When it comes to Americano, everyone is familiar with it. Coffee fans who often visit Front Street Coffee know that Americano is simply espresso from a coffee machine plus a suitable proportion of water. Americano has basically become a standard menu item in coffee shops, and friends who have visited Front Street stores are amazed that our Americano tastes very special, different from ordinary shops. So in this article, Front Street Coffee will explain the relevant knowledge about Americano and espresso and the correct way to drink them.
 
The Origin of Americano
 
The literal meaning of Americano is "American" in Spanish or Italian. The name of the coffee is directly related to its introduction, because many people believe that Americans were behind the invention of this beverage.

According to legend, the origin of Americano dates back to when Americans ended the European war, and many troops came to Southern Europe. They could not accept drinking espresso directly, so they would dilute it with warm boiled water. Because only at such a concentration could they accept it, which shows that espresso was not born to be loved by everyone. Since this way of drinking was mainly practiced by American soldiers, people named it "Americano."

What Is Americano?
 
First of all, what is Americano? As mentioned above by Front Street Coffee, Americano is espresso diluted with drinking water. Is it really that simple? In fact, it is that simple; however, if you want to drink a cup of pure, delicious Americano, you must use a high-quality, great-tasting espresso as the base. So what counts as a delicious espresso base?

 
What Is Espresso?
 
Front Street Coffee also mentioned above that espresso refers to concentrated coffee rapidly extracted under high pressure by an espresso machine. The most obvious characteristic of an espresso machine is that it amplifies the original flavors of the coffee beans. For example, the flavor characteristic of Yirgacheffe coffee beans is citrus lemon acidity, so during extraction, the espresso machine will amplify the flavor of Yirgacheffe coffee beans. Similarly, if Indonesian Mandheling coffee beans are extracted with an espresso machine, their bitter flavor will also be amplified. Therefore, generally speaking, espresso is not made from single-origin single-variety coffee beans, but rather from blended coffee beans from multiple origins to achieve a balanced taste.
 

It can be seen that the extraction parameters for making espresso have a great influence on the flavor of a cup of coffee. Even a slight deviation will multiply the flavor changes in a cup of espresso, and the capacity of a traditional single shot of espresso is about one ounce. So how exactly should its water-to-coffee ratio be calculated?
 
How to Distribute the Espresso Coffee-to-Water Ratio?
 
First, Front Street Coffee understands that the amount of coffee grounds is determined by the capacity of the espresso machine's portafilter basket (as shown in the picture below). Some coffee machine manufacturers offer double basket capacity specifications such as 16g, 18g, 20g, 22g, and several other specifications. These specifications are recommended capacities, and the maximum allowable deviation in filled coffee grounds is less than 1g. For example, with an 18g basket, a reasonable dose range can be 17-19g.

 
Therefore, Front Street Coffee does not recommend a dose that is much less or much more than the basket size. This is because the amount of coffee grounds affects the density of the puck. Under the same tamping force, too little coffee grounds will be looser, causing a faster flow rate and thus under-extraction; conversely, too much will be denser, causing a slower flow rate or even difficulty in extracting coffee liquid.
   

Espresso Coffee-to-Liquid RatioCharacteristics
 
Espresso uses the ratio of coffee grounds to espresso liquid. Front Street Coffee has found through practice that it is impossible to calculate how much water was used for extraction, although some new coffee machines now install a flow meter at the water inlet to display the water volume. The earliest extraction ratio was based on the single-shot espresso standard. Generally speaking, 7-8g of coffee grounds can extract 25-30ml of espresso liquid. The former is a unit of weight, and the latter is a unit of capacity (volume). Only when the density is consistent are the two equivalent. But coffee fans all know that the extracted espresso has golden crema, and the thickness of this crema depends on the roast level and freshness of the coffee. Therefore, using this measurement method will cause instability in the final product.

 
That is why the ratio of coffee grounds weight to liquid weight emerged. It is generally between 1:1.5 and 1:2.5, with 1:2 being more commonly used, such as extracting 40g of coffee liquid from 20g of coffee grounds. The ratio is affected by two factors: one is the dose of coffee grounds, and the other is the amount of water. Too low a ratio will make the coffee taste very rich and heavy, and it is prone to the bitterness brought by over-extraction. Conversely, too high a ratio will make it taste weak and insipid, as well as sharply sour due to under-extraction.
 
How Do You Define a Qualified Espresso?
 
So how do you define a qualified espresso? Front Street Coffee believes that you need an espresso coffee bean with stable flavor. Front Street Coffee uses a Warm Sun Blend made from Ethiopian natural red cherry blended with Honduran Sherry coffee beans. The coffee extracted from these beans has a rich whisky aroma, soft berry acidity, and a nutty finish.
 

In addition to having stable espresso coffee beans, baristas also need to pay attention to the details of the parameters when extracting espresso. Making espresso may seem like just a few simple steps, but there are many details that need attention. For example, during extraction, you need to pay attention to each extraction parameter, clearly weigh the amount of coffee grounds, the amount of extracted coffee liquid, the extraction time, and the pressure of the coffee machine during extraction. These are all things a barista needs to constantly monitor.
 
What Is the Difference Between Espresso and Americano?
　　
So traditionally speaking, Americano used to be generally brewed with an American drip pot, while espresso is obtained through high-temperature extraction by an espresso machine to produce crema, called espresso. However, at present, ordinary coffee shops all use espresso machines to make espresso and then dilute it with water to make Americano.

 
The above is what Front Street Coffee has compiled regardingthe difference between espresso and Americanoand related content on flavor characteristics. We hope it can help coffee fans who want to learn about this knowledge so they can choose coffee beans that suit their preferred flavor.
 

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