No matter the season, Americano is the most frequently ordered drink in coffee shops. In winter, a hot Americano is warm and mellow; in summer, an iced Americano is refreshing and tasty. So how is this drink that's popular everywhere made? Please join Front Street Coffee to learn about it.

Was Americano invented by Americans?

The English word for Americano, "Americano," comes from the Italian "Caffè Americano," meaning American coffee.

It's hard to trace exactly who invented Americano. The most popular theory is that during World War II, American soldiers drank coffee to stay alert and get through the dull military life. However, they couldn't stand the bitter and strong espresso, so they diluted it with water to a drinkable concentration. After the war, Italians who moved to the Americas brought espresso machines with them, and this "watered-down coffee" quickly spread as American chain stores became popular worldwide.

Americano is a type of black coffee. Since no milk, sugar, or other additives are added, you can taste the coffee's original flavor more clearly. The coffee beans used in Front Street Coffee stores are our own roasted "Sunflower Warm Sun Blend," which is made from 70% Honduras Sherry coffee and 30% Yirgacheffe natural red cherry coffee. The whisky, vanilla, and cream flavors of the Sherry combine with the tropical fruit and fermented notes of the red cherry, making the coffee rich in aroma and soft in mouthfeel.

When making Americano, Front Street Coffee grinds the coffee beans into powder and extracts espresso at a 1:2 coffee-to-water ratio, then pours it into water to dilute—that is, using 20 grams of coffee powder to extract 40 grams of espresso. According to multiple tests by Front Street Coffee, a 1:6 ratio of espresso to water best brings out the Warm Sun aroma. That means pouring 40 grams of espresso into 240 grams of 88℃ hot water, and the hot Americano is ready. For iced Americano, replace the hot water with 120 grams of ice cubes and 120 grams of room-temperature water. The taste is best before the ice melts.

The difference between Americano and Long Black

Besides Americano, Long Black is also starting to appear on some coffee shop menus. In Australia, people generally call black coffee "Black Coffee" and coffee with milk "White Coffee." Espresso is called "Short Black," and when water is added to Short Black, it becomes "Long Black," which is generally translated in China as 长黑 or 澳黑.

In the 1980s, many Italians immigrated to Australia and brought espresso machines to New Zealand, Australia, Melbourne, and other countries. Australians prefer coffee with a richer taste, so the refreshing Americano was clearly not their cup of tea. Thus, Italians adjusted the espresso base and preparation ratio to cater to Australians' "strong taste."

Front Street Coffee looked through relevant materials and noticed that the most obvious difference between Americano and Long Black is the amount of water added. Americano is made by first extracting espresso and then adding water to dilute it, with an espresso-to-water ratio of 1:5 to 1:8. Long Black, however, has a stronger coffee flavor than Americano and a smaller cup size. The barista extracts two shots of espresso (40g) into a cup containing 100-120ml of water, leaving a rich Crema on the surface. So Long Black is at its strongest and richest on the first sip, and the flavors that follow are clearer and cleaner.

What coffee beans are suitable for making Americano?

Many coffee enthusiasts不知不觉 have equipped their homes with lots of coffee gear, and those who are obsessed with espresso have even stocked up on espresso machines, ready to extract their own shots. Front Street Coffee believes that for a delicious Americano, a high-quality espresso base is key, so choosing the right coffee beans is very important. Since espresso is pressure-extracted, even small adjustments to parameters can affect the final espresso taste. Therefore, Front Street Coffee recommends using medium-dark roasted blend coffee beans.

Espresso blend coffee beans are roasted beans made by roasters carefully selecting coffee beans from different origins and with different flavor profiles to blend and roast together (or roast separately and then blend in proportion). The purpose is to highlight the rich aroma of Espresso, maintain balanced flavor, and make the espresso served in stores more consistent. Front Street Coffee's understanding of blend beans is to maintain stable flavor and balanced mouthfeel, so the blend coffee achieves an effect where one plus one is greater than two, making up for each other's shortcomings in taste, thereby creating a richer new coffee flavor. Front Street Coffee's bean list offers four espresso blend beans for you to choose from:

Classic rich type — Front Street Coffee Commercial Blend Coffee Beans

Robusta washed coffee beans (10%) + Colombia washed coffee beans (30%) + Brazil semi-washed coffee (60%)

The espresso produced has a thick golden crema and nutty aroma. When tasting, there is a roasted coffee bitterness, but it comes with more of a creamy, full-bodied mouthfeel. After swallowing, the bitterness fades, leaving a lingering fragrance on the lips and teeth.

Slightly sour rich type — Front Street Coffee Dark Cocoa Blend Coffee Beans

Yunnan washed small-bean coffee (30%) + Brazil semi-washed coffee beans (70%)

Yunnan small-bean coffee brings a soft acidity, paired with the rich aroma of Brazil Cerrado coffee, the espresso has caramel, nutty, and soft plum acidity notes.

Balanced rich aroma type — Front Street Coffee Specialty Blend Coffee Beans

Colombia washed coffee beans (30%) + Brazil semi-washed coffee beans (70%)

On the nutty tone of classic Brazilian coffee, Colombian coffee is added, and the espresso presents a dark chocolate flavor, caramel sweetness, and full roasted aroma.

Delicate wine aroma type — Sunflower Warm Sun Blend Coffee Beans

Ethiopia natural red cherry coffee beans (30%) + Honduras sherry barrel coffee beans (70%) made into espresso has a very rich dark chocolate flavor on the palate, with a strong caramel note, and the aroma released after swallowing is endlessly memorable. Whether it's Americano diluted with water or latte with milk, it presents a rich aroma and mouthfeel.

For professional coffee knowledge exchange and more coffee bean information, please follow Coffee Workshop (WeChat public account: cafe_style)

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