Coffee Calculators
Americano & Long Black Calculator
https://www.coffeesizing.com/calculators/americano-long-black/
Estimate only — not a cupping score, a water lab or a roast profile. Confirm on a test brew.
Americano & Long Black Calculator
An Americano is espresso diluted with hot water; a long black is the same masses poured shot-over-water so crema survives. The calculator does not care about pour order — it cares about brew ratio in the cup. Weigh the shot, weigh the water, drink the percent espresso you actually wanted.
Inputs
Results
- Cup mass
- 136.0g
- Espresso share
- 26.5%
- Dilution ratio
- 3.78
Final cup mass per gram of espresso. 1.0 means no water.
Recommended gear
Espresso machine
A long black is only as good as the shot. Pull the yield on a scale, then add water.
Typical range: $400–$2,500
Barista thermometer
Water at 70 °C and water at 96 °C make different long blacks. Clip a probe if you keep killing the crema.
Typical range: $8–$25
0.1 g coffee scale
Tare the mug, add water, add shot. ‘A bit of hot water’ is how every Americano becomes accidental filter.
Typical range: $20–$80
Calculation method
Cup mass is shot plus water. Espresso percent is the shot’s share of that cup. Dilution ratio is cup mass divided by shot mass — 36 g of espresso plus 100 g of water is 136 g, about 26% espresso, dilution 3.8. Same numbers whether you pour water first (long black) or last (Americano).
Exact formula
cupG = shotYieldG + hotWaterG. espressoPercent = 100 × shotYieldG / cupG. dilutionRatio = cupG / shotYieldG. Limits: Crema collapse, mug heat and lingering basket drips omitted; pour order is ritual, not mass.
Lungo is not an Americano
A lungo pulls more water through the puck and keeps extracting (often into bitterness). An Americano pulls a normal shot, then adds water. If the shot already tastes dry, do not ‘fix’ it by pulling longer — dilute instead.
Frequently asked questions
Americano vs long black?
Same ingredients, opposite order. Water first keeps crema on a long black. Shot first, then water, is the Americano. This page only adds the grams.
Is this the same as bypass on a V60?
Similar idea: you extracted at espresso TDS, then lowered strength with water. The puck already finished extracting; extra water does not raise extraction yield.
How hot should the water be?
Just off boil is common; cooler water preserves more aroma and crema. It is not in the formula — taste, then pick a kettle temperature.
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