Squeeze Some Lemon Juice Into Your Next Cup Of Coffee (We Are Serious)

As a daily espresso drinker, I have found there's arguably nothing better than a bold, bitter, and toasty shot of espresso to greet me a good morning. Admittedly, though, there are times when my intenso brew is too strong, waking my body with a zap of caffeine yet weighing my taste buds down with its heaviness.

Coffee is already a beverage with complex flavors, but squeezing in some fresh lemon juice further intensifies coffee's dimensions. Whether you have a shot of espresso or American-brewed coffee, lemon juice makes coffee's taste more dynamic — it adds a freshness to the roasted qualities and brightens the earthy notes. Coffee is a natural dehydrant and leaves a dryness in the mouth, but squeezing in some lemon juice adds an entirely new refreshing quality. It's a much tastier, subtler version of the recent espresso and orange juice fad.

The coffee-lemon juice combination has uncertain origins, but it is classically known as an espresso romano. In Italian cuisine, an espresso romano refers to a shot of espresso with either a slice of lemon (in or on the side) or the juice of a lemon, with or without sugar. Its presentation depends on the person or establishment serving it. The espresso romano is also the signature drink of Giugliano, a town in the Naples region where the drink is considered a delicacy.

Simply squeezing in lemon juice is the easy-peasy (lemon squeezy) way to make a cup of coffee more refreshing. But there are other inventive ways to mesh the two flavors together. In recent years, iced espresso tonics have grown in popularity. The tonic also adds a piquant, bright element to espresso, which would pair well with added lemon juice. Iced espresso tonics give the feel of a morning cocktail, so bend the lemon peel to extract the aromatic oils in the rind and run it around the rim of your glass to both taste and smell the lemon with each sip.

You can also use lemon juice in a cold foam to pour over an iced coffee or cold brew. Mixing milk or cream with lemon juice and sugar with a milk frother creates a sweet and creamy foam to top a cold coffee.

For an extra sweet sip, simply combine coffee and lemonade — a combination traditionally known as mazagran. In 2022, Starbucks advertised this mix as a recommended customization in a summer campaign.