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!
Milk adds a fair bit of sweetness and hides a lot of sins in the coffee process.
If it’s been slightly burned or the machine/grinder aren’t really clean then milk will cover that. Black…it’s all out there.
If you can ask them for 3 or 4 seconds of hot water from the group and then float the espresso shot on top and stir. Makes for a great cafe option.
You don’t want water from the steam wand/hot water spout as it’s from a different boiler and will be much hotter. Normally around 130degress celcius vs around 90 for the espresso.
That’s an Australian style long black, which is how I had it today.
What I’m struggling with though, is that it feels too “thin”. It’s lacking the body that I’m used to.
Fellow Aussie here. Not sure where you are, but here in Melbourne I’ve found a few specialty cafes that serve a deconstructed long black… basically an espresso with a small cup of hot water on the side, so you can experiment with how much you want to dilute it.