What Is Caffè Crema? The Long Swiss-Style
Caffè crema is a long espresso-style beverage particularly associated with Switzerland, Germany, Austria, and neighboring coffee traditions. It is brewed by passing a much larger amount of water through the coffee puck than a conventional espresso, producing a cup closer in serving size to brewed coffee while retaining the texture and aromatic character of pressure brewing.
Caffè crema vs. Americano
The most important difference is where the extra water goes. An Americano is normally an espresso diluted with hot water after extraction. In caffè crema, the larger beverage volume passes through the coffee bed as part of the extraction.
| Drink | How the volume is created | Typical character |
|---|---|---|
| Espresso | Short pressurized extraction | Concentrated and intense |
| Lungo | Longer espresso yield | More diluted, often more extracted |
| Caffè crema | Much higher pressurized brew ratio, usually with a coarser grind than espresso | Long cup with espresso-like crema and body |
| Americano | Espresso plus bypass hot water | Espresso flavor diluted without extracting all water through the puck |
| Filter coffee | Gravity/percolation or immersion | Typically cleaner and less concentrated than pressure-brewed coffee |
Why you usually need a coarser grind
If you simply run four or five times the normal amount of water through an espresso puck at a standard fine setting, the coffee can become harsh, dry, or bitter. A caffè crema recipe typically uses a coarser grind and a faster flow so the larger beverage yield does not require an extremely long contact time.
That makes caffè crema a useful example of why brew ratio and grind size work together. A higher ratio is not automatically over-extracted if the grind, flow, roast, and coffee are adjusted for the style.
A practical starting approach
There is no universal recipe, but a home barista can start with an espresso-sized dose, grind noticeably coarser than normal espresso, and target a beverage in roughly the 100–180 g range depending on basket, cup size, and coffee. Adjust primarily by taste rather than chasing a traditional espresso shot time.
- If the cup is harsh and drying, grind coarser or shorten the yield.
- If it is thin and sour, grind finer or reduce flow.
- If the drink is too intense, extend the yield modestly or choose a slightly lighter dose.
- Medium roasts and coffees with balanced sweetness are often easy starting points.
Can every espresso machine make one?
Most pump espresso machines can physically produce a long shot, but programmed volumetric buttons, basket size, group flow, and machine temperature behavior differ. A capable grinder with enough adjustment range is especially important. Browse our home espresso machines and coffee grinders for equipment suited to flexible recipe experimentation.
For more classic drink definitions, see Espresso Outlet's 120 espresso-based hot and cold drinks.
See the Coffee, Espresso & Brewing Equipment Glossary for lungo, Americano, brew ratio, espresso, and bypass.
