Swiss Café Crème: The Long Coffee Explained and How to Make It
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Order a café crème in Paris and you get coffee with hot milk. Order one in Zurich and you get something completely different: a large cup of black coffee with a pale, foamy top, usually served with a little pot or capsule of cream on the side. The Swiss café crème is a long coffee brewed straight through an espresso machine, using a coarser grind and roughly four to six times the water of an espresso. It is not watered down afterward, and that is what makes it taste different from an Americano.
For decades it was Switzerland’s default cup. Here is what it is, how it compares with its cousins and how to make a good one at home.
Key takeaways
- A Swiss café crème is a long black coffee brewed in one go through an espresso machine, typically 150 to 240 ml.
- It uses a coarser grind than espresso, so the longer extraction does not turn bitter.
- The cream is usually served on the side; the name refers to the crema on top.
- In a Deloitte survey reported in Switzerland, espresso overtook café crème as the favorite, with café crème tied for third at 32%.
In this article
- What is a Swiss café crème?
- Café crème vs lungo, Americano and filter
- A short history
- How to make a Swiss café crème at home
- Ordering coffee in Switzerland
- FAQ
What is a Swiss café crème?
The Swiss café crème, also called caffè crema or, in Swiss German, “Kafi Crème,” is made by running a larger volume of water through a portion of ground coffee in an espresso machine. To keep the long extraction balanced, the grind is coarser than for espresso. The result has a layer of light crema, a medium body and a cleaner, rounder taste than a shot topped up with hot water.
Despite the name, cream is not part of the recipe. The “crème” refers to the crema on top. In Swiss cafés, the cup is often served with a small portion of coffee cream on the side so you can add it yourself.
Wikipedia notes the same drink is common in Austria, Germany and northern Italy, and in Germany it is often what you get when you simply ask for a “Kaffee.”
Café crème vs lungo, Americano and filter
| Drink | How it is made | Typical volume | Taste |
|---|---|---|---|
| Espresso | Fine grind, short extraction | 25–40 ml | Intense, syrupy |
| Lungo | Espresso grind, extra water through the puck | About 1.5 to 2 times an espresso | Stronger, often more bitter |
| Swiss café crème | Coarser grind, long extraction through the machine | About 150–240 ml | Medium body, round, light crema |
| Americano | Espresso, then hot water added | 150–250 ml | Espresso flavor diluted, thinner crema |
| Filter coffee | Medium grind, gravity drip through paper | Any | Clean, light body, no crema |
The key difference from an Americano is that all the water passes through the coffee. That changes which compounds are extracted, so the cup tastes like its own drink rather than a stretched espresso. Compared with a lungo, the coarser grind keeps it from turning harsh. For more on the Americano family, see iced Americano vs iced coffee.
A short history
“Caffè crema” started as a marketing term. According to Wikipedia, Gaggia used it in 1948 to describe the new foamy layer produced by its lever espresso machines. Over time “espresso” won out as the name for the short drink.
The long version came later. Wikipedia dates the long caffè crema to the 1980s, when it became popular in Switzerland and northern Italy as a way to make a full cup of coffee with an espresso machine. Swiss households embraced fully automatic machines and, later, capsules, which made the long cup easy at home.
Tastes are shifting. A Deloitte survey reported by the Swiss news site I Am Expat found espresso was now the most popular choice (47%), followed by cappuccino (37%), with café crème and latte tied at 32%. Deloitte described the trend as an “Italianisation” of Swiss coffee culture.
How to make a Swiss café crème at home
With an espresso machine
- Dose: about 15 to 20 g of coffee. If your basket overflows with the coarser grind, use a larger basket.
- Grind: several steps coarser than your espresso setting, roughly the fine end of filter coffee.
- Tamp lightly and lock in the portafilter.
- Brew about 150 to 180 ml (5 to 6 fl oz) in roughly 25 to 35 seconds. Stop when the stream turns very pale.
- Serve in a warmed cup, with cream or milk on the side.
| Variable | Starting point | If too bitter | If too weak or sour |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dose | 16 g | Keep | Increase to 18–20 g |
| Grind | Fine filter | Coarser | Finer |
| Output | 160 ml | Reduce to 140 ml | Keep, adjust grind first |
| Time | 25–35 s | Shorter | Longer |
With a fully automatic machine
Most bean-to-cup machines have a “coffee” or “café crème” button that already uses a longer extraction. Set the grinder one or two steps coarser than for espresso and the volume to about 150 ml for a Swiss-style cup.
No espresso machine?
You cannot reproduce it exactly, but an AeroPress with a medium-fine grind, about 15 g of coffee and 200 ml of water, pressed firmly, gives a similar medium-bodied black coffee. See our AeroPress recipes.
Ordering coffee in Switzerland
- “Ein Kafi Crème” or “un café crème”: long black coffee, cream on the side.
- “Ein Espresso”: a short black coffee.
- “Ein Cappuccino” or “un cappuccino”: the milk drink that has been gaining ground on café crème.
- In Ticino, the Italian-speaking region, coffee habits follow Italy: espresso and cappuccino dominate.
Beans for a café crème
A café crème rewards balanced, sweet medium roasts rather than very dark ones. Our House Blend, a Central and South American medium roast with nutty, sweet chocolate and mild citrus notes, is an ideal daily crème, and the Breakfast Blend is smooth and nutty. For a lighter, sweeter cup, try the Blonde roast from Central America and Africa. All are roasted 1 to 5 days before delivery and come whole bean so you can set the grind yourself.
Swiss café crème FAQ
Does a Swiss café crème contain cream?
No. It is black coffee with crema on top; cream is usually served on the side.
Is café crème the same as an Americano?
No. An Americano is espresso diluted with hot water; a café crème passes all its water through the coffee.
Is café crème stronger than filter coffee?
Its strength sits between a lungo and filter coffee, with more body than most filter brews.
What is café crème in France?
In France it means espresso with hot milk or milk foam, similar to a small café au lait.
Sources
- Caffè crema, Wikipedia, accessed October 2026.
- What is Switzerland’s favourite type of coffee?, I Am Expat Switzerland, accessed October 2026.
Facts checked in October 2026.
Keep reading: Types of espresso machines · What is a shot of espresso? · Shop our blends