A café allongé is an espresso shot that was pulled slightly longer than a standard espresso. This process enables more hot water to pass through the coffee grinds, resulting in a less powerful yet bitter flavor, and a larger-sized beverage.
Café allongé vs Lungo
The term Café allongé originates from the french word for “long.” People may refer to the beverage as a Lungo or just a Long Espresso. It’s a caffè Lungo in Italy, and a café allongé in France. Other names that aren’t as often used include long-shot espresso.
While “caffè lungo ” is the Italian phrase for long coffee, the French equivalent is “café allongé.” You will not typically meet this terminology at specialty coffee shops in the United States. However, depending on the barista, you may get a shot longer than usual, which might also vary from the standard 1:2 ratio.
First, fruit acids are removed, followed by sugars and bittering compounds. Espresso is a concentration of these elements, and the most excellent espresso coffee has a harmonious balance of all three.
What does café allongé taste like?
Since a Café allongé is made with more water than a regular espresso or Corto/Ristretto, the flavor is significantly more subdued. However, while the drink is less powerful, it is also more bitter.
This bitterness effect is explained by the fact that most bitterness-inducing compounds in coffee dissolve later in the extraction procedure. In this case, more time is available for these elements to be incorporated into the drink by lengthening the espresso shot duration.
That may seem appealing to some. Others find this variety to be their least favorite espresso version.
It is crucial to remember that a Café allongé is not merely a half-strength shot.
Since extraction includes multiple chemical phases, the taste profile changes provide the Café allongé with smokier, more roasted overtones when compared to its espresso counterparts.
Ordering a Cafe Allongé at Starbucks
At Starbucks, you can order anY espresso beverage as a Café allongé. The espresso machines contain a button that enables lengthy shots, allowing more water to pass through the machine and resulting in a fuller cup of coffee. You will not be charged any more money when you request a shot of Café allongé rather than a shot of espresso.
You have the option of ordering a shot of Café allongé on its own, or you may swap out any of the regular espresso shots in any beverage like the popular Caramel Macchiato with shots of Café allongé instead.
Café allongé vs Regular espresso Caffeine content
First of all, the longer coffee is exposed to water, the more caffeine is extracted. This is why, many would concur that you will have less Caffeine per ml, but more Caffeine in the cafe allongé overall.
And that’s true to an extent. However, It remains controversial how much Caffeine is in a Café allongé. Some think a Café allongé has more Caffeine than a regular shot, others think the difference is barely detectable.
All in all, the quantity of Caffeine you receive from your shot is mainly influenced by the beans you use.
Café allongé-like beverages
Other beverages are comparable to Café allongé, such as:
- Ristretto
This espresso has been brewed with less water than average. It tastes pretty rich and bitter.
- Double espressos (doppio)
This espresso was brewed with double the number of ingredients as usual. It tastes precisely like espresso, except there is more of it.
- Long black
The long black is a type of coffee in which espresso is mixed with water. The Crema on the espresso is preserved by adding espresso to the water instead of the opposite. Long black tastes identical to Café allongé; however, it is significantly weaker since extra water is used.
- Black Coffee
Black Coffee is brewed coffee with nothing additional added to it. Although black coffee has a pleasant flavor, it is milder and much less bitter than Café allongé.
How to pull a Caffé Allongé?
When making a Café allongé instead of a standard espresso, the amount of water and the length of the brew are the two most important considerations. To make a Café allongé, you’ll need twice as much water as you would for an espresso.
Also, don’t act too hastily. Take twice as long to pull the shot since you have twice as much water to work with.
Also, Grind size is an important consideration when preparing an allongé. You’ll want to use a less fine grind size than you would for a regular cup of espresso.
However, the flow rate must be substantially higher than the standard 7-9 bar pressure. An empty portafilter will provide an untidy result, particularly near the end of the exposure. But don’t be alarmed; this is very normal. Always remember to work on puck preparation too.
Ingredients
- Ground espresso coffee
- Hot water
- Milk or creamer to enhance the taste
Directions
- After removing the portafilter from the espresso machine, pour water through the group head to flush off any lingering coffee grounds.
- Grind the coffee, then fill the empty portafilter with the ground coffee.
- Level and tamp the full portafilter. Descale the portafilter by removing any loose ground coffee.
- You may take Café allongé shots after the portafilter has been inserted into the group head.
- Because a Café allongé shot ought to have more water, you need to draw the shot for a more extended time than you would for an espresso.
- When you’re done making the Café allongé shots, You should remove the portafilter and flush the group head.
Some individuals may discover that its flavor demands a little bit of additional sweetness or creaminess.
FAQ
Can you Add Milk to Café allongé coffee?
Is milk customarily added to Café allongé coffee? No, the French way is meant as black coffee. A latte or another coffee drink may be preferable if you need milk in your coffee. But the most important thing is that it’s your coffee; do whatever you want.
Café allongé Vs Americano
They’re not the same. The addition of hot water to a regular shot of espresso results in an Americano, whereas the Café allongé, is a longer espresso shot pulled with extra water than average.
Café allongé has a more substantial, somewhat bitterer flavor than Americano, which tastes somewhat like brewed coffee.
They may taste drastically different depending on how they are prepared, and there are various methods to prepare them.
Finally, Americanos are often brewed with far more water than Café allongés, resulting in substantially larger beverages — some of the proportions available at high-street shops are ridiculous!
As a rule of thumb, a Café allongé has a much bolder and deeper flavor. Still, you can make americanos stronger by adding additional espresso shots and adjusting the quantity of water you add. Compared to a Café allongé, an americano allows for far greater customization.
Café allongé Vs Espresso
Café allongés and espressos are distinguished by the quantity of water used and the resulting taste. The exact quantity of finely ground coffee is used in a Café allongé shot, but it is brewed with more water and for longer.
Consequently, You may find more refined tastes like caramel and nuttiness in a less concentrated coffee. Adding a Café allongé to your cup of coffee also amplifies the coffee’s bitterness.
Since the water is in touch with the coffee grounds longer, the Café allongé has a little more excellent caffeine content than a typical espresso shot.
The doppio, formed of two espresso shots, is also commonly mistaken for a long shot espresso or Café allongé.
Café allongé using Nespresso capsules?
Nope! Perhaps you purchased the wrong kind of capsules, which are too strong for your taste, and you’re wondering if you should dissolve them with a little extra water. You can accomplish that, but it won’t be a Café allongé.
Nespresso capsules are specifically prepared with the appropriate extraction in consideration. Adding extra water to the coffee will dilute the rich taste, resulting in a flat cup. It is impossible to make a café allongé using a Nespresso capsule.
Wrapping up
All in all, the café allongé is a fantastic type of coffee to try out. I’d recommend this to anyone looking for a smokier type of espresso. Also, if you’re a fan of the Americano, a cafe allongé can be a good substitute for your typical shot or shots, the two drinks aren’t the same, however.
That said, I understand that they cannot be suitable for everyone. If you like a lovely, light milky coffee, a Café allongé may be too harsh and powerful.
A Café allongé, on the other hand, may be the drink for you if you want a rich, flavorful beverage. The prolonged extraction helps to bring out all of the flavors in the beans, resulting in a beautifully rich flavor.
