How to Make Delicious Orange Americano? Does Orange Juice + Coffee Provide Better Energy Boost?

According to the book "Superfood Rankings," washing an orange, peeling it, simmering the flesh in a pot with a pinch of salt, and drinking the extracted juice can help ease coughs and cold symptoms. Recent studies have also found that orange juice not only relieves fatigue but refreshes the mind—with effects said to beat coffee!

So what happens if you combine orange juice and coffee? Today, FrontStreet Coffee will walk you through recreating the trending drink that has swept the nation—the Orange C Americano—to see what sparks these two favorites can strike together.

The Perfect Fusion: Orange and Coffee

As a star of the citrus family, the orange is a blockbuster in the culinary world—especially in its autumn-winter peak season, when these round fruits become everyone's companion against the cooling weather.

Unsurprisingly, "orange" appears constantly in coffee flavor descriptions. FrontStreet Coffee's own cupping chart includes mandarin orange, sweet orange, rock-sugar orange, and navel orange. Even before tasting, those words alone conjure the sensation of sweet-tart juice. So how do you combine the two and present both aromas harmoniously in a single cup?

Orange plus coffee looks simple, but a truly delicious result depends on subtle choices in ratios and preparation.

Step 1: Prepare the Orange Juice

You have two options: freshly squeezed or store-bought. If your kitchen allows it, FrontStreet Coffee recommends juicing your own—you can pick your favorite varieties and keep the drink healthy and additive-free. Navel oranges, rock-sugar oranges, Aiyuan jelly oranges, and Chu oranges are all excellent in season. You can leave the pulp in for a chewier texture, but if you prefer a smooth drink, strain it out first.

When fresh fruit is inconvenient, simply buy a bottle you like. NFC, Qoo, and Nongfu Spring are all popular choices online.

Step 2: Prepare the Coffee

Online tutorials range from elaborate to extremely simple, but the most famous version is surely Luckin's "Orange C Americano." To recreate it, use a higher-concentration espresso or moka pot coffee so the final drink isn't drowned by the orange juice.

Also, since orange juice brings its own sweetness and acidity, prioritize beans with a clean profile. Medium roasts whose notes mention raisins, apricot, mango, cranberry, toffee, fermentation, or liqueur chocolate hit both aroma and sweetness. From FrontStreet Coffee's lineup, Sidra, Strawberry Candy, Geisha SOE, Santa Veroni, or the year-round Sunflower · Warm Sun blend are all excellent picks.

Step 3: Combine Together

An Orange C Americano needs only orange juice, coffee, and ice. Beyond pouring order, the only variable that matters is the ratio.

Testing several ratios during our recreation, FrontStreet Coffee found that 1 part coffee to 3 parts orange juice hits the sweet spot: rich enough to keep the coffee's aroma, yet letting the tongue meet the orange's abundant juice first—a refreshing, pleasant combination.

The method is simple. With today's tested parameters: first add 90g of ice cubes to the glass. For a more photogenic drink, tuck an orange slice among the ice. Then pour in 120g of freshly squeezed juice (about 3 oranges). Immediately after, grind 19.8g of Warm Sun coffee and extract 38g of coffee liquid in 31 seconds, gently pouring it over the surface. The beautifully layered Orange C Iced Americano is complete.

Can Orange C Americano Be Made Hot?

With Guangzhou officially entering winter, FrontStreet Coffee has also prepared a hot version for anyone who dislikes the cold. The method is similar to another creative drink—Quicksand Iced Americano—and uses the same ingredients as the iced version.

First, prepare a milk pitcher and pour in 80g of ice cubes, 100g of orange juice, and 38g of espresso. Then heat the fruit-coffee mixture as you would when steaming milk, until all the ice has melted. If you like it warmer, keep heating until the pitcher feels slightly hot to the touch, then stop.

Next, find a clear glass, pour in all the orange-coffee, and wait quietly for the quicksand effect.

Compared with the iced version, the hot Orange C Americano shows brighter fruit acidity, a slightly thicker texture, and a finish with a hint of citrus peel.

FrontStreet Coffee Recommendation

The beans you choose make or break an Orange C Americano. Here are two Americano-friendly picks from FrontStreet Coffee.

FrontStreet Strawberry Candy Espresso Blend: when you're tired of dark-roast espresso, try this medium-roast blend whose name promises sweetness—and delivers. It unites single-origin Arabicas from three world-famous origins (Colombia, Costa Rica, and Ethiopia) and lifts their aromas through washed, natural, and honey processing. Beyond a rose-like fragrance with low bitterness and gentle acidity, it shows grape, dried blueberry, sweet orange, and fruit-candy notes as an Americano or latte—richly layered, with a unique almond note in the finish. Sweet orange in the blend meets fresh orange in the glass.

FrontStreet Ethiopia Huakui SOE: a champion natural lot from the Hambella district of Sidama, processed at the Buku Abel mill. As a single-origin espresso it pours without bitterness—bright, sweet-tart, and loaded with tropical fruit aroma. Poured over orange juice and ice, that creamy strawberry, guava, dried mango, black tea, and citrus character makes an Orange C Americano that is truly special.