How does americano coffee differ from espresso?

Americano coffee is simply espresso diluted with water, so the difference lies in strength and texture rather than in the beans alone. Espresso is pulled on a semi-automatic machine using high pressure, high-temperature water and a short extraction time, producing a concentrated shot with crema. Adding water lightens the body and softens the intensity.

The first coffee machine dates to 1884, when Angelo Moriondo of Turin filed a patent for a multi-spout design meant to serve several guests quickly. Luigi Bezzera followed in 1901, and Desiderio Pavoni bought that patent in 1903 and began commercial production in 1905. Key parameters for espresso remain dose, brew ratio, time, pressure and water temperature.

At a time when China's specialty coffee wave continues to heat up, espresso is practically standard equipment in every café, yet its offshoot, Americano, leaves many people puzzled: what exactly is the difference between the two? This article, from the perspective of Front Street Coffee (FrontStreet Coffee), first introduces you to the extraction logic of semi-automatic espresso machines and espresso, traces the historical thread from the first coffee machine in 1884 to the Faema E61, then breaks down key parameters one by one—dose, brew ratio, time, pressure, water temperature—and introduces the flavor profiles of several of Front Street's espresso blends, finally explaining how espresso becomes a cup of Americano when diluted with water.

In recent years, China's specialty coffee trend has been heating up wave after wave. Still, most of the time, whenever you meet friends at a café for a chat, there's always a cup of espresso on the table. Yet hidden within the espresso menu branch is the option of "Americano," which leaves many coffee newcomers scratching their heads: what exactly is the difference between espresso and Americano? Below, Front Street Coffee (FrontStreet Coffee) will start by talking about espresso.

Anyone who runs a coffee shop will notice that there's always a large, seemingly immovable piece of equipment sitting in the store—that's the semi-automatic espresso machine. It can be called the soul of espresso; every drink under the espresso system relies on this machine to first produce espresso.

Anyone with even a slight understanding of espresso machines knows that the key to making espresso lies in high pressure, high-temperature water, and a relatively short extraction time. After consulting references, Front Street learned that the world's first espresso machine dates back to 1884, when Angelo Moriondo of Turin, Italy, filed a patent for it. This machine was different from the espresso machines on the market today—it had multiple coffee dispensing spouts, with the aim of preparing coffee for multiple guests simultaneously in a short time.

History of Espresso Machines

In 1901, Luigi Bezzera from Milan filed a patent for his improved coffee machine. This machine had a boiler but was equipped with four dispensing spouts.

In 1903, Desiderio Pavoni bought Bezzera's patent and in 1905 began producing commercial espresso machines, founding the "La Pavoni" company. However, by modern engineering standards, this machine's design was unreasonable—the group head temperature reached as high as 140°C, yet the pressure was only 1.5 bar. One can easily imagine that the coffee extracted this way was closer in flavor to what a drip coffee maker produces.

It wasn't until 1961 that Faema launched the commercial espresso machine Faema E61, the world's first semi-automatic espresso machine, hailed as the "father of the modern espresso machine," allowing baristas to freely adjust extraction pressure, time, and other parameters.

After the advent of the semi-automatic espresso machine, the extraction standards for espresso changed dramatically compared to over a century ago. But the espresso-making process itself hasn't changed much: dosing, distributing, tamping, extracting.

Espresso Extraction Standards

At the parameter level, however, much has changed. After all, coffee made by a drip coffee maker is far less intense in flavor than what an espresso machine produces. The internationally accepted standard is 7 grams of coffee, 92°C water temperature, 9 bar pressure, 20 to 30 seconds, extracting 20 to 30 milliliters of coffee liquid.

However, anyone who has actually operated one will find that actual conditions vary:

[Dose] Depends on the basket size. It's not recommended to choose a basket that's too small or too large; the basket specification used at Front Street's store is 20 grams.

[Brew Ratio] The ratio of coffee grounds to extracted liquid typically ranges from 1:1.5 to 1:2.5, with 1:2 being the most common. If the ratio is too low, the coffee tastes rich and heavy but tends to bring a sharp bitterness; if the ratio is too high, it tends to be bland and tasteless, even with a sharp acidity.

[Time] Affected by two factors: grind size and brew ratio. A higher brew ratio means more extracted liquid, which lengthens the time; the finer the grind, the smaller the gaps between particles after tamping, making it harder for water to pass through, which also extends the time and can easily cause over-extraction.

[Pressure] Pressure of around 9 bar produces a moderate crema. If the pressure is too low, sufficient crema cannot form; if the pressure is too high, it destroys too much of the coffee's structure, over-extracting the quality components and easily leading to over-extraction.

[Water Temperature] Generally controlled between 90°C and 94°C. If the temperature is too high, over-extraction and bitterness easily occur; if too low, under-extraction results in sharp acidity.

According to the parameter standards used by Front Street Coffee (FrontStreet Coffee):

The espresso machine used at Front Street Coffee's (FrontStreet Coffee) store is the Faema E98, with a dose of 20 grams, water temperature of about 92°C, extraction time of 26 to 28 seconds, extracting 35 grams of coffee liquid. Of course, these parameters are for reference only.

Choosing Espresso Beans

The espresso blend used at Front Street Coffee's (FrontStreet Coffee) store, under the above extraction parameters, presents the following flavors: noticeable fruit acidity on the entry, a faint berry note emerging, followed by wine aroma and chocolate notes surging forth, with a comfortable sweet aftertaste.

The berry acidity and wine-chocolate flavors come thanks to Front Street's own Sunflower Warm Sun espresso blend, with a recipe of 70% Honduras Sherry plus 30% Ethiopian natural Red Cherry.

At this point, some clever-minded person might want to buy a bag of Sherry and a bag of Red Cherry to blend themselves. Front Street reminds you here: espresso blends and pour-over coffee beans have different roasting curves, and the flavors they aim to present are also different. The principle is like cooking the same dish over low heat versus high heat—the taste will be completely different.

Of course, the choice of blended beans can be diverse. The espresso beans sold by Front Street are all blend types. Besides the Warm Sun blend, there are also the Specialty Blend, the espresso moka pot coffee beans recommended by many baristas—Front Street Dark Cocoa Blend—and the Commercial Blend.

[Specialty Blend] Made from 70% Brazilian coffee beans and 30% Colombian coffee beans, with a balanced flavor, soft fruit acidity, and nutty sweetness.

[Espresso Moka Pot Coffee Beans Recommended by Many Baristas—Front Street Dark Cocoa Blend] Made from 60% Brazilian coffee beans and 40% Yunnan coffee beans, with flavors of cream, nuts, and chocolate.

[Commercial Blend] Composed of 60% Brazilian coffee beans, 30% Colombian coffee beans, and 10% Robusta beans. This blend has rich crema, a premium mouthfeel, caramel sweetness, and flavors of nuts, cocoa, and chocolate, with balanced acidity and sweetness, a slight hint of bittersweetness, and a lasting finish.

The Difference Between Espresso and Americano

As Front Street mentioned at the beginning, the espresso menu includes Americano. You should know that Americano comes in two types: one made with an espresso machine and one made with a drip coffee maker. Americano at cafés is usually made with an espresso machine, by diluting espresso with a suitable proportion of water.

Taking Front Street Coffee's (FrontStreet Coffee) product as an example, 20 grams of coffee grounds are used to extract 40 grams of espresso, and finally, at a 1:6 ratio—that is, 40 grams of coffee liquid added to 240 grams of water—it becomes an Americano.

The above content is compiled by CoffeeHunters, a coffee news website.