Americano, a coffee sold in every café and a must-order for coffee lovers, is loved for its quick preparation, excellent flavor, and smooth taste. Office workers rushing to work often order an Americano at cafés to save time while giving themselves a caffeine boost. In the scorching summer of Guangzhou, friends visiting Front Street Coffee who don't know what to drink but don't want milk-based coffee basically order an iced Americano. But do you know where Americano actually comes from?
 
History of Americano
　　
One theory says: it's rumored that Americano originated from American soldiers in Italy during World War II, who, unaccustomed to the intensity of espresso, diluted it with hot water. This drew scorn from Italians, who called it Americano, meaning "American coffee."

Of course, there's another theory: after Schultz introduced espresso to Starbucks in Seattle, it was diluted with hot water to suit the lighter tastes of Americans. As Starbucks spread worldwide, it gained acceptance.
　　
Americano is a type of espresso coffee, typically made with medium-dark to dark roast blended coffee beans. Hot water is forced through finely ground coffee under the pressure of an espresso machine to extract espresso. Generally, an Americano is made with one to two shots of espresso diluted with hot water.
　　

 
Drinking AmericanoWhat are the benefits?
 
1. Coffee contains certain nutrients. The niacin in coffee contains vitamin B, with higher levels in roasted coffee beans. It also contains free fatty acids, caffeine, tannic acid, and more.
　　
2. Coffee benefits the skin. Coffee can promote metabolic function, stimulate the digestive organs, and is highly effective for constipation. Using coffee grounds in a bath is a thermotherapy that can aid weight loss.
　　
3. Coffee helps sober you up. Drinking coffee after alcohol causes acetaldehyde converted from alcohol to rapidly oxidize, breaking down into water and carbon dioxide to be expelled from the body.
　　
4. Coffee can eliminate fatigue. To relieve fatigue, you must supplement nutrition, rest and sleep, and promote metabolic function—and coffee has these functions.
　　
5. Coffee can help with weight loss. Coffee contains magnesium and potassium, which help the body use insulin, regulate blood sugar levels, and reduce cravings for sweets and snacks. Caffeine helps fat cells break down body fat and use it as fuel for exercise.
　　

Why is drinking Americano considered healthier?
　　
Americano not only promotes digestion and has a diuretic function, speeding up metabolism, but also reduces bad breath. Sitting with friends after a meal, chatting over an Americano makes the atmosphere more relaxed and harmonious.
　　
Americano is the lowest-calorie coffee, bar none—one could even say its calories are negligible. Even a large Americano at Starbucks has very few calories. This is why many celebrities and artists love drinking Americano: it satisfies their cravings without worrying about too many calories.

How do you make an Americano?　　

Having said so many benefits of Americano, do you know how it's made? Simply put, it's espresso plus water. Next, let Front Street tell you how Front Street makes Americano.

Front Street Coffee's parameters for making espresso are: 20g of coffee grounds extracted to 35g of coffee liquid, taking 28–29 seconds.
 
The espresso beans used by Front Street Coffee are their own blend, Sunflower Warm Sun, containing 70% Honduras Sherry and 30% Yirgacheffe Natural Red Cherry. The 70% Honduras Sherry provides whisky aroma and vanilla cream notes, while the 30% Yirgacheffe Natural Red Cherry provides berry-like acidity. Front Street's design concept for this blend is that it can be used for both espresso and pour-over. When used to make espresso, it gives off a distinct fermented wine aroma; on the palate, citrus and berry acidity immediately emerge, with whisky notes, and a finish of dark chocolate.

Front Street Coffee Sunflower Warm Sun Blend 
Region: Ethiopia & Honduras
Variety: Caturra, Catuai, Heirloom
Processing: Natural & Barrel Fermentation

 
After the espresso is extracted, the rest is even simpler. Just pour the extracted espresso into water, and an Americano is complete.
 
 
Does Americano taste bad?
 
When this question comes up, in most cases it's because people are worried about bitterness. As for why Americano tastes bitter, there are no more than two reasons: ① the taste of the coffee beans themselves; ② over-extraction.
 

【The taste of the coffee beans themselves】

Americano is nothing but water and coffee, so the taste of the coffee beans themselves has the greatest influence on the flavor of the entire cup. Therefore, the first reason Americano tastes bitter may be that the coffee beans used to make the espresso are themselves predominantly rich and heavy in flavor.
 
The rich flavor of espresso beans comes from their bold regional character and darker roast level. For example, the espresso beans used by Front Street Coffee—Front Street's Specialty Blend—contain 30% Colombian beans mixed with 70% Brazilian beans. The Colombian beans give this blend its dark chocolate base note, while the Brazilian beans provide nutty notes and higher body. Front Street Coffee's roaster roasts this blend to a medium-dark level, giving it a wonderful balance: medium-low acidity and medium bitterness.
 

 
【Over-extraction】
 
Besides bean selection, the bitterness of Americano also comes from mistakes during extraction, such as channeling causing uneven extraction, or grinding too fine leading to over-extraction.
 
Front Street Coffee often shares that, based on the weight of the coffee beans, only about 30% of the beans can be extracted. And of that 30%, more extracted isn't necessarily better. According to the Golden Cup standard's recommended range, an extraction of about 18% to 22% is most appropriate. Below 18% is what we call under-extraction, which manifests as sharp acidity and a thin, bland taste. Above 22% is what we call over-extraction, commonly known as over-extracted, which typically manifests as intense bitterness.
 
 

For more specialty coffee beans, please add Front Street Coffee's private WeChat: kaixinguoguo0925

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