How Do You Make Americano and Pull a Proper Espresso Shot?

Espresso is the base for Americano, latte, cappuccino, flat white and mocha. It is made by forcing hot water at roughly 92 degrees Celsius under high pressure through finely ground, compacted coffee. Americano comes from World War II, when American officers diluted espresso with water to imitate drip coffee. Ratios run about 1:4.5 for hot and 1:9 for iced.

Extraction standards, grind size, shot time and TDS measurement all shape the final flavor. The guide walks through a seven-step espresso-making process and in-store extraction plans. Bean choice matters too: an arabica coffee bean typically brings brighter acidity and more nuance, while blends are built for balance and consistency across daily service.

The world of Italian coffee is rooted in espresso, from which Americano, latte, cappuccino, flat white, and mocha all derive. Espresso is made by forcing hot water at about 92°C under high pressure through a layer of finely ground, compacted coffee powder, extracting a liquid rich in flavor and relatively high in caffeine per unit volume. Americano originated during World War II, when American officers added water to espresso to mimic the taste of drip coffee—a practice that also carried a hint of European mockery. Front Street Coffee's hot Americano uses a water-to-espresso ratio of about 1:4.5, while the iced version is close to 1:9, and it offers four espresso blend beans to meet different needs. This article will also explain extraction standards, the effects of grinding and time on flavor, TDS measurement, as well as the seven-step espresso-making process and in-store extraction plans, helping enthusiasts understand the logic behind a shot of espresso.

Although most people who come to Front Street for pour-over coffee are in the majority, there are also quite a few customers willing to order espresso drinks. Everyone knows that espresso is the foundation of all Italian coffee beverages—Americano, latte, cappuccino, flat white, mocha, and others all start from it.

According to Front Street, espresso is written as "espresso" in English, and its caffeine content per unit volume is also higher than that of most coffee drinks. It is extracted by an espresso machine, based on the principle of forcing hot water (usually at about 92°C) under high pressure through a layer of finely ground and compacted coffee powder. During this process, soluble solids and dissolved components are extracted, and the resulting liquid is espresso. Espresso is certainly the starting point for many coffee drinks, but it is also an independent coffee beverage in its own right. Many people also treat espresso as the representative of Italian coffee and compare it with Americano. So, what exactly is the difference between Italian coffee and Americano?

There are mainly two ways to make Americano: one is to extract directly with an American drip machine, and the other is to add water to espresso. To understand the difference, we can start with the historical evolution of Americano. American drip machines first became popular in American homes, and Americans became accustomed to the taste of coffee made by drip machines—lighter in flavor, thin in body, and noticeably watery. During World War II, the coffee American officers drank in Europe was basically espresso, with a strong and stimulating taste.

To replicate the flavor of drip machine coffee, they added water to the espresso, which made the coffee much softer and easier to drink. Since people in other European countries did not drink coffee this way at the time, this beverage was called "Americano." In fact, the name carried a sarcastic tone, a tease by locals that Americans could not handle espresso. The French even privately called Americano "sock coffee" to describe how bad its taste was.

FrontStreet Coffee's Americano is made by adding water to espresso, and the vast majority of coffee shops on the market also use this method. Generally speaking, the water-to-espresso ratio for Americano ranges from 1:4 to 1:9, with different cafes having their own standards. Front Street's hot Americano uses a water-to-espresso ratio of 1:4.5, which is determined by combining the characteristics of the Warm Sun blend espresso and the cup size served in stores. For Front Street's iced Americano, the water-to-espresso ratio is almost 1:9. Because it uses espresso blend beans made in-store and does not pursue nutty flavors like other coffee shops, FrontStreet Coffee's Americano has a rich wine aroma, abundant crema, an overall mellow body, a creamy texture, and a long chocolate finish. Compared with hot Americano, iced Americano is more refreshing. Using different espresso beans will produce different flavors in the coffee drinks. To meet various needs, Front Street has designed four types of espresso beans: Specialty Blend, Commercial Blend, the espresso bean recommended by many baristas—Front Street Dark Cocoa Blend—and Warm Sun Blend.

The espresso bean recommended by many baristas—Front Street Dark Cocoa Blend—uses commonly used beans suitable for espresso from Brazil, Colombia, Yunnan, and other origins, with the aim of achieving a better coffee flavor and mouthfeel at a lower cost. For cafes seeking rich crema, Front Street's Commercial Blend adds 10% robusta beans, improving the overall mellowness while making the coffee's flavor richer and more aromatic. The nutty flavor stands out, and the chocolate flavor paired with the sweetness of milk is simply perfect. The Specialty Blend uses Arabica coffee beans from Brazil and Colombia. All-American Arabica can express a cleaner coffee taste, and the flavor profiles of these two producing regions are nutty and chocolatey, making them very suitable for espresso service.

Sunflower Warm Sun Blend coffee beans were a new attempt by Front Street in 2019. At that time, the concept of specialty (single-origin) coffee was very popular, and many SOEs marketed for their flavor had appeared. However, Front Street planned to blend high-quality single-origin beans, aiming primarily at flavor in the blend. In the end, Front Street decided to use 30% Yirgacheffe Red Cherry and 70% Honduras Sherry as the recipe for Sunflower Warm Sun Blend coffee beans. The rich vanilla cream and fermented wine aroma attracted a large audience.

Generally speaking, espresso extraction has certain standards. Depending on the basket, the weight of coffee grounds is usually between 18-22 grams. Make sure the weight of the coffee grounds is the amount you want, because a tiny difference can lead to a huge one. The most common brewing ratio is twice the coffee grounds, which means that if you have 18 grams of coffee grounds, then you had better extract 36 grams of espresso, because once you exceed this value, the coffee will easily taste over-extracted.

Of course, this standard can also change according to different needs. For example, the espresso served at Front Street stores uses 20 grams of grounds to extract 36 grams of coffee liquid, in order to make the resulting Americano and latte more aromatic and fuller in flavor. It should be noted here that the weight of the liquid coffee is best 1-3 times that of the dry coffee grounds, with 2 times being commonly used.

The brewing time is from pressing the button to the end of extraction, usually between 25-35 seconds. If the extraction time is longer or shorter than expected, the biggest reason is the coffee grind, so you should adjust according to your own needs and optimize the extraction parameters.

Generally speaking, fast extraction makes the coffee's acidity stand out and reduces sweetness. Slower extraction gives the coffee a bitter and dull flavor.

The most direct way to judge whether an espresso is ready to serve is to taste it. Taste is a very good method for judging the quality of espresso. However, because judging espresso by taste alone is too subjective, some visionary baristas and roasters use a refractometer to measure the total dissolved solids (TDS) in espresso. TDS measurement allows them to determine accurate brewing strength and extraction percentage, and to correlate their preferred brewing parameters with numerical data. Measuring TDS also means we can calculate the extraction percentage using the following formula:

(%TDS x brewed coffee weight) / coffee grounds weight = extraction percentage

Many coffee enthusiasts who come to Front Street show admiration for the baristas operating the coffee machine at the bar, curious about how to operate what seems to be a very complicated coffee machine. In fact, what baristas master is simply the detailed steps of making espresso. As for how the coffee machine operates, most baristas do not know. So today, Front Street will introduce the detailed process of making espresso! Taking FrontStreet Coffee's normal operating process as an example:

Step 1: Wipe the basket to ensure the coffee basket is dry and free of water

Step 2: Weigh the coffee grounds, using an electronic scale to weigh the appropriate amount of coffee grounds, keeping the error within plus or minus 0.1 grams

Step 3: Distribute the grounds

Step 4: Tamp the grounds

Step 5: Lock in the portafilter

Step 6: Press the button to extract

Step 7: Remove the portafilter and clean the group head.

Front Street espresso extraction recommendation: 20g dose, extract 40g of espresso liquid, time 30 seconds

Just like that, a shot of espresso is finished extracting. If you want to make other coffee drinks, it is simply a matter of adding sugar and milk. Iced coffee is relatively easier to make, simply by adding hot espresso to cold milk. As for hot milk coffee, you will need to use the steam wand on the coffee machine. FrontStreet Coffee also has a dedicated article teaching how to steam milk foam, which you can look up if needed. It is worth mentioning that many coffee chain brands now use fully automatic coffee machines, making operation even simpler—just press a button.

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