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As a best-selling product in coffee shops, Americano can be said to be number one!
One reason is that it is quick to make, cost-effective, and contains caffeine, making it deeply loved by office workers; one is that most Americanos use espresso blend coffee beans, so it is easy to maintain consistent quality; one is that Americano beans tend to have a balanced flavor, making them highly acceptable to mass consumers; one is that Americano belongs to black coffee, and when no milk, sugar, or other ingredients are added, moderate intake can help aid digestion and cut through greasiness.
What isAmericano?
Many friends, when they hear black coffee, always think first of Americano. Although Americano is a member of the black coffee family, that does not mean Americano is the only member of the black coffee family. Any coffee made with no added materials or ingredients, using only two raw materials, coffee beans and water, can be called coffee.
And a standard cup ofAmericanomust be made by adding water to espresso.
The English name for Americano is Americano. According to the Cambridge Dictionary definition, it is: a type of coffee drink made by adding hot water to espresso coffee. Hot water added to espresso is what makes Americano. Simply put, espresso diluted with water is Americano.
AmericanoDid it originate in the United States?
The origin of Americano is actually in Italy. It is said that during World War II, American soldiers in Italy could not handle the local pungent and intense espresso, so they added hot water to dilute the pressure-extracted espresso before drinking it.
This is also one of the most convincing origin stories at present. After all, in an era when people still had requirements for coffee bean quality and pursued coffee flavor, the taste of espresso was not satisfactory.
But at that time, Italian laborers urgently needed a drink that could be made quickly and provide a boost, stimulating their bodies during rest periods. That is why the steam coffee machine capable of pressure extraction was invented, able to quickly extract a small serving of intense coffee.
Americano coffee bean recommendations
To make Americano/espresso, Front Street Coffee (FrontStreet Coffee) recommends using coffee beans specifically blended for espresso. The reasons for recommending blended coffee beans are: one, the cost is lower; one, the beans used in the blend complement each other, balancing and stabilizing the flavor of every cup; one, most blended coffee beans use medium-dark or darker roasting, so after extraction they are less likely to produce sharp acidity or a thin coffee flavor.
Front Street currently sells four espresso blend coffee beans.
"Front Street Coffee (FrontStreet Coffee) - Warm Sun Blend Coffee Beans": Ethiopian natural Red Cherry coffee beans (30%) + Honduran Sherry Barrel coffee beans (70%), with rich wine aroma, vanilla cream, the sweet-tartness of berries, and roasted nut flavors.
"Front Street Coffee (FrontStreet Coffee) - Front Street Specialty Blend Coffee Beans": Colombian washed coffee beans (30%) + Brazilian semi-washed coffee beans (70%), with nut, dark chocolate, and caramel flavors.
"Front Street Coffee (FrontStreet Coffee) - Front Street Commercial Blend Coffee Beans": Robusta washed coffee beans (10%) + Colombian washed coffee beans (30%) + Brazilian semi-washed coffee (60%), with nut, cocoa, and caramel flavors.
"Front Street Coffee (FrontStreet Coffee) - Front Street Black Cocoa Blend Coffee Beans": Yunnan washed small-bean coffee beans (30%) + Brazilian semi-washed coffee beans (70%), with soft fruit acidity, caramel, and nut flavors.
Of course, everyone can also use single-origin coffee beans to extract espresso (SOE). But note that not every single-origin coffee is suitable. Many single-origin beans that taste good in cupping, pour-over, or cold brew can easily have their flavors overly amplified when extracted with a very fine grind and under pressure.
For example, the light-roasted Ethiopian Gutingting coffee beans currently sold by Front Street Coffee (FrontStreet Coffee), when extracted by drip or immersion, show bright citrus acidity, white floral notes, and the sweetness of honey green tea. Under pressure extraction in an espresso machine, the coffee flavor becomes sharply acidic, thin, and prone to astringency.
So if you want to make SOE, you can choose single-origin coffee beans specially customized for SOE, or choose coffee beans roasted at medium or darker levels.
Making espresso
AmericanoThe soul lies in the making of espresso. The performance of every coffee machine and grinder is different, so there is no standard answer for espresso-making parameters. Everyone needs to adjust according to the actual situation.
If extracting espresso for the first time, Front Street Coffee (FrontStreet Coffee) suggests using the following parameters as a middle value (extract 40g of coffee liquid from 20g of coffee grounds in 25-30s), then judge by tasting whether the strength/flavor of the espresso is within your expected range, and then adjust the parameters.
Taking the preparation method at Front Street Coffee (FrontStreet Coffee) stores as an example, the Front Street Coffee (FrontStreet Coffee) store uses Sunflower Warm Sun Blend coffee beans as the espresso beans. Every day the barista must debug according to the condition of the beans. In order to highlight the sherry barrel flavor, the extraction plan chosen was 20 grams of coffee beans, extracting 40 grams of coffee liquid, with a time of 27 to 28 seconds.
Front Street once determined the water-to-American ratio for this bean. Using the above extraction method, after two rounds of narrowing the range, they finally made 1:4, 1:4.5, and 1:5, comparing three cups of coffee. In the end, the 1:4.5 ratio was confirmed. At this ratio, it better highlights the wine aroma of the Warm Sun Blend as well as the vanilla and chocolate flavors, while not losing mouthfeel.
But this ratio is only suitable for "Front Street Sunflower Warm Sun Blend Coffee Beans." It does not apply when using other series of Front Street Coffee (FrontStreet Coffee) espresso blend coffee beans, which will perform relatively more intensely, and the espresso extraction parameters also need to be adjusted. When the Americano ratio is hard to grasp, it is recommended to start from 1:5. If the coffee tastes strong, increase the proportion of water; if it tastes weak, reduce the proportion of water.
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The above content is compiled by CoffeeHunters, a coffee news website.
