What makes a long coffee and how is it different from a short one?

(And, speaking of the liquid in the glass, why don't we talk about "high" or "low" coffee?

Basically, all machine-made coffee is based on an "espresso" (whether it's a cafe press or a home capsule). This is a drink according to the general consensus, 25-40 ml of liquid, prepared from the given amount of coffee. If we want to drink a shorter, more concentrated coffee, it is "ristretto" (15-25 ml in the glass), if we want a longer one, according to the original Italian classification, it is "lungo" (40-80 ml). There is neither a precise rule nor an international standard for these (don't even look for them in a four-digit function table!), in addition to habit, it is shaped by the habits of individual places, areas, or the ideas of the given barista.

Ideally, everything we want is dissolved in the coffee in about 25-35 seconds , and nothing more. In order for different amounts of liquid to be prepared in the same amount of time, the coffee ground used for the ristretto would have to be much finer than the one from which the lungo is made (water flows through the coarse ground faster, i.e. much more liquid in the same time will be in the cup). If we were to proceed in this way, we would get drinks that taste and feel very similar, differing only in their "density". Unfortunately, since this cannot be solved, the time will inevitably change: the water comes for a short time for the ristretto, for a longer time for the lungo. This is how the espresso served in the large glass became "long coffee".

Since the coffee is in contact with the water for a longer time , more caffeine is dissolved , which is why long coffee has a less intense taste compared to pressed coffee, but its effect will be stronger.

The situation is the same with capsule machines: the shorter coffee makes the coffee with much less water and in a shorter time, the long coffee allows more water to pass through the same amount of coffee in more time. Which one is better is a matter of personal taste. Fortunately, despite appearances, the "length" of the coffee can be set on capsule machines, i.e. the amount of water flowing through can be programmed on each button. The method for this is different for each machine, it is worth looking up the user manual or looking it up online. If there is a good setting where our coffees taste good, it is worth making every coffee with that button!

It is important that everyone only drinks coffee that they like! :)