What's the Difference Between Espresso Beans and American Coffee Beans? Brand Recommendations for Americano and Espresso Coffee

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FrontStreet Coffee · The Difference Between Espresso Beans and Americano Coffee Beans & Coffee Bean Brand Recommendations

Detailed Steps for Espresso Extraction & Common Knowledge About Espresso

Ordering Coffee in North American Artisan Cafés

If you travel to the United States or Canada and order coffee at a so-called artisan coffee shop, the typical menu would look like this:

Drip Coffee

This is coffee made by a coffee machine, where ground coffee powder is placed in filter paper and brewed with hot water. It gets its name because it slowly drips through the filter paper.

You can take whatever size cup you want for this type of coffee, and of course, most people will add sugar, honey, milk, cream, or coffee creamer according to their taste preferences.

Espresso

The full Chinese name for Espresso is Italian concentrated coffee, and all the following coffee beverages are made using Espresso as their base.

Espresso is made by using an espresso machine to force hot water through ground coffee powder under pressure, creating a very concentrated, small cup of coffee!

Espresso comes in single (English: Single espresso; Italian: Espresso solo, usually abbreviated to espresso) and double (English: Double espresso; Italian: Espresso Doppio) portions, with less common triple portions also available. Besides the volume differences, there are also slight variations in preparation methods.

Espresso also comes in various so-called "short" and "long" versions that offer different flavors.

Typically, a single espresso is 30cc, and a double is 60cc - it's a very small, very concentrated cup of coffee! That's why Americans improved it by adding milk foam to make it more palatable.

In Italy, coffee is espresso! In America, however, espresso is usually double because single portions are too small and don't look good! Plus, Americans are accustomed to a stronger coffee flavor after adding milk.

Americano

Most people's first reaction when they get an Espresso is, "Why is the cup so small?? "

And after drinking it: "Why is it so strong!!!!!"

The story of Americano is that during World War, Americans in Europe wanted to drink coffee, but when they got Espresso, it was both strong and served in a small cup, so they took a large cup and added hot water to fill it up, making it similar to the coffee flavor they were used to.

In China, Americano and drip coffee are often confused, but the preparation methods are actually different! The flavors also have slight differences. Generally speaking, Americano tends to be sweeter and has lower caffeine content.

Usually, Americano is made by adding water to espresso; in Australia, it's popular to pour espresso into hot water, called Long Black, which preserves the crema on top of the coffee, and the flavor is said to be quite different!

The amount of water added to Americano determines the final volume.

Caffè Macchiato

This is an Espresso with a small amount of milk or milk foam added, totaling approximately 40-45cc for a single portion and 80-90cc for a double.

The original meaning of "Macchiato" in Italian is "stained" or "marked." The name supposedly came from Italian baristas who wanted to let the waiters serving coffee know which cups had milk added, so they would say "this cup has been marked!"

Cappuccino

Traditional cappuccino comes in only one size: 180cc. Coffee, milk, and milk foam each occupy 1/3 of the volume.

However, according to the owner of the famous American coffee shop Vivace, Cappuccino is simply espresso with milk added to reach 180cc.

Modern popular coffee shops offer different sizes, but at artisan coffee shops, you'll typically get the 180cc version.

Caffè Latte

In Italian, "Latte" means "milk," so if you go to Italy and order a "latte," the waiter will bring you a cup of cold milk!

So, as the name suggests, Caffè Latte is coffee with milk or milk foam. The amount of milk you add determines how much latte you can drink!

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