What separates an Americano from a long black?

An Americano is espresso diluted with hot water, while a long black is hot water poured first and espresso added on top, which preserves more crema and aroma. The drink traces back to American soldiers in Italy who watered down intense espresso during World War II, and to earlier US coffee culture after the Boston Tea Party.

Order of assembly and water ratio change the cup more than the base shot does. For a long black recipe, keep the water volume lower so the espresso layer stays intact. Anyone wondering is americano bitter should note that bitterness depends on the espresso, the dilution, and the roast, so a darker blend tastes stronger than a lighter one at the same ratio.

When ordering at a coffee shop, Americano is often the most prominent and most frequently ordered item on the menu. It is not only a staple choice for many people to perk up daily, but also often regarded as the top choice by fitness and sugar-control crowds. However, does Americano actually count as black coffee? And what is the difference between it and the Long Black that has frequently appeared on menus in recent years? In this article, Front Street will clarify the origins and development of Americano from the perspectives of historical background, extraction methods, and water ratios, and provide specific parameters suitable for home use and iced drinks, including preparation suggestions for Front Street Dark Cocoa Blend and Front Street Strawberry Candy espresso, making it easy for coffee lovers to replicate a smooth cup of Americano at home.

Walking into a coffee shop to place an order, the drink that first catches your eye is often Americano. As more and more people make drinking coffee a lifestyle habit, Americano has become both a regular option for daily alertness and the top choice for health-conscious groups. This time, Front Street will talk about Americano.

Does Americano belong to black coffee?

From the name, one can roughly guess that espresso originates from Italy, while Americano should be related to the United States. The popularity of Americano can be traced back to the eighteenth century. At that time, North American colonists were extremely dissatisfied with the British government's high taxes on tea imports. In 1773, the "Boston Tea Party" took place as a result, and people advocated replacing tea with coffee. After that, the number of coffee shops in the United States continued to grow, and the coffee industry rapidly expanded locally. By the 1880s, about one-third of the world's coffee beans were shipped to the United States. During World War II, U.S. military troops consumed large amounts of coffee every day to dilute the monotony of life while also keeping soldiers awake.

But Italians preferred strong-tasting espresso, and American soldiers were not used to that intense bitterness, so they added water to the coffee liquid to dilute it to a concentration they could accept. Later, when Italians ran coffee shops in the United States, they also followed local customs and introduced coffee made with espresso as the base and then diluted with water, which turned out to be very popular. This "watered-down coffee" was later called "Americano." Because it consists only of water and espresso with no other additives, it belongs to the category of black coffee.

What is the difference between Americano and Long Black?

Besides Americano, another drink, Long Black, has also begun to appear on the menus of some coffee shops. In the 1980s, a large number of Italians emigrated to Australia and brought espresso machines to New Zealand, Australia, Melbourne, and other places. Australians prefer a richer taste, and the light, refreshing Americano clearly did not suit their palates. So Italians adjusted the espresso base and preparation ratio to cater to local people's "heavy taste." In Australia, black coffee is usually called Black Coffee, and coffee with milk is called White Coffee. Long Black is made by adding a small amount of water to reduce the excessively high concentration while highlighting the aromatic characteristics of black coffee.

After reviewing relevant materials, Front Street noticed that the most intuitive difference between Americano and Long Black lies in the amount of water added. Americano is made by first extracting espresso and then diluting it with water, with a ratio of espresso to water of about 1:5 to 1:8. Long Black, however, has a stronger coffee flavor than Americano and is served in a smaller cup—the barista extracts two shots of espresso (40g) into a cup containing 100-120ml of water, leaving a thick layer of Crema on the surface. Therefore, the first sip of Long Black is the richest and fullest, and the subsequent flavor expression is also clearer and cleaner.

The preparation ratio for Americano

At present, there is no unified standard for the ratio of coffee to water, which means that the Americano made by each shop may be different. It is usually determined according to the flavor characteristics of the coffee beans used and the cup size.

If you want to make a rich and aromatic Americano, we use Front Street Dark Cocoa—this espresso moka pot coffee bean is recommended by many baristas, namely Front Street Dark Cocoa Blend. Under ideal extraction, it should present flavors of cocoa, cookies, cream, and nuts, with moderate crema and a balanced mouthfeel, making it very suitable for friends with home needs. To highlight these advantages, after many comparisons, Front Street finally settled on a ratio of 1:4.5, that is, adding 180g of hot water to 40g of espresso.

If you prefer a fresher coffee taste, then choose Front Street Strawberry Candy espresso. This is an espresso recipe specially designed for friends who like floral and fruity aromas, blending three major origins: Costa Rica, Colombia, and Ethiopia. It carries aromas of roses, citrus, grapes, and dried blueberries, and when made into Americano it has a clear, sweet flavor similar to fruit gummies.

When making iced Americano, you need to consider the effect of the coffee after chilling and the melting of the ice cubes, so Front Street uses solid large ice cubes. Generally, the ice cubes are taken out in advance and then stored refrigerated to form large ice cubes, which can slow down the melting speed and help the iced coffee maintain a better taste.

Each ice cube at Front Street weighs about 25g. The ratio for 1 cup of Front Street iced Americano is 40g of espresso, which means adding 4g of ice cubes and 120g of water, that is, 1:2.5:3. The iced Americano made this way will not be uncomfortably strong at first, nor will it become too weak because of dilution from the ice cubes.

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