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What does Americano taste like? A friend once described it to Front Street Coffee like this: "Whatever you want." Americano is a product made by diluting espresso with water, so it is a drink whose strength can be adjusted according to your own taste preferences.

Of course, to ensure consistent quality, every coffee shop has a fixed dilution ratio for its Americano based on how the coffee beans perform when extracted into espresso. If you want a stronger Americano, you can request less water/more coffee when ordering, or if you prefer a lighter one, you can specify more water/less coffee.

How to choose coffee beans for Americano?

The taste and flavor of Americano depends on the coffee beans used to make the espresso. The espresso commonly used is generally a blend of coffee beans from different origins, made from medium-dark or darker roast blends. Common blends include Brazil blended with Mandheling, which has a rich, full-bodied taste and flavor with dark chocolate bittersweetness as the main note; Colombia blended with Brazil, which has a mellow, smooth taste with nutty chocolate richness as the main note.

Front Street Coffee sells 4 Italian-style blend coffee beans, all developed according to the tastes of general consumers. There is a nutty balanced profile, a rich and full-bodied profile, a slightly acidic full-bodied profile, and a particularly impressive profile～ You can choose according to your own taste preferences.

"Front Street Coffee - Warm Sun Blend Coffee Beans," a coffee bean with a wine-forward aroma. Made from Ethiopian natural Red Cherry coffee beans (30%) + Honduras Sherry Barrel coffee beans (70%), it has a rich wine aroma, vanilla cream, berry sweetness and acidity, and roasted nut flavors.

"Front Street Coffee - Front Street Specialty Blend Coffee Beans": an espresso coffee bean with a nutty aroma as the main note. Made from Colombian washed coffee beans (30%) + Brazilian semi-washed coffee beans (70%), it has nut, dark chocolate, and caramel flavors.

"Front Street Coffee - Front Street Commercial Blend Coffee Beans," an espresso coffee bean focused on body. Made from Robusta washed coffee beans (10%) + Colombian washed coffee beans (30%) + Brazilian semi-washed coffee (60%), it has nut, cocoa, and caramel flavors with high body.

"Front Street Coffee - Front Street Dark Cocoa Blend Coffee Beans," a slightly acidic, full-bodied espresso coffee bean. Made from Yunnan washed small-bean coffee (30%) + Brazilian semi-washed coffee beans (70%), it has soft fruity acidity, caramel, and nut flavors.

How to make Americano?

To make Americano, you need espresso as the base and then dilute it with water, so we need to extract a concentrated coffee liquid. You can use a dedicated espresso machine to extract very finely ground coffee powder under pressure.

Every coffee machine and grinder performs differently, and there will be some variation in both pressure and grind setting, so there is no exact grind setting or coarseness parameter for reference.

If you are just starting out, Front Street Coffee recommends an intermediate extraction parameter, and you can adjust the data according to how the coffee tastes: use 20g of powder at a 1:2 ratio & 9 bar pressure to extract 40g of coffee liquid in 25-30 seconds. Make corresponding adjustments based on the flavor performance of the coffee after actual extraction.

Those making it at home/office can use a moka pot. A moka pot is also a coffee brewing device that uses steam power to extract under pressure, allowing water to rise from the lower chamber through very finely ground coffee powder via the siphon principle.

(1-2 serving moka pot) First, grind 20g of coffee beans into powder, then separate the upper and lower chambers of the moka pot, pour water into the lower chamber, and make sure the water level does not exceed the lower chamber's pressure relief valve. Then put the coffee powder into the metal filter screen (filter basket), and use a measuring spoon to lightly tap and compact the coffee powder a little (gently, do not press hard). Next, attach the filter basket to the lower chamber, then screw the upper chamber on tightly. (Be sure to tighten it and confirm that the upper and lower chambers are truly connected.)

With the lid open, heat over direct flame, controlling the heat so the flame does not extend beyond the bottom of the pot, because it may boil over. Before you have mastered the technique, it is recommended to do this with the lid open. If the gaps in the gas stove rack are too large and the moka pot cannot sit stably on top, please add a mesh screen before heating over direct flame.

Once the hot water boils and the coffee begins to extract, turn off the heat. When extraction is complete, to avoid over-steeping, pour the coffee into a cup as soon as possible.

After the espresso extraction is complete, add an appropriate amount of hot water/ice water, and the Americano is done～!!

The correct way to drink Americano for weight loss

Drink a cup of weight-loss coffee after a meal: within 30 minutes to 1 hour after lunch, enjoy a cup of aromatic, rich weight-loss coffee. It helps with gastrointestinal digestion, and combined with proper exercise, it can further promote fat burning.

Drink a cup before exercise: it has the effect of enhancing exercise results and can more quickly accelerate the process of converting fat into fatty acids. A large amount of exercise can increase the activity of caffeine in the body, thereby more quickly converting fat into fatty acids, which are then eliminated from the body through the human microcirculatory system, achieving the goal of weight loss.

Simply trying to achieve weight loss by drinking black coffee (without sugar or milk) is not advisable. The most important thing is still a healthy diet and more exercise～

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