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Every region has its own way of drinking coffee, and because of this, some regions' coffee-drinking methods are quite representative, giving rise to a kind of local culture—just like Turkish coffee or Italian coffee. When it comes to these coffees, a picture may already have formed in your mind. But when it comes to Americano, people might hesitate for a moment, and then two scenarios come to mind: one is coffee made with a drip machine, and the other is black coffee made by adding espresso to water.

Drip coffee is generally black coffee—as long as you don't add sugar or milk, it's a cup of black coffee. Just as Turkish coffee has a story with Turkey, Americano also has a story with America. Otherwise, the word "American" in the name wouldn't make sense.

"Americano" (English: Americano, Italian: Caffè Americano) is a type of coffee and also the most ordinary coffee. It can be black coffee made with a drip coffee maker, or espresso with a large amount of water added. But what we commonly call Americano is the latter.

It is said that during World War II, American soldiers went to the European continent to support the war effort. Europeans were used to drinking espresso with a concentrated flavor, but because the taste was too intense, Americans couldn't get used to it and even found it hard to swallow. So they diluted the espresso with water before drinking it, and continued this practice. Europeans scorned this method, so they named this type of coffee "Americano." It should be noted that if you go to a café in Italy and want to order an Americano, you must add "café" before "Americano." The same goes for latte—if you just say "latte," you'll likely just get a glass of milk.

Front Street Coffee (FrontStreet Coffee)'s Method for Making Americano

The method for making Americano is actually very simple, divided into two main steps: the first is extracting espresso, and the second is adding the coffee liquid to water.

Although making Americano is simple, it also greatly tests a barista's extraction skills. A delicious cup of Americano cannot do without its most basic element—espresso. In other words, the first main step is everything for this cup of Americano.

Different beans used will result in different flavors of the final Americano. So what Americano coffee beans are recommended? The house blend used at Front Street's store for making espresso is a blend of 70% Honduras Sherry and 30% Ethiopian natural Red Cherry.

Front Street Coffee (FrontStreet Coffee): Sunflower Warm Sun Blend Coffee Beans

Region: Honduras & Ethiopia

Variety: Caturra, Catuai, Pacas, local heirloom varieties

Processing method: Washed & Natural

For those who enjoy rich, aromatic coffee, Front Street's Classic Italian Blend is recommended. This is a recipe combining beans from three origins—Brazil, Indonesia, and Vietnam—using a dark roast, which maximizes the rich aroma of the coffee and makes it easy to extract rich, creamy crema.

The base-making process is closely related to factors such as the grind size of the coffee grounds, the dose, the machine's extraction pressure, water temperature, and the coffee-to-water ratio. If the grind is too coarse, it may lead to under-extraction and a sharp, sour taste; if too fine, it may cause over-extraction and a bitter taste.

After dosing and distributing the grounds, the tamping step is also very important. To outsiders, this step just looks like pressing the coffee grounds with a tamper, and some who are proud of their "iron arms" might use all their might—even risking breaking the portafilter basket—thinking that brute force will work miracles, assuming that compared to the 9 bar pressure from the machine, this is nothing. Little do they know that this brute-force approach compresses the coffee puck too densely, greatly reducing or even blocking the gaps for water to pass through, which easily causes over-extraction.

In addition, special attention must be paid to ensuring the tamper's force is perpendicular to the portafilter basket; otherwise, the puck will be pressed unevenly, causing uneven extraction.

When Front Street extracts espresso, based on the portafilter basket capacity used at Front Street's store, it can hold 20 grams of coffee grounds. Front Street's espresso machine extracts at around 9 bar pressure, at a water temperature of 93°C, yielding 40 grams of coffee liquid.

Front Street uses a Flying Horse E98 espresso machine, with the following extraction parameters:

Pressure: 9 bar±2

Temperature: 90.5~96°C

Time: 20~30 sec

Coffee-to-water ratio: 1:1.7~1:2

Dose: 12g (single shot espresso) 20g (double shot espresso)

Extracted espresso yield: 20ml (single) 40ml (double)

After making the espresso base, only the final step of adding water remains. But what is the ratio for Americano?

Traditional Americano has a ratio of espresso to water of 1:8, but this ratio isn't suitable for all coffee beans. Front Street Coffee (FrontStreet Coffee) once conducted a comparative experiment with 1:8 and 1:6 ratios and found that when the espresso made with this blend is diluted with water at a 1:8 ratio, the final Americano tastes too weak, with too short a finish and even a watery mouthfeel. With a 1:6 ratio, however, it highlights the mouthfeel and characteristics of the Americano made with Front Street's Sunflower Warm Sun Blend: whiskey notes and a dark chocolate finish, along with a nice full body.

How to drink Americano?

When a cup of coffee is placed before you, Front Street suggests not rushing to drink it. Instead, like drinking tea or tasting wine, there should be a process from shallow to deep, achieving the goals of relaxation, refreshment, and enjoyment.

Step one: Smell the aroma—experience the rich fragrance of freshly ground coffee wafting toward you;

Step two: Observe the color—coffee is best when it shows a deep coffee color, not pitch black and unfathomable;

Step three: Taste—take a sip first to experience the authentic flavor of the freshly ground coffee. The coffee should have some sweetness, a bit of bitterness, and sourness without being bitter. Then sip slowly, not rushing to swallow the coffee in one gulp. Hold it in your mouth temporarily, letting the coffee mix slightly with saliva and air, then swallow.

If you find it bitter, Front Street suggests adding according to your preferred taste—for example: spices like cinnamon, sugar or milk, or soda.

The difference between hot Americano and iced Americano

Since higher temperatures make molecules move more actively, hot Americano has a superior aroma. However, iced Americano has a refreshing quality that hot Americano lacks. If you want to savor the aroma and finish of the coffee, Front Street suggests choosing hot Americano. If you want something refreshing, then iced Americano is a good choice.

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