Americano is one of the most popular coffees—whether you're an office worker heading to work or out having fun on the weekend, holding a cup of Americano is practically standard. So what is it about Americano that makes everyone love it so much?
Made from nothing but espresso and water, the Americano is a signature drink at nearly every café and the most widely known representative of black coffee. Legend has it that this world-class beverage was born after World War II, when American soldiers couldn't handle the intense taste of espresso, so they diluted it with water until it suited their palate—hence the name "Americano."
1. A caffeine boost
Americano is made by adding water to espresso. Italians have long enjoyed a cup of espresso at midday to perk themselves up, but outside Italy—especially in America—people couldn't stand the strong coffee taste. So Italian-American café owners developed a coffee suited to American palates: essentially, they diluted Italians' espresso with water. This way it wasn't too bitter or too strong, and the larger cup size made it seem like great value. Thus Americano became the go-to energy booster for working people.
2. It's cheap
Since it consists of only espresso and water, Americano is basically the cheapest coffee in any café, which is also why it's the most chosen coffee. For example, if you're not particularly into coffee but want to kill time in a café, ordering the cheapest coffee becomes the best choice—which is why Americano has the highest order volume.
In addition, with the rise of specialty coffee beans, more and more specialty beans are being used in Americanos. For example, Front Street Coffee uses its Sunflower Warm Sun blend to make Americano. This blend consists of two specialty beans: Yirgacheffe Red Cherry and Sherry.
To highlight the sherry-barrel flavor, we chose 20g of coffee beans, extracting 40g of espresso over 27 to 28 seconds. Then we add 200ml of water to make the Americano. For an iced Americano, taking into account the chilling effect and the melting of the ice, Front Street Coffee opts for larger ice cubes, each weighing about 25g. The ratio for one cup of Front Street iced Americano is 40g espresso, 100g large ice cubes, and 120g water—that is, 1:2.5:3. This way the coffee isn't too strong and uncomfortable at first, and since the large ice cubes melt slowly, it won't become too weak either, while also maintaining a low temperature for a long time (room-temperature coffee is not a pleasant experience).
The Americano made with the Warm Sun blend has rich flavors of vanilla cream, sherry, milk chocolate, and caramel.
Some friends may ask: which tastes better, Americano or latte?
Latte comes from the Italian word "Latte." A latte is a coffee made by mixing a certain proportion of milk into espresso, and is a type of flavored coffee. The original latte originated in Vienna, the city of music. Viennese people began drinking coffee in the 17th century. At that time, the Turkish army attacked Vienna and, in their panicked retreat, left behind 500 bags of coffee beans. These beans became the raw material for Vienna's first café (the Blue Bottle). To cater to European tastes, the café owner filtered out the coffee grounds and added a large amount of milk, turning the bitter black coffee smooth and sweet. The Viennese were enchanted by the taste, and milk coffee soon swept the world.
A latte's ingredients are simple—just espresso and milk—and there's likewise no fixed ratio; most range from 1:5 to 1:8. Front Street Coffee uses a 1:6 ratio: 40g of espresso with 240g of milk. When serving a hot latte, Front Street Coffee pours the espresso into a preheated cup, then uses an espresso machine's steam wand to froth the milk, ideally keeping the milk temperature between 55–65°C to create a dense, moderately thick microfoam, which is then evenly integrated with the coffee. The final latte art is the icing on the cake. Front Street's hot latte presents the sweet aroma of chocolate liqueur and is as smooth as cream. Front Street's iced latte starts with 75g of ice cubes plus 25ml of fresh milk, then 40g of espresso is extracted and poured over the top; before drinking, guests are reminded to stir thoroughly.
In Front Street's view, Americano and latte really can't be compared—it mainly comes down to personal preference. If you don't like a coffee taste that's too strong and bitter, you can choose a latte: a latte is espresso with milk added, and the sweetness of the milk's lactose neutralizes the coffee's bitterness, making the whole cup less bitter. If you want to enjoy the pure taste of coffee, then choose an Americano.
The above content is compiled by CoffeeHunters, a coffee news website.
