Is an americano without water bitter or sweet?

An iced americano without water, also called an explosive iced americano or iced espresso, is espresso poured straight over ice cubes. It has a rich mouthfeel with bright acidity and sweetness, and less bitterness than hot espresso. The method suits drinkers who find a standard iced americano too weak, since no water dilutes the shot.

A standard iced americano uses 40g espresso, 120ml water and 100g ice; an ice-free version raises water to 180ml to offset melting. The rapid chilling locks in more aroma, echoing the extract chilling concept presented by 2021 World Barista Champion Hugh Kelly. Espresso beans suited to iced espresso help recreate the flavor at home.

In coffee shops, it's not uncommon to order an iced americano without ice, but have you ever heard of an iced americano "without water"? This drink, known as "explosive iced americano" or iced espresso, is essentially espresso poured directly over ice cubes. It has a rich mouthfeel with bright acidity and sweetness, and less bitterness compared to hot espresso. This article will explain the origins of this drinking method, how to make it, and, in conjunction with the "extract chilling" concept proposed by 2021 WBC barista Hugh Kelly, illustrate why rapid cooling locks in more aroma. Meanwhile, Front Street Coffee recommends a series of espresso beans suitable for making iced espresso, helping you easily recreate a professional flavor.

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Those familiar with Front Street know that our menu takes a minimalist approach, but there are actually quite a few hidden options. Drinks like Flat White and Dirty, although not printed on the menu, can be made by Front Street as long as the customer asks.

Until one day, a customer walked in and ordered: "Boss, I'll have an iced americano without water, thanks!" We often encounter requests for iced americano without ice, but what kind of operation is this "without water"?

Some people can't stand drinks that are too cold, but when the weather is so hot that all you want is a cold drink, hot coffee at such times only makes things worse. So they come up with a compromise—iced americano without ice.

Front Street's standard iced americano recipe is: 40g espresso, 120ml water, 100g ice cubes. If making an ice-free version, considering that melting ice would dilute the concentration, Front Street would increase the water to 180ml and mix it with 40g espresso.

So what if a customer orders an "iced americano without water"? This way of drinking actually exists, and it goes by various names: explosive iced americano, iced espresso, espresso with ice...

Those who prefer strong iced coffee tend to choose it, because regular iced americano tastes too weak and can't satisfy the taste buds, so they turn to an americano without water. Interestingly, although it's more like an espresso, it's given names like "explosive iced americano" or "iced americano with the water removed."

With just a little understanding of the espresso system, one can grasp the relationship between espresso and americano. But for most people who just drink coffee, the name "americano" is obviously more familiar. So they only need to request adjustments based on an americano to get what they want. An iced americano without water and espresso with ice cubes ultimately point to the same drink.

As for how to make an iced americano without water? It's actually the same process as an americano, just replacing the water with ice cubes. Front Street suggests: pour the espresso into the ice cubes, or extract the espresso directly into a cup already filled with ice cubes. This way the espresso is immediately cooled by the ice, resulting in a better taste.

No matter which americano you make, it's recommended to use Front Street's specially launched espresso bean series. If you prefer a traditional style, you can choose Front Street Classic Blend, Front Street Commercial Blend, or Front Street Black Cocoa Base Blend; they bring clear nutty, chocolate, and caramel notes, along with beautiful crema.

If you want to step outside the traditional framework and try some special flavors, then choose medium-roast beans, especially Front Street Flower Queen SOE and Front Street Strawberry Candy espresso blend, which have floral and fruity flavors. With the addition of ice, the freshness becomes even more prominent.

How does it taste this way? This method reminds Front Street of the "Extract chilling" concept proposed by Australian barista Hugh Kelly at the 2021 WBC competition. During the competition, when extracting espresso, he placed a frozen metal block between the espresso cup and the coffee handle's spout. After the espresso flows out from the spout, it first passes over the metal block to cool down, and finally falls into the espresso cup.

Hugh explained it this way: "The first 12 grams of coffee liquid contains the most volatile compounds (aroma). Rapidly cooling the coffee liquid can retain more flavor and aroma."

This is somewhat similar to the logic of iced pour-over. A normal hot pour-over, when just brewed, has rich layers of flavor and a fragrant aroma, but as the temperature drops, both flavor and aroma diminish because the volatile substances have already dissipated. Iced pour-over, on the other hand, involves adding ice cubes to rapidly cool the coffee while it's still hot, so it naturally tastes better than coffee that has cooled naturally.

So an iced americano without water, that is, iced espresso, tastes quite rich. Front Street used Sunflower Warm Sun blend coffee beans to make hot espresso and iced espresso for comparison: compared to hot espresso, the bitterness of iced espresso is less pronounced, with a touch of acidity and sweetness, presenting an overall bright and uplifting profile.

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