How to make coffee with coffee maker methods and Americano

Americano was born after World War II, when US troops stationed in Southern Europe diluted strong Espresso with warm water. The drink spread worldwide largely through Starbucks' store expansion. It is usually treated as black coffee, though definitions and preparation methods still draw argument among baristas.

Many American households used filter or drip brewers, which is why drip machines are often called American coffee makers. Some cafes, especially in Australia, pull a long shot through an espresso machine for Americano; traditionalists call that over-extraction, since later stages release off-flavors and extra caffeine.

Americano is now one of the most common drinks in coffee shops, but its origins are closely tied to World War II. Back then, American soldiers couldn't handle the intensity of Espresso, so they diluted it with warm water, giving rise to this way of drinking it. Later, Starbucks' global expansion truly brought Americano to the world. However, there has always been controversy over the definition and preparation of Americano: Is it black coffee? Is it reasonable to use an espresso machine for a long extraction to make a weak coffee? This article traces the history of Americano, compares two preparation approaches, and explains its relationship with black coffee. If you're also curious about the past and present of the Americano in your cup, read on.

The birth of Americano can be traced back to the period after the end of World War II. At that time, a large number of American troops were stationed in Southern Europe, and they simply couldn't get used to the strong taste of Espresso, so they added warm water to dilute it. Only after dilution did they find it drinkable. It's clear that Espresso was not loved by everyone from the start. Since this way of drinking it was mainly popular among American soldiers, people named it Americano.

In those days, most Americans were used to making milder coffee using the filter method. Even today, drip coffee makers remain a daily choice in many American households, which is why drip makers are often called American coffee makers. The widespread adoption of the practice of diluting Espresso with water to make Americano, however, owes its spread to Starbucks' continuous opening of stores around the world.

So, is it actually correct to use an espresso machine with a long water run to make a cup of weak coffee? There are two completely different views on this. Supporters of traditional Espresso consider it unacceptable, because it leads to over-extraction of the coffee, especially in the later stages of extraction, when off-flavors and excessive caffeine in the coffee grounds are also released. They are quite dismissive of this practice.

However, in today's coffee market, for example, cafes in Australia commonly use this method. Their reasoning is: If this counts as over-extraction, then don't French presses and siphon brewers have even longer extraction times? If so, what's the problem with this practice?

Let's not compare the taste differences between the two methods first, because once taste is discussed, disagreements easily arise. But one point should be clear: weakly flavored coffee made by long extraction will have a higher caffeine content than the caffeine obtained by diluting one standard cup of Espresso with water. Even so, there are still two preparation sequences on the market—extracting Espresso first and then adding water to dilute it, or adding water first and then pouring in the Espresso.

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