How Do You Make American Coffee at Home?

American coffee is only espresso plus water, but that short ingredient list is what exposes extraction flaws, since nothing masks the coffee. For a hot cup, pull a balanced espresso shot and pour it into hot water; for an iced version, add ice cubes so the drink stays cold without turning watery.

The practical work happens in the espresso itself. Baristas recalibrate grind and yield daily as beans age, seeking one recipe that serves espresso, americano, and latte well. Skimming the crema changes flavor, and resting matters too: the blend described here peaks 12 to 14 days after roasting.

American coffee may seem simple, consisting only of espresso and water, yet it best tests a barista's extraction skills. Based on the practical experience of Front Street Coffee, this article explains in detail the methods for making hot and iced American coffee, the precise ratio of coffee to water, and explores the impact of skimming off the crema on flavor. Whether you want to recreate an authentic American coffee at home or understand the underlying logic of espresso, this tutorial provides clear guidance.

For more specialty coffee knowledge, please follow: Front Street Coffee (Frontsteet Coffee)

Coffee culture has evolved over time, and we are now in the third wave of specialty coffee, but the status of espresso remains unshakable. For baristas, making espresso is a fundamental skill, and it is almost indispensable on the menu of every café. What Front Street typically refers to as espresso is a series of drinks derived from espresso as the base. Today, Front Street will discuss the method of making American coffee.

American coffee can be considered the simplest among espresso drinks, as it contains only two elements: espresso and water, with iced American coffee adding ice cubes. However, the simpler the combination, the more it tests technique. A cup of American coffee often best reflects a barista's level of espresso extraction.

Unlike milk-based coffee such as latte, American coffee has no milk to mask it, so the flavor of the coffee beans themselves is amplified. Many fellow baristas, when visiting other shops, will order an American coffee—first, because it is served quickly, and second, because it allows them to quickly judge the shop's strength. Back to the point: since American coffee consists only of water and espresso, the method is simply to pour espresso into water.

The extraction of espresso needs to be adjusted according to the characteristics of the beans. Every day, baristas must fine-tune parameters based on the condition of the beans, ultimately finding a solution that balances different categories such as espresso, American coffee, and latte, so that each coffee presents its best flavor.

Taking the Sunflower Warm Sun blend coffee beans used by Front Street as an example, based on Front Street's production experience, this bean reaches peak flavor after 12 to 14 days of resting. The espresso extraction plan adopted by Front Street is: 20 grams of coffee powder extracted to 40 grams of espresso liquid, taking 30 seconds.

When making hot American coffee, Front Street first warms the cup with hot water, then pours in hot water, and finally adds the extracted espresso. The powder-to-water ratio for American coffee is usually between 1:6 and 1:8. After repeated testing by Front Street Coffee (FrontStreet Coffee), 1:6 was ultimately chosen, meaning 40 grams of espresso liquid paired with 240 grams of hot water.

Similarly, when making iced American coffee, first pre-chill the cup with ice cubes, then add water, and finally pour in the espresso. Since ice cubes are added, Front Street Coffee (FrontStreet Coffee)'s iced American coffee uses a 1:7 ratio, with 40 grams of coffee liquid mixed with 280 grams of ice-water mixture, including 180 grams of ice cubes and 100 grams of water.

Does removing the crema make it smoother?

When making hot American coffee, a layer of foam floats on the surface of the coffee liquid, which is commonly known as crema. This layer of crema comes from the espresso extraction process. As we know, espresso is divided into three layers: core, body, and crema. The formation of crema occurs because, under the high pressure of the coffee machine, carbon dioxide is forced into the liquid; after extraction ends, the pressure returns to normal, and the carbon dioxide begins to escape, while being wrapped by the fats in the coffee, thus forming crema.

What would the taste be like if this layer of crema is skimmed off? Front Street Coffee (FrontStreet Coffee) once conducted a comparative experiment: using the shop's Warm Sun blend beans to make two cups of American coffee, one of which had the crema skimmed off. The result showed that the cup with the crema skimmed off had a cleaner, smoother mouthfeel; the cup with the crema retained was fuller-bodied. Both cups had distinct dark chocolate flavors and a faint whiskey oak barrel aroma, with mild acidity, and the difference was actually not significant. If you prefer a clean mouthfeel, it is recommended to skim off the crema; if you need continuous production, retaining the crema is more efficient.

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