What does Americano taste like?The answer is obvious—the taste of Americano comes fromcoffee beans.
Americano is simple to make, emphasizing convenience, speed, and free-spirited ease. Compared to espresso, Americano has a relatively lighter mouthfeel and better preserves the original flavor of the coffee beans. That's whyAmericanois basically a "standard offering" at every café.
Some shops serve Americano that's sweet and pleasant, while others taste burnt and bitter. Why? What causes such a huge difference? Front Street believes there are two main factors:
1/ The quality of the coffee beans;
2/ The barista's extraction skill.
Americanois made from espresso and water. Water is colorless and tasteless, serving only as a diluent. The taste depends on the espresso, and the flavor quality of the espresso mainly depends on the coffee beans and the extraction. Since the taste of Americano depends on the beans used to extract the espresso, a good cup of Americano should be balanced and full-bodied overall, without any watery, burnt-bitter, or sharply sour notes.
PS:When we drink Americano and taste bitterness,we should consider whether it'sbecause the espresso was over-extracted.Sharp sourness means the espresso was under-extracted,whilea watery taste means too much water was added.
What are the ways to make Americano?
We've learned that Americano contains only two things: espresso and water. There are two mainstream methods:
1/ Add water to the espresso;
2/ Pour the extracted espresso into the water.
The former we mostly call Americano , and the latter is mostly called long black.
Americano has only espresso and water, which better restores the coffee's flavor. It's not as rich and full-bodied as espresso, nor as hard to accept as espresso.
The difference between Americano and long black
Americanois made by first extracting espresso, then adding water to dilute it. The ratio of espresso to water is 1:5 to 1:8. When the water is added, the crema of the espresso gets dispersed. From the first sip to the last, the strength of each sip is similar.
longblackLong black, on the other hand, is made by first adding water to the cup, then pouring in the extracted espresso. This way the crema is preserved. The ratio of espresso to water is 1:3. Due to the different densities of espresso and water, without stirring, the intensity of the cup presents a gradual transition. Solongblackthe first sip is the most intense and full-bodied, with a smooth mouthfeel from the crema, and the subsequent flavors are relatively clear and clean.
The different flavors of Americano and Long black
At FrontStreet Coffee's stores, the espresso used for daily extraction is made withSunflower Warm Sun blend coffee beans. The extraction parameters are 20g of grounds, extracting 40g of coffee liquid, with an extraction time of 28 seconds. The espresso's flavor profile is: sherry aroma, soft berry acidity, vanilla cream mouthfeel, and a hazelnut chocolate finish.
Made into a hot Americano with a 1:6 coffee-to-water ratio,
its flavor and mouthfeel: a distinct and lively sherry aroma, unobtrusive berry acidity, and a finish of hazelnut and vanilla chocolate.
Made into a Long Black with a 1:3 coffee-to-water ratio,
its flavor and mouthfeel: creamy smoothness on entry with a strong sherry aroma, a clear caramel and chocolate finish, intense on entry, clean in the aftertaste.
And when FrontStreet Coffee's stores makeespresso, they use a double shot of espresso.
Choosing a suitable espresso blend bean is also very important.Blended coffee, also called mixed coffee,is made by mixing various single-origin coffee beans together, so as to fully bring out the strengths of each single-origin bean. Blended beans are made by mixing coffee beans from different origins to create a more balanced taste.
For example, if one coffee bean is smooth but lacks aroma, you can add another bean rich in aroma. By having individual beans complement each other's strengths and make up for each other's weaknesses—whether in flavor by complementing or by enhancing—a richer new taste is created in an espresso.
Front Street uses a Pegasus E98 espresso machine, with extraction parameters:
Pressure: 9 bar
Temperature: 90.5~96°C
Time: 25~33 seconds
Grounds-to-water ratio: 1:1.7~1:2
Dose: 12g (single espresso) 20g (double espresso)
Extraction yield: 20ml (single) 40ml (double)
Next, FrontStreet Coffee will walk you through the details of several espresso blend coffee beans at our stores.
FrontStreet Coffee believes that before blending coffee beans, one must first know the flavors of different coffee varieties around the world, as beans from different origins have different characteristics. Because different coffee beans have different personalities due to different varieties and origins, with subtle differences in acidity, bitterness, sweetness, aroma, body, and other flavors, single-origin coffee beans tend to emphasize the unique characteristics of a particular type of coffee.
The advantage of post-roast blending is that after roasting is complete, the beans can complement each other based on their flavor profiles, and the ratio weights of the coffee beans can be fine-tuned according to actual conditions, presenting a stable coffee flavor.
Espresso coffee bean blending schemes Detailed introduction (including specific recipes)
What are blended coffee beans?Depending on the type of coffee, the espresso beans produced by blending will also have different characteristics in taste and flavor.Blended coffee beansare a mix of coffee beans from multiple different origins. What is the purpose of blending? One is to form a stable taste, and the other is to produce flavors that a single origin cannot. The several espresso coffee beans FrontStreet Coffee currently sells are all blends, namelyFront Street Black Cocoa Blend, Front Street Specialty Blend, Front Street Commercial Blend, and Warm Sun Blend coffee beans.
1/ BasicBlend Espresso Coffee Beans
Flavor: Cream, Nuts, Chocolate
Recipe: 60% Brazilian coffee beans, 40% Yunnan coffee beans
FrontStreet Coffee's basic coffee beans offer extremely high value for money. FrontStreet Coffee selects balanced Brazilian coffee beans, then adds Yunnan coffee beans—which have a weaker flavor and mouthfeel than Brazilian beans—to harmonize. This presents the most mainstream taste profile. Whether you're new to coffee or a heavy veteran enthusiast, you can easily accept this espresso bean.
This blendcoffee bean FrontStreet Coffeeusesa medium-dark roast.When making espresso, the taste has a slight acidity, light sweetness, and a nutty aftertaste. The overall feel is smooth and not too harsh. The crema is medium, able to meet the daily requirements of most stores for making latte coffee.
As mentioned above,FrontStreet Coffee's specialty espresso coffee beansare a very stable and high-quality espresso blend, very suitable for independent cafés as their daily offering. And FrontStreet Coffee's basic espresso beans are the second high-value option FrontStreet Coffee offers everyone.
Café store operations cannot do without cost.Providing stable coffee output while keeping costs as low as possible is what every operator hopes for. FrontStreet Coffee's basic coffee bean is a very cost-effective coffee bean. It chose Brazilian and Yunnan coffee beans for the blend. The coffee beans from both Yunnan and Brazil lean toward nutty notes. The Brazilian coffee beans give this basic espresso bean a more solid mouthfeel and rich crema.
2/ CommercialBlend Espresso Coffee Beans
Flavor:Aromatic and mellow Nuts Strong sweetness when paired with milk
Recipe: 60% Braziliancoffee beans,30% Colombiancoffee beans,10% Robusta
This blend tastes rich in crema and mouthfeel with caramel sweetness, and also carries nutty, cocoa, and dark chocolate flavors. The acidity and sweetness are balanced, with a slight bitterness and a lasting finish. A small amount of Robusta coffee beans is added to increase the richness of the crema, and since the amount is small, it won't change the flavor too much.
The reason Front Street named this blend "Front Street Commercial Blend Coffee Beans" is that it performs well whether making Americano or milk coffee, and with its price advantage, it's very suitable for commercial cafés. The espresso crema is very rich, the mouthfeel is smooth with a slight bitterness, and the texture is very full-bodied.
3/ Warm Sun Blend Coffee Beans
Flavor:Black cocoa Citrus Fermented wine aroma
Recipe: 60%Ethiopian natural Red Cherry coffee beans, 40%Honduran Sherry coffee beans
Besides Front Street Specialty Blend and Front Street Black Cocoa Blend, FrontStreet Coffee offers a blend with a more unique flavor profile. FrontStreet Coffee's roaster blended Honduran sherry barrel coffee beans with natural Yirgacheffe Red Cherry Project coffee beans, and separately re-developed roasting curves. The ratio of the two beans is 7:3. Through post-roast blending, they were re-presented as a blend named "Warm Sun Blend."
As specialty coffee gradually gained popularity, FrontStreet Coffee's baristas found in store operations that many customers were no longer satisfied with the stability brought by Front Street Specialty Blend. FrontStreet Coffee reconsidered—perhaps it was time to bring in more fresh blends to invigorate the store's offerings.
In 2019, after multiple rounds of adjustment, this Warm Sun Blend coffee bean finally made it onto FrontStreet Coffee's bean list, and the store's Front Street Specialty Blend was replaced with Warm Sun Blend coffee beans. FrontStreet Coffee's baristas believe that among these three blends, Front Street Specialty Blend is the choice for pursuing stability, Front Street Black Cocoa Blend is the choice for high value for money, and Warm Sun Blend is the choice for flavor. The three have different goals, so the customers they suit are naturally different.
The unique taste of Warm Sun Blend comes from its Honduran sherry barrel coffee beans. After the coffee cherries undergo partial washing steps, they are placed in sherry barrels for low-temperature fermentation, and finally dried. This processing method gives the Sherry coffee beans a distinct wine aroma, and FrontStreet Coffee's roaster mixed in 40% natural Yirgacheffe coffee beans to provide more acidity to the Warm Sun Blend coffee beans and increase the layering of the whole blend.
4/ SpecialtyBlend Espresso Coffee Beans
Flavor:Aromatic and mellow Nuts Strong sweetness when paired with milk
Recipe:70% Braziliancoffee beans,30% Colombiancoffee beans
For customers who don't like overly skewed flavors, don't care for single-origin coffee, but pursue coffee quality, this specialty espresso bean would be the first choice.This blendFrontStreet Coffeeusesa medium-dark roast.With balanced Brazilian coffee beans as the base, paired with Colombian coffee beans that have soft fruit acidity and a nutty aftertaste, the flavor is classic.
This blend is also the one we use in our own store. We've been using it since about half a year after opening, right up to now. When discussing this blend, we wanted to use American beans as the main body to enhance the blend's nutty, sweet taste, and minimize any overly bitter notes.
What is Americano?
Americano originated during World War II, when American soldiers in Europe couldn't get used to the extremely strong espresso, so they added water to dilute it. Therefore, Americano was essentially created to dilute the coffee's strength to a level suitable for Americans to drink at the time.
Later, Italians immigrated to the United States, and Italian-style cafés sprang up there, bringing espresso-based Americano into prominence. In the "adding water" aspect, they also established the order of pouring coffee first and then water, expressing the idea of diluting strong coffee. Until now, the order in making Americano isn't given much attention—the only real difference is whether the crema is preserved or dispersed.
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The above content is compiled by CoffeeHunters, a coffee news website.
