Which beans suit americano coffee, blends or SOE?

Americano coffee is espresso diluted with water, and it is usually built on dark-roasted Italian-style beans. The beans fall into two groups: blended coffee beans, which combine two or more origins, and SOE, single origin espresso made from just one bean type. Blending aims at balance, letting one origin cover another's weak spot, while SOE highlights one region's character.

In a comparison test, Front Street blended single-origin beans from two regions to offset the low acidity of traditional Italian-style coffee and add flavor layers. Blends of three bean types are often suggested, since too many components make the combined flavor hard to control. Extraction parameters and tasting steps then decide whether the cup leans acidic, full-bodied, or balanced.

Americano is made by diluting espresso with water, usually using dark-roasted Italian-style beans. Front Street Coffee blends single-origin beans from two regions to compensate for the low acidity of traditional Italian-style coffee and add layers of flavor. Many people ask: Must Americano use an espresso blend? What flavors would other beans bring? This article first explains the difference between blended beans and SOE, then compares three Front Street blends, offering three Americano options—leaning acidic, leaning full-bodied, and leaning balanced—along with extraction parameters. Finally, it includes tasting steps for smelling, observing color, and tasting, helping coffee lovers choose suitable beans according to their taste and consistently make iced or hot Americano at home.

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Americano is made by diluting espresso with water to reduce its concentration, typically using dark-roasted Italian-style coffee beans. At Front Street, when making Americano, we blend single-origin beans from two regions, which compensates for the low acidity of traditional Italian-style coffee and makes the overall taste richer. Many people ask: Must Americano use an espresso blend? If other coffee beans are used, what will the flavor become? Around this question, Front Street conducted a comparative experiment using two of our own blends to present the differences.

What coffee beans are used for Americano?

Commonly divided into two categories: one is blended coffee beans, and the other is SOE (single origin espresso). The most critical difference between them lies in the number of coffee bean types they contain: a blend consists of at least two or more coffee beans, while SOE uses only one type of coffee bean.

Front Street Coffee (FrontStreet Coffee) Americano Coffee Bean Products

The core purpose of blending is to bring together flavors from different regions to form a new overall expression and pursue a more balanced effect. For example, if a certain bean has a smooth mouthfeel but insufficient aroma, beans with a richer aroma can be added to make up for shortcomings and enhance each other. When blending, it is recommended to use three types of coffee beans for the combination; if there are too many types, the combined flavor is difficult to control, and it is easy to favor one thing at the expense of another.

The coffee beans selected for SOE focus on highlighting regional character. If you simply prefer the taste of a certain region, choosing SOE will also suit your taste very well. However, although SOE is distinctive, because it comes from a single origin, its shortcomings are also more likely to be magnified: if the bean quality is not good enough, the resulting SOE coffee will not taste good, and there is even not much room to conceal it. Therefore, in actual practice, SOE has higher technical requirements in all aspects, which is also one of the reasons why SOE coffee is often more expensive than ordinary Espresso.

How does Front Street Coffee (FrontStreet Coffee) make Americano?

Acidic-leaning Americano coffee beans

Take [Front Street Coffee (FrontStreet Coffee) — Sunflower Warm Sun Coffee Beans] as an example

It uses Honduras Sherry coffee beans and Yirgacheffe Red Cherry coffee beans, with a blending ratio of 6:4. The flavor has obvious fruity acidity, a faint berry aroma, wine aroma, rich chocolate flavor, and a pronounced sweet aftertaste.

Recommended Americano preparation parameters: 18 grams of coffee in a double spout portafilter (with a deviation of plus or minus 1 gram), extract 36 grams of coffee liquid, extraction time 28 seconds, pour the coffee liquid into a 330ml cup already filled with ice and water. If you prefer a stronger coffee taste, you may appropriately reduce the amount of water; if you want a more diluted taste, you may appropriately add more water.

Full-bodied-leaning Americano coffee beans

Take [Front Street Coffee (FrontStreet Coffee) Commercial Blend Coffee Beans] as an example

It uses Colombian coffee beans, Brazilian coffee beans, and Robusta coffee beans, with a blending ratio of 3:6:1. The flavor has caramel sweetness, notes of nuts and cocoa, and dark chocolate flavor, with balanced acidity and sweetness, a slight bitterness, and a lasting finish.

Recommended Americano preparation parameters: 18 grams of coffee in a double spout portafilter (with a deviation of plus or minus 1 gram), extract 36 grams of coffee liquid, extraction time 28 seconds, pour the coffee liquid into a 330ml cup already filled with ice and water.

Moderately balanced Americano coffee beans

Take [Front Street Coffee (FrontStreet Coffee) Specialty Blend Coffee Beans] as an example

It uses Colombian coffee beans and Brazilian coffee beans, with a blending ratio of 3:7. The flavor has soft slight acidity, light sweetness, and a nutty sweet aftertaste. The overall impression is not too stimulating, mild, and the body is medium.

Recommended Americano preparation parameters: 18 grams of coffee in a double spout portafilter (with a deviation of plus or minus 1 gram), extract 36 grams of coffee liquid, extraction time 28 seconds, pour the coffee liquid into a 330ml cup already filled with ice and water.

Front Street Coffee (FrontStreet Coffee) Americano Coffee Beans

The above three blends each produce different flavors when making Americano. Some friends like to drink acidic coffee, so [Sunflower Warm Sun Blend Coffee Beans] is very suitable; if you want something fuller-bodied, then [Commercial Blend Coffee Beans]; if you neither want it too acidic nor too heavy, you can choose [Specialty Blend Coffee Beans].

Tasting steps

When a cup of coffee is brought before you, do not rush to drink it. Like tasting tea or wine, there should be a gradual process to achieve the purpose of relaxation, refreshment, and enjoyment.

The first step is to smell the aroma and experience the rich fragrance of the coffee wafting toward you;

The second step is to observe the color. Coffee is best when it appears dark brown, rather than pitch-black and bottomlessly dark;

The third step is to taste. First take a sip of black coffee to feel the taste of the original coffee. When it enters the mouth, the coffee should have some sweetness, slight bitterness, and slight acidity without astringency. Then taste it in small sips. Do not rush to swallow the coffee in one gulp; instead, hold it in your mouth for a moment, let the coffee mix briefly with saliva and air, and then swallow.

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