Nowadays, the coffee-drinking atmosphere in China is gradually heating up. Not only are coffee shops opening all over the streets and alleys, but even everyday convenience stores have started offering freshly ground coffee—just press a button and you get a cup of drip-style Americano. So, is this kind of Americano the same as the Americano we drink in coffee shops?

American drip coffee machines use atmospheric pressure extraction

There are many devices for brewing coffee, including French presses, moka pots, pour-over drippers, and various coffee machines. Among them, mechanical coffee machines are mainly divided into drip coffee machines and espresso machines.

The American drip coffee machine has a relatively simple structure, so it is more affordable and its functions are relatively more limited. A drip machine is usually divided into upper and lower layers: the upper layer is a funnel-shaped container fitted with filter paper or a metal filter, while the lower layer is a glass or ceramic coffee pot. The American drip coffee machine also lets hot water pass through the coffee grounds and flow into the coffee pot below to extract the coffee, but compared with the espresso we drink in coffee shops, the hot water is extracted at atmospheric pressure. Besides brewing coffee, it can also be used to make tea.

Since the principle of the American drip coffee machine is to pour water over the coffee grounds and then let it flow into the lower pot, without any external force acting on it, the coffee tastes relatively light. Of course, it cannot be used as a base for milk coffee, so it can only make black coffee. If our requirements are not high and we simply want a cup of freshly brewed coffee, Front Street Coffee believes that an American drip coffee machine is also a very good choice.

Espresso machines use pressurized extraction

Espresso was invented in the early nineteenth century. In order to extract a cup of rich coffee in a short time, Italians came up with the idea of using steam pressure to force high-temperature, high-pressure water through a puck of coffee grounds to speed up the original drip extraction rate. With continuous improvement and updates, the semi-automatic/fully automatic espresso machines we commonly see today were derived.

Espresso machines usually have a boiler that pressurizes hot water and then passes it through the coffee grounds basket to extract the coffee, so they are also called pump coffee machines. The coffee brewed by this high-pressure hot water is relatively thick and has emulsified oils, which we call espresso. The Americano we drink is based on it, so baristas need to dial in a standard espresso to ensure stable output in the store.

Espresso symbolizes coffee with a complex yet condensed flavor, and no other brewing method can present such body and texture. To get a delicious cup of espresso, excellent extraction is essential, with the aromatic compounds and taste compounds in the cup reaching balance. Front Street Coffee has said so much, and I believe everyone also understands that espresso machines are much more complex than American drip coffee machines!

What is Americano?

Americano is a type of black coffee, composed of espresso + water, with no other ingredients added. During World War II, coffee was very popular in the U.S. military, but Americans were not used to the strong bitter taste of espresso, so they diluted the coffee liquid with water to reach a concentration they could accept. Later, in coffee shops opened by Italians in the United States, they also "did as the Romans do" and introduced a "watered-down coffee" based on espresso, and afterward this coffee became very popular.

Americano has no fixed ratio; every store has its own serving standard, with the aim of presenting the coffee's flavor and mouthfeel. According to the ratio of 1:6 that Front Street Coffee has tested and adjusted many times, pour 40 grams of coffee liquid into 240 grams of hot water at 88°C, and hot Americano is ready. If serving 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. Front Street Coffee's iced Americano presents a rich whisky aroma, the sweet-and-sour taste of berries, and is refreshing and greasy-cutting, so it is especially popular in stores in hot Guangzhou; the hot Americano highlights the mellow richness of roasted nuts and chocolate, the fermented sweet-and-sour notes of tropical fruit, with a vanilla finish.

Recommended coffee beans suitable for making Americano

When buying coffee beans at Front Street Coffee, Front Street Coffee will ask which extraction method you use. If it is an atmospheric-pressure American drip coffee machine, Front Street Coffee believes that all the coffee beans on the bean shelf intended for pour-over are suitable; you just need to choose the flavor type you like.

If it is a pressurized espresso machine, it is different. Because espresso is extracted under fine grinding, high water temperature, and high pressure, espresso brings together multiple tastes, and various flavor compounds impact our tongue exponentially. Therefore, if we use light-roasted single-origin coffee beans for extraction, the taste may be too intense and mask the coffee's aroma. So Front Street Coffee recommends using blended coffee beans, using a method of making up for each other's shortcomings, ensuring that every batch of coffee beans can show a balanced and stable aroma and taste.

Here, Front Street Coffee recommends Front Street Coffee's own roasted "Sunflower Warm Sun Blend Coffee Beans," made by blending Ethiopian natural Red Cherry coffee beans (30%) + Honduran Sherry Barrel coffee beans (70%). Made into espresso, the entry is a very rich dark chocolate flavor, with a strong caramel aroma, and the fragrance released after swallowing is endlessly memorable. Whether it is an Americano diluted with water or a latte supported by milk, it presents a rich aroma and taste. In order to let everyone drink the full aroma of the coffee and enjoy the most complete tasting stage, Front Street Coffee only ships coffee beans freshly roasted within 5 days.

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