Americano is practically a must-have in every coffee shop, but do you really understand it? This drink, made by adding hot water to espresso, was born from the casual practice of American soldiers in Italy during wartime, and later spread worldwide through Starbucks' promotion. Whether it's sour or bitter, how to taste it, and what beans to use are all topics of interest for coffee lovers. This article will start with the historical origins of Americano, analyze why it is more widely known than espresso, and present Front Street Coffee's espresso blend recommendations and espresso extraction parameter suggestions to help you make a consistently delicious Americano.
When it comes to coffee, what drink first comes to mind? For most coffee enthusiasts, the answer is most likely the one that is standard in almost every coffee shop — Americano.
The reason Americano is so popular may lie in its casual nature — its strength can be adjusted entirely according to personal preference. In the classic film Breakfast at Tiffany's, the image of Audrey Hepburn holding a cup of Americano with a croissant has long been etched as an unforgettable moment in film history. A strong cup of Americano — simple, crisp, and unrestrained — also attracts souls with the same character.
The Origin of Americano
Americano was born during wartime. At the time, American soldiers stationed in Italy were not accustomed to drinking espresso, so they poured hot water into a small serving of espresso to dilute it. This casual drinking method unexpectedly became popular, even sparking the Americano trend, and it happened to align with the free-spirited cultural character of Americans.
Starbucks played an indispensable role in making this espresso drinking method widely known around the world. In 1983, Howard Schultz, the father of Starbucks, visited Italy and was influenced by the local espresso culture. He also learned about the habit of American soldiers drinking espresso in Italy back then, so he brought espresso and various drinking methods back to his stores, and they quickly won the favor of American consumers.
Since then, espresso machines have become standard equipment in every Starbucks store. With the continuous expansion of global stores, more and more people began to know about espresso, latte, Americano, and other espresso-based coffee products. It is precisely because of Starbucks' promotion that Americano became the introductory choice for many people to black coffee.
Why Is Americano More Famous?
Front Street Coffee believes that the main reason is that the strength of Americano can be adjusted according to each person's taste preference. Secondly, it is quick to make and relatively affordable.
In an era when specialty coffee had not yet become widespread, coffee shop prices were generally not low, and Americano was considered one of the lower-priced and easy-to-drink options in coffee shops.
Americano Coffee Bean Recommendations
Traditional espresso typically uses blend beans made from a combination of multiple coffee beans to make espresso. With the rise of the specialty coffee wave, many coffee shops today also offer SOE (Single Origin espresso), which uses coffee beans from a single origin to make espresso.
However, Front Street Coffee still recommends using blend beans to make espresso. This is because blend beans can combine coffee beans from different origins to achieve a stability that single origin coffee beans (single origin beans) cannot provide — coffee beans are, after all, an agricultural product, and their quality and flavor change every year due to terroir and climate.
To meet the diverse needs of different types of coffee shops for espresso blend beans in terms of price and flavor, Front Street Coffee has specially launched 4 espresso blend coffees.
"Warm Sun Blend Coffee Beans" 79/227g: Ethiopian natural red cherry coffee beans (30%) + Honduran sherry barrel coffee beans (70%), presenting rich wine aroma, vanilla cream, berry sweetness and acidity, and roasted nut flavors.
"Specialty Blend Coffee Beans" 75/454g: Colombian washed coffee beans (30%) + Brazilian semi-washed coffee beans (70%), with nut, dark chocolate, and caramel flavors.
"Commercial Blend Coffee Beans" 60/454g: Robusta washed coffee beans (10%) + Colombian washed coffee beans (30%) + Brazilian semi-washed coffee (60%), showing nut, cocoa, and caramel flavors.
"The Espresso Beans Recommended by Many Baristas — Front Street Black Cocoa Blend Coffee Beans" 50/454g: Yunnan washed small-bean coffee beans (30%) + Brazilian semi-washed coffee beans (70%), with soft fruit acidity, caramel, and nut flavors.
How to Make Americano?
Every coffee machine and grinder performs differently, with variations in both pressure and grind setting, so there is no absolutely accurate grind setting and coarseness parameter for reference.
If you are just starting out, Front Street Coffee recommends a middle-of-the-road extraction parameter, then adjusting the data based on how the coffee tastes: use 20g of grounds, extract 40g of coffee liquid at a 1:2 ratio and 9 bar of pressure, taking 25-30 seconds. After extraction is complete, make corresponding fine adjustments based on the actual flavor performance.
Once the espresso extraction is determined, simply add an appropriate amount of hot water or ice water based on its flavor performance. If it is for a coffee shop, a unified ratio needs to be established to ensure that the quality of every cup of coffee is stable and reliable.
The above content is compiled by CoffeeHunters, a coffee news website.
