How to make Café Crème with an espresso machine

If you order a coffee in Switzerland, you'll usually get a Café Crème: a beverage prepared in a super-automatic or portafilter machine, which has become so popular in the Alpine country that it needs no further explanation. Many already know that the Café Crème was invented in Switzerland. But did you know that the Café Crème dates back to the invention of the super-automatic coffee machine by a Swiss tinkerer? In this article, we tell the story of Switzerland's national coffee, how it differs from the Lungo and Americano, and what the best recipe for Café Crème with an espresso machine is.

Overview

• Café Crème explained simply: origin, history, and why it is considered the standard Swiss coffee
• Key differences: Café Crème vs. Lungo vs. Americano explained concisely
• How to make a perfect Café Crème: recipe, brewing ratio, and tips for the portafilter machine

Table of Contents

• Café Crème: The Basics
• What is a Café Crème?
• Difference: Café Crème vs. Lungo
• Difference: Café Crème vs. Americano
• How do you spell Café Crème correctly?
• The best Café Crème recipe for the portafilter
• Step 1: Finding the right grind size
• Step 2: Using a coffee scale
• Step 3: Extract and taste the coffee
• Tips for the perfect Café Crème
• Conclusion

Café Crème: The Basics

The Spanish have their Cortado, the Australians their Flat White, the Italians invented the Espresso, and the Germans the Filter Coffee. And the Swiss? The Café Crème! The invention of the Café Crème is closely linked to the development and spread of the super-automatic coffee machine. After the first automatic coffee machines were developed in the 1970s, the Swiss engineer Arthur Schmed set about making them accessible for home use. The innovation: the removable brew group and the first fully automated process for the home kitchen. With Sergio Zappella, he founded the company Saeco and presented the device to a curious global public at the Mustermesse Basel in the mid-1980s. These machines produced a new coffee profile: the beverages were longer and thus milder and less intense than an espresso, but significantly stronger than a filter coffee. The name derives directly from the crema on the surface, which the new drink had, unlike conventional filter coffee. It spread through super-automatic coffee machines in offices and households. Other Swiss companies like Thermoplan, Franke, and Schaerer drove the development, so the Café Crème also found its way to Germany and other countries. Today, the Café Crème is closely linked to Swiss coffee culture and technological history.

What is a Café Crème?

A Café Crème is an espresso-based coffee drink, mainly considered the standard coffee in Switzerland. Compared to a classic espresso, a Café Crème involves more water being forced through the coffee grounds directly during extraction. The result is a milder coffee with a fine, light brown crema. Perfect for Swiss people who appreciate Italian coffee culture but often find espresso too intense. Some derive the name from the coffee cream (Italian: crema al caffè) that is served with a sugar cube in Swiss gastronomy.

What is the difference between a Café Crème and a Lungo coffee?

Lungo is the Italian word for "long" and is the term for a long coffee from an espresso machine. As with the Café Crème, significantly more hot water is pressed through the coffee puck than with an espresso. However, the most important difference between a Lungo and a Café Crème is the differing grind size. For a Café Crème, a coarser grind ensures that significantly more coffee is extracted in about 25 seconds than for an espresso. The Lungo, on the other hand, maintains a fine grind but is brewed for longer. As a result, the Lungo is milder than an espresso, but due to the longer brewing time, significantly more bitter substances are extracted. A good Café Crème is therefore significantly superior to a Lungo because its coarser grind makes it more balanced and less bitter. However, this requires a café to acquire a second grinder to quickly switch between a long coffee and an espresso-based drink like a cappuccino. If a café cannot or does not want to afford a second grinder, it should offer the following drink instead of a Lungo: the Americano.

What is the difference between a Café Crème and an Americano?

With an Americano, the additional water is not pressed through the portafilter as with a Café Crème, but is added separately to the cup. Depending on the preference of the café or barista, this happens before or after the extraction of the double espresso. While the entire amount of water for a Café Crème is extracted directly through the coffee grounds, an Americano is based on a finished double espresso that is subsequently or previously diluted. This significantly affects the flavor profile.

An Americano generally has a lighter body and a more watery texture compared to a Café Crème, where "watery" here only describes the mouthfeel, not the intensity of the flavor. Typical espresso notes are retained but appear somewhat mellowed.

A good Café Crème, on the other hand, is rounder, more balanced, and more compact. Since the extraction occurs as a continuous process, the flavors feel more integrated and less diluted.

If a café doesn't want to set up a second grinder for a Café Crème, then the Americano is a better alternative to a Lungo coffee. For the home barista, the Americano is the best choice if the flowmeter in the home espresso machine doesn't allow for the extraction volume required for a Café Crème. In all other cases, a good Café Crème produces the best long coffee.

Comparison: Café Crème compared to Lungo, Americano, and Espresso

Feature	Café Crème	Lungo	Americano	Espresso
Shots	2 Shots	1 Shot	2 Shots + Water	1 Shot
Coffee Input	18 g	9–12 g	18 g	9–12 g
Brewing Ratio	1 : 10	1 : 5	1 : 2.5 + 100 ml Water	1 : 2.5
Beverage Volume	approx. 180 ml	approx. 45–60 ml	approx. 145 ml	approx. 45 ml
Water Addition	through portafilter	through portafilter	separately into cup	none
Grind Size	coarser than espresso	espresso grind	espresso grind	espresso grind
Brew Time	25–30 sec.	longer than espresso	25–30 sec. for espresso	25–30 sec.
Texture	round, compact	longer, often more bitter	lighter, more watery in body	dense, syrupy
Taste	mild, balanced	strong, often bitter	clear, somewhat diluted	intense, concentrated
Typical Role	Swiss standard coffee	Italian classic	Alternative without second grinder	Base drink

How do you spell Café Crème correctly?

The correct spelling is Café Crème, with accents on both words. Not "Caffee Creme", not "Kaffee Creme", and not "Creme Cafe". The correct spelling comes from French and refers to the fine crema that forms on the coffee.

Coffee lovers who order a "Caffè Crema" are more oriented towards Italian coffee culture, a variant we also permit. Unfortunately, friends of Italian coffee culture don't always agree on the spelling. One orders a "Kaffee Crema," while another orders a "Cafe Crema." And if that weren't enough, a third person appears with the desire for a "Caffe Crema" or "Kaffee Crema," without any accents.

Tip: If you don't want to embarrass yourself on your next cafe visit, just order an Americano. There are no two opinions on its pronunciation. And secondly: if a cafe cannot offer an Americano, that's a sure sign that the coffee there is probably not good anyway.

The best Café Crème recipe for the portafilter

Making Café Crème yourself is easy: If you use good coffee beans and a decent coffee grinder, you won't need coffee cream or sugar for a good result in the cup. You'll need:

• A portafilter machine
• A good coffee grinder
• A coffee scale
• 18 g of high-quality coffee beans, preferably Specialty Coffee (→ Learn what Specialty Coffee actually is in our blog post).
• Brew ratio (coffee-to-water ratio) of 1:10
• Sugar
• Coffee cream

Step 1: Finding the right grind size

We want to extract about five times the beverage volume of an espresso within a flow time of 25 to 30 seconds. We can only achieve this with a grind size that is significantly coarser than for espresso.

Step 2: Using a coffee scale

A coffee scale with an integrated stopwatch helps you find the right grind size: If you don't reach the desired 180 ml with an input of 18 g of coffee within 25 to 30 seconds, your grinder is still set too fine. You need to find a coarser grind size. If you reach the desired 180 ml too soon, you need to choose a finer grind size.

Step 3: Extract and taste the coffee

Once you've found a grind size that hits the right flow-time window, the real fun begins: tasting. But be careful: due to the extra water volume, the Café Crème is significantly hotter than a regular espresso at first.

Tips for the perfect Café Crème

If you're not yet satisfied with the result in your cup, you have several adjusters you can tweak. But importantly: always change only one variable per round, while keeping the others constant:

• Adjust the grind size slightly: The time window of 25 to 30 seconds allows you to make slight adjustments to the grind size. Depending on whether the result was too bitter or too sour/watery for you, grind a little coarser or finer next time.
• Adjust the brewing ratio: If the coffee tastes too sour, try a coffee-to-water ratio of 1:8. If the cup profile is too bitter, try it with an extraction volume of 200 ml.
• Use different coffee beans: With dark roasted coffee beans, even more bitter substances are released in Café Crème. So, if your Café Crème tastes too bitter, definitely try a lighter roast, for example, from Beanwatch. Also, make sure you use specialty coffee to reduce the likelihood of defects in the coffee beans.

Conclusion

The Café Crème is Switzerland's answer to Italian espresso and German filter coffee. Thanks to the invention and widespread use of super-automatic coffee machines in Swiss service stations and home kitchens, the Café Crème has established itself. It differs from the Italian Lungo in grind size and from the Americano in that no separate water is added to the cup. All it takes for a successful Café Crème is a good coffee grinder and good coffee beans. In this combination, the Café Crème has the potential to gain a foothold in the global specialty coffee scene, even beyond Switzerland's borders.