Café Allongé: The French Long Espresso

Ask for “un café” in Paris and you get an espresso: small, strong, gone in three sips. Ask for “un café allongé” and you get the same coffee made longer. Allonger means “to lengthen,” and that’s the whole idea. So what is a café allongé, exactly? It’s the French name for a long espresso: either a shot pulled with roughly twice the water (what Italians call a lungo) or, in many cafés, an espresso lengthened with hot water, close to an Americano. The name covers both, and which one you get depends on where you order it.

This guide explains the difference, how to order one in France or Quebec, and how to make a café allongé at home both ways.

Key takeaways

• Café allongé literally means “lengthened coffee”: a longer, milder drink built on espresso.
• Wikipedia’s entry on the lungo notes that in French the lungo is called café allongé, and that the drink is popular in Quebec.
• In everyday French usage, “allongé” also describes espresso diluted with hot water, so cafés may serve either version.
• A lungo-style allongé is pulled longer (up to about a minute, 50–70 ml); a water-added allongé keeps a normal shot and adds hot water.

In this article

1. What is a café allongé?
2. Allongé vs lungo vs Americano vs long black
3. How to order one in France and Quebec
4. How to make a café allongé at home
5. FAQ

What is a café allongé?

In French cafés, plain “café” means espresso. Everything else is a variation on it: café crème with steamed milk, noisette with a dash of milk, serré for a shorter, tighter shot, and allongé for a longer, lighter one.

There are two ways to lengthen an espresso, and French usage doesn’t strictly separate them:

• Long extraction (lungo style). The barista lets more water run through the same dose of coffee. Wikipedia describes a lungo as a single shot made with about twice the water, taking up to a minute and filling roughly 50–70 ml, compared with 25–30 ml in 18–30 seconds for a normal espresso.
• Water added after brewing. A normal espresso is pulled and topped up with hot water. French coffee writers often call this an “espresso allongé avec de l’eau,” and it’s essentially a short Americano.

Both give you a bigger, gentler cup than an espresso, but they don’t taste the same. Water pushed through the puck for longer extracts more of the late, drier and more bitter compounds. Water added afterward just dilutes a normal shot, so it keeps the shot’s sweetness and acidity, only softer.

Café allongé vs lungo vs Americano vs long black

We cover the Italian side of this in ristretto vs lungo and the water-first question in Americano vs long black. The café allongé sits between them: French in name, flexible in method.

How to order a café allongé in France and Quebec

• Simple order: “Un café allongé, s’il vous plaît.”
• If you want it lungo style: ask for “un café allongé, pas avec de l’eau ajoutée” (not with added water), or simply “un lungo” in cafés with an Italian menu.
• If you want it lighter: ask for “un allongé avec de l’eau chaude à côté” (hot water on the side) so you can dilute it yourself.
• With milk: that’s a different drink. Order “un café crème” or, for just a splash, “une noisette.”

In Quebec, where Wikipedia says the drink is popular, “allongé” is a standard menu word. In France you may also hear “un café long” for the same idea. If the size matters to you, just watch the first one arrive and adjust your order next time; cafés really do vary.

Heading to Paris soon? Our Paris café guide covers where to sit and what to expect.

How to make a café allongé at home

Method 1: lungo style (espresso machine)

1. Dose your usual single or double basket (for example 9 g single or 18 g double).
2. Grind a little coarser than for espresso. If you keep espresso grind, water struggles to pass and the shot over-extracts.
3. Pull until you have about twice your usual shot volume: roughly 50–70 ml for a single, stopping before the stream turns pale and watery.
4. Taste. If it’s harsh and drying, grind coarser or stop a little earlier. If it’s thin and sour, grind slightly finer.

Method 2: water added (any espresso maker or moka pot)

1. Make a normal espresso (25–30 ml single, about 40–60 ml double).
2. Heat water to just off the boil, around 195–205°F (90–96°C).
3. Add hot water to taste. Start with an equal amount of water to espresso, then go up to about 3:1 for a mug-size drink.

Quick ratio guide

Which beans work best

Because a lungo-style allongé extracts so long, it rewards beans that stay sweet rather than bitter. Medium roasts are the safest choice. Our Brazil Santos is a balanced medium roast with cocoa and nutty notes and low acidity, and a fantastic espresso base. Blonde, a light, caramel-sweet blend from Central America and Africa, makes a gentle allongé with hot water added. If you like a French-café bite, the low-acid French Roast stands up to dilution without turning thin. Grind fresh: everything ships roasted 1–5 days before delivery.

Café allongé FAQ

Is a café allongé the same as an Americano?

Sometimes. When a café makes it by adding hot water to espresso, it’s essentially a small Americano. When it’s made by pulling a longer shot, it’s a lungo. The name covers both.

Does a café allongé have more caffeine than an espresso?

A lungo-style allongé can extract slightly more caffeine from the same grounds because more water passes through. A water-added allongé has the same caffeine as the shot it started from; the water only dilutes it.

How do you pronounce café allongé?

Roughly “ka-FAY ah-lon-ZHAY,” with a soft nasal “on.”

What’s the opposite of an allongé?

A café serré: a shorter, more concentrated espresso, the French equivalent of a ristretto.

Can I make a café allongé with capsules?

Yes. Many capsule machines have a “lungo” button, which runs more water through the capsule, or you can brew a normal espresso capsule and add hot water.

Sources

1. Lungo, Wikipedia
2. L’Americano : le café allongé, Coffeeness (French)

Facts checked in October 2026.

Keep reading: What is a shot of espresso · Café crème in Switzerland · Coffee blends