London, making up 9% of all coffee sales in the city. Kaffeine, a coffee shop in Soho, has been serving long blacks since 2009. Its owner, Peter Dore-Smith, is from Melbourne but has lived in London for years. His shop, along with Flat White (another well-known café started by Australians and New Zealanders), helped make flat whites popular in the UK. He even jokes that he should open a café called Long Black since so many people come to his shop for it.
Dore-Smith takes me behind the bar to watch Katarina, one of his top baristas, at work. She tilts an espresso cup upside down to bring everything closer to the spout, then brews into a small 5oz cup with hot water—the same size used for a flat white. She explains that while cup size doesn’t change the taste much, it helps make the drink look better, which matters when you don’t have fancy latte art.
“You’ll notice a big difference in flavor,” Dore-Smith says. He’s right. A long black has a stronger, richer taste, with hints of blackberry, caramel, and nuts. In contrast, the americano tastes weak and watery. I’m convinced.
“Everyone’s basically saying, ‘Wow, this is so much better,’” says Dore-Smith. “I’ve noticed while working behind the bar that more people are ordering long blacks, and they’re becoming more common.” At Kaffeine, sales of long blacks went up by 4% from November to mid-January, and black coffee in general is also becoming more popular.
“It’s similar to how people moved from big lattes to flat whites,” says Olejnik. “Now, they’re moving from big americanos to long blacks in the same way.”
Like the flat white, the long black comes from either Australia or New Zealand, depending on who you ask. Both countries are known for great coffee, and if a café is run by an Australian or a New Zealander, it’s usually a sign that the coffee will be high quality.
Dore-Smith believes Australian coffee culture was shaped by Italian immigrants who moved there in the 1950s and 60s, bringing their espresso-making skills. He also thinks geography and strict drink-driving laws played a role. “In London, if you want to meet a friend, you go to the pub, have a few beers, and take the train home,” he explains. “But in many parts of Australia, public transport isn’t great, so people drive. That means they’re more likely to meet for a good coffee instead.”
New Zealanders have a similar approach. “Public transport isn’t a big thing, so people catch up over coffee instead of a beer,” says Simon, who is from Auckland. He also thinks coffee culture in both countries grew independently. “I wouldn’t say it developed in a bubble, but because we’re so far away, it’s evolved in its own way.”
“They’re much less influenced by American coffee culture,” says Olejnik. “In the U.S., you get big drinks and cozy cafés like Starbucks. But in Australia and New Zealand, it’s more about perfecting the Italian espresso style and focusing on quality over quantity.” This approach has had a big impact on coffee culture worldwide.
As more UK cafés add Australian and New Zealand-style coffee to their menus, could the long black become as popular as the flat white? So far, no major UK coffee chains have added it. Costa was the first to introduce the flat white in 2010, and it’s now one of their top-selling drinks. But they have no plans to offer long blacks yet. So while the Aussie and Kiwi coffee wave hasn’t fully taken over, if you usually drink americanos, you might want to give a long black a try.
Published: 7th February 2025
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