What is Americano?

"Americano" (English: Americano, Italian: Caffe Americano), traditionally is a black coffee made with a drip coffee maker. Because the general extraction time is relatively long (about four or five minutes), the coffee flavor is also more mellow.

Americano is simple to make, emphasizing convenience and speed, free and casual. Compared to espresso,Americanohas a relatively more refreshing taste and can better restore the original flavor of the coffee beans. But now theAmericanoin coffee shops is somewhat different from the traditional definition. Today'sAmericanohas a different way of making. Now Americano is based on espresso and diluted with a large amount of water, making it a must-have drink on every coffee shop's menu.

We understand thatAmericanocontains only two ingredients: espresso and water. So there are two mainstream methods: one is to add water to espresso, and the other is to pour extracted espresso into water. The former we mostly call Americano , and the latter we mostly call long black.

The Origin of Americano

Americano was born after World War II. When the Americans ended the European war, many troops came to Southern Europe. They couldn't drink espresso, so they diluted it with warm water. Because only this concentration was acceptable to them, it can be seen that espresso was not born to be loved by everyone! Because this way of drinking was mainly by American soldiers, people named it Americano.

At that time, most Americans used the filter method to make milder coffee. Even today, most Americans use drip coffee makers at home, which is why drip makers are also called American coffee makers. But the popularity of Americano made by diluting a cup of espresso with water benefited from Starbucks' global store openings.

So, is it correct to use an espresso machine to release water for a long time to make a mild coffee? There are two opinions here. Traditional espresso purists believe it's not okay, because the coffee would be over-extracted, especially in the later stage of extraction, where the miscellaneous flavors of the coffee grounds and excessive caffeine are also extracted, and these people despise this method.

But in today's coffee market, for example, coffee shops in Australia do this, and it's quite common. They say if doing this over-extracts the coffee, then aren't the extraction times of French press and siphon longer than this? So what's wrong with doing this!

Let's not compare the taste differences between these two methods first, because disagreements arise as soon as this aspect is mentioned. But what should be known is that the caffeine content in mild coffee extracted over a long time will be higher than the caffeine content in coffee made by diluting a standard cup of espresso with water. Even so, there are two preparation methods: first making espresso and adding water to dilute it, and first putting water and then adding espresso.

How to make Americano?

Americano can be said to be the simplest espresso coffee, because Americano consists of only two parts: espresso and water. Iced Americano has an extra part: ice cubes. But don't relax just because Americano is simple. The simplest part is also the part that tests technique the most. Americano is often the espresso coffee that best tests a barista's espresso extraction skills.

Compared with milk coffees like latte, Americano, because it lacks the influence of milk on coffee flavor, can best perceive the flavor of the coffee beans themselves. Many barista friends choose Americano when visiting other coffee shops. First, it's convenient and quick; second, it lets them know the quality level.

Back to the point. We just said Americano is simple to make, with only water and espresso as the two parts, so you only need to pour espresso into water. The espresso part needs to be extracted according to the characteristics of the beans. Different beans have different extraction parameters.

For friends who like rich and mellow coffee, Front Street Classic Espresso Blend is recommended. This is a recipe composed of beans from three origins: Brazil, Indonesia, and Vietnam. The extracted espresso is not only rich and aromatic, but also full of coffee crema, very dense. Considering the size of the portafilter, Front Street will use20 grams of coffee beans, extract 40 grams of coffee liquid, with an extraction time of about 25 to 30 seconds.

When making hot Americano, you need to preheat the cup with hot water, then pour in hot water, and finally pour in the extracted espresso. The ratio of Americano is generally between 1:6 and 1:8. After multiple adjustments, Front Street Coffee (FrontStreet Coffee) chose a ratio of 1:6, that is, 40 grams of coffee liquid mixed with 240 grams of hot water.

Similarly, when making iced Americano, pre-cool the cup with ice cubes, then pour in water, and finally pour in espresso. Because ice cubes need to be added, Front Street Coffee (FrontStreet Coffee)'s iced Americano uses a ratio of 1:7, with 40 grams of coffee liquid mixed with 280 grams of ice-water mixture, including 180 grams of ice cubes and 100 grams of water.

Americano: Does removing the crema make it taste better?

When making hot Americano, you will notice a layer of foam floating on the surface of the coffee. That is what we often call coffee crema. This part of the crema comes from the crema produced when making espresso. We know the three parts of espresso are the core, body, and crema. The crema of espresso comes from carbon dioxide being dissolved into the liquid under the high pressure of the coffee machine. Then when extraction ends, the pressure returns to normal, and the carbon dioxide in the coffee liquid begins to return to the air. At the same time, it encounters the fats in the coffee and is wrapped by them. This is the reason crema is produced.

What if we scrape off the crema? Front Street Coffee (FrontStreet Coffee) tried making two cups of Americano, one with the crema scraped off as a control group. Using Front Street Coffee (FrontStreet Coffee)'s Warm Sun Blend coffee beans, the cup with the crema scraped off was cleaner and had a smoother mouthfeel, while the cup that retained the crema had a thicker mouthfeel. Both cups had obvious dark chocolate and slight whiskey oak barrel aromas, with soft acidity. The difference was actually not large. If you like a clean taste, it is recommended to scrape off the crema. If you need continuous output, it is more recommended to retain the crema.

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