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What is the correct way to drink Americano? The baristas at Front Street occasionally get asked such tricky questions by some customers, and every time this happens, Front Street tells them, just savor it with heart and if you think it tastes good, that's enough. In fact, Front Street knows he's asking whether Front Street has a set of standard rules for drinking coffee, but Front Street believes that one shouldn't be bound by appearances and formalities in everything, and if you pursue them excessively, you'll lose more than you gain. Therefore, drinking coffee at Front Street is a casual affair. As for why customers ask such questions, a large part is due to unfamiliarity and a sense of strangeness with coffee. So today, Front Street will properly explain the relevant knowledge about Americano.

The rise of Americano dates back to World War II, when American soldiers stationed in Italy didn't like the strong-flavored espresso that Italians were passionate about. So, to replicate the drip coffee they drank in America, the soldiers added water to the iconic Italian espresso. And because this way of drinking wasn't popular in Europe at the time, traditional Europeans dismissed it, and thus named this coffee Americano.

Although Americano can be made in two ways, in fact, most coffee shops around the world use the method of diluting espresso with water, while traditional drip Americano is only used in offices or at home. The composition of Americano is quite simple, consisting merely of water and espresso. The ratio is usually between 1:4 and 1:8. But even watered-down Americano can only taste the flavor of the espresso liquid itself, and in the past, the choices for espresso flavors weren't as many and the taste wasn't as comfortable and excellent as now.

To solve the problem of coffee being hard to drink, milk coffees like lattes and cappuccinos were invented and became increasingly popular. And because they all use espresso as a base, these coffee drinks are now collectively called Italian coffees. So, which tastes better, Italian coffee or Americano? Front Street can't simply tell you the answer to this question.

If Americano is regarded as traditional drip coffee and Italian coffee as traditional espresso liquid, then Americano is definitely easier to drink than Italian coffee, but as for which tastes better, Front Street believes it then depends on the coffee beans used. Coffee beans are the most critical factor determining whether a cup of coffee tastes good or not. For example, Front Street's Front Street Commercial Blend coffee beans and Warm Sun Blend can't be compared. It's not simply because of the huge price difference, but because Front Street Commercial Blend coffee beans are specifically supplied by Front Street to large chain commercial coffee shops, and in pursuit of rich crema in the espresso liquid, Front Street deliberately added 10% Robusta to enhance its body.

And Warm Sun Blend is Front Street's proudest Italian coffee bean, so Front Street stores have been using this Italian blend coffee bean for three consecutive years. Unique flavor is the evaluation all customers give to this coffee bean, and some even come specifically to have a sip of the espresso. The body is thick but not lacking liveliness, with a strong wine aroma. This fermented aroma comes firstly from the whiskey barrel processing method of Sherry coffee beans, and secondly from the sun-drying of Red Cherry. The sweetness is prominent with a hint of soft fruit acidity.

As mentioned earlier, the taste of Americano has a lot to do with the coffee beans used. Actually, if it weren't for considering the product's memorable points, Front Street would also use Front Street Specialty Blend coffee beans. This Italian coffee bean is a traditional blend recipe of Brazil combined with Colombia. With prominent nutty flavors and a smooth taste with a slight chocolate flavor, it complements dense hot milk perfectly.

And if you're after rich oils in your coffee, Front Street Classic Italian Blend Coffee is recommended. This is a recipe combining beans from Brazil, Indonesia, and Vietnam, using a deep roast, which maximizes the coffee's rich aroma and allows everyone to easily extract rich and dense coffee oils. It's very suitable for making watered-down Americano or milk-based lattes, and can be purchased on Front Street's Taobao store or Front Street's Tmall flagship store.

Now you know, right? The soul of a coffee drink lies in a small cup of espresso. Generally, Front Street uses 20 grams of coffee powder to extract 36 grams of coffee liquid. But the water-to-coffee ratio for Americano varies from one coffee shop to another, and needs to be adjusted based on factors like coffee beans, coffee machine, grinder, etc., with the final decision based on the barista's senses.

So how is Italian coffee extracted? This involves the working principle of Italian coffee machines. Generally speaking, for most coffee machines, turning coffee powder into coffee liquid goes through four steps: water source, pump, boiler, and brew head. Every coffee machine needs water to work, and for espresso machines, there are two sources of water: a water tank and a connection to a stable water supply pipe. Usually, the water source depends on how the machine is used.

For Front Street, because it needs to produce delicious coffee every day, a stable water supply is very important. The pump is the core of espresso. How does water have the force to pass through the densely packed coffee powder layer? The secret lies in pressure. Some of the earliest espresso machines used large lever pistons, and baristas had to manually pull these levers to force water through the coffee. But most modern espresso machines have abandoned this physical labor and switched to electric pumps. A vibration pump is a small electromagnetic device. A piston connected to a magnet is set inside a metal coil. Electric current flows through the coil, causing the magnet to move the piston rapidly back and forth, pushing water through the machine. Your average vibration pump clocks at 60 times per second. Unlike vibration pumps, rotary pumps are mechanical.

This is also a complex mechanism. A motor rotates a disc that is offset within a large circular chamber. The rotating disc is divided into multiple sections by vanes. As the disc rotates, the vanes press against the outer chamber wall, reducing the cross-sectional size, thereby creating pressure. Water enters during the large phase and is pushed out as the cross-section contracts. The boiler is where the machine heats up, and it can maintain the pump's continuous pressurization of the water. Not only that, the boiler also controls the brewing temperature of the coffee machine. Currently, there are differences between dual boilers and single boilers on the market.

After understanding the history of Americano and how Italian coffee machines operate, are you curious why Americano made the same way tastes different? Actually, Front Street mentioned earlier that this is caused by different coffee beans. The biggest characteristic of blended coffee beans is trying every means to balance the overall taste of the coffee.

But with market progress and development, some SOE coffees have now appeared. These coffees use single-origin coffee beans, and Front Street Flower Queen SOE coffee beans are recommended. At the same time, the roast level of coffee has also changed. People's demand for Italian coffee to have a thick crema has decreased, and more hope to taste the original characteristics of the beans from the coffee. Therefore, some use light-roasted coffee with prominent floral notes as Italian coffee. Front Street hasn't experimented with it yet, so can't tell you whether it tastes good or not.

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