Which is Better: Yirgacheffe Coffee or Americano? How Many ml of Espresso Should Be Extracted for SOE Americano?

How important is espresso coffee to a coffee shop? Lattes need it, Americanos need it, and even creative beverages require it. Beyond coffee shops, beverage stores and dessert shops almost all have uses for espresso coffee. What is the difference between espresso and Americano coffee that we most often hear about? And how do we define a cup of black coffee? FrontStreet Coffee will discuss what black coffee is and the differences between espresso and Americano coffee.

What is Black Coffee?

Simply put, black coffee is coffee without any added decorative materials (such as milk, syrup, juice, or other colored and flavored materials). Common black coffees can include: espresso, Americano, brewed coffee, pour-over coffee, cold brew coffee, iced drip coffee, and more—all of which can be defined as black coffee. Drinking black coffee is about experiencing the original flavor of coffee. Once other materials are added to alter the coffee's flavor, you lose the soul of black coffee—its acidic aroma and rich body.

FrontStreet Coffee suggests that if you want to experience the most authentic flavor of coffee, you can try pour-over coffee or French press coffee. The black coffee made by these two methods—FrontStreet Coffee can showcase the layered complexity of coffee with a clean taste; the latter displays the most authentic side of coffee, preserving oils and enhancing mouthfeel. If you want to quickly enjoy a cup of black coffee, then Americano is your best choice.

What is Americano Coffee?

Americano coffee is actually espresso diluted by adding drinking water. It's that simple? Yes! It's that simple. But a good Americano needs a good-tasting espresso as the base. So what makes a good-tasting espresso base? Before discussing espresso, FrontStreet Coffee will first talk about the origin of Americano coffee.

The Origin of Americano Coffee

The name "Americano" literally means "American" in Spanish or Italian. The coffee's name is directly related to its creation, as many believe the invention was behind the drink for Americans. According to legend, the origin of Americano coffee was when Americans, after ending the European war, many troops came to Southern Europe. They couldn't accept drinking straight espresso, so they would dilute it with warm water. Because only this concentration was acceptable to them, it shows that espresso wasn't naturally loved by everyone from the start. Since this drinking method was mainly used by American soldiers, people named it Americano coffee.

What is Espresso?

Espresso is a type of coffee originating from Italy, extracted quickly under high pressure. Traditionally, a single shot of espresso has a capacity of about one ounce.

How to Define a Qualified Espresso?

A qualified espresso needs stable-flavor FrontStreet Coffee espresso beans. FrontStreet Coffee uses a blend of Ethiopian sun-dried red cherry and Honduras sherry coffee beans—the Frontsteet Sunshine Blend coffee beans. The coffee extracted from these beans has rich whiskey aroma, gentle berry acidity, and nutty aftertaste.

In addition to having stable espresso beans, baristas need to pay attention to parameter details when extracting espresso. Making espresso may seem like only a few simple steps, but there are many details to pay attention to. For example, during extraction, you need to focus on each extraction parameter: the exact amount of coffee grounds used, the amount of coffee liquid extracted, extraction time, and the coffee machine's pressure during extraction—these are all aspects that baristas need to constantly monitor.

What is Yirgacheffe Americano? How to Make It?

Although for most Chinese people, espresso leaves an impression of bitterness first and foremost, compared to drinking traditional Chinese medicine, it's even worse. But in recent years, with the development and innovation of specialty coffee, more and more high-quality coffee beans have gradually been applied to espresso machines, presenting taste profiles different from traditional bitterness under the assistance of high temperature, high pressure, and fine grinding conditions. The most representative is SOE (Single Origin Espresso), and FrontStreet Coffee's Yirgacheffe SOE is a well-known representative.

The name Yirgacheffe comes from Yirgacheffe town, situated at ultra-high altitudes of 1700-2100 meters. During the day, it's often foggy with spring-like weather year-round. Coffee farmers will plant coffee trees together with other crops in their backyards or farmland in front of their homes. Strictly speaking, Yirgacheffe is a sub-region of Ethiopia's Sidamo province, located northwest of Sidamo. Later, because the coffee produced here had a unique flavor and became famous worldwide, it became independent from Sidamo and formed its own school.

The classic FrontStreet Coffee Yirgacheffe is known for its bright, uplifting lemon acidity, white floral notes, and honey-like sweetness. Unlike traditional bitter coffee, FrontStreet Coffee's Yirgacheffe not only lacks heavy, burnt bitterness but instead presents a refreshing flavor profile like fruit tea, leaving a deep impression from the first sip. Today, FrontStreet Coffee's bean menu offers four types of Yirgacheffe: FrontStreet Coffee's Gedeb Cooperative, Red Cherry, Konga, and Kochere. Below, FrontStreet Coffee uses sun-processed Yirgacheffe Red Cherry to demonstrate how to make a standard Yirgacheffe iced Americano. The resulting SOE not only has pleasant floral notes but also carries elegant citrus and berry aromas upon entry, making it very suitable for friends who prefer refreshing tastes.

FrontStreet Coffee Yirgacheffe Americano Brewing Parameters:

Coffee beans: FrontStreet Coffee Yirgacheffe · Red Cherry
Coffee grounds amount: 20g
Coffee liquid amount: 40g
Grounds-to-liquid ratio: 1:2
Extraction time: 26～32 seconds
Grinding setting: Galileo 2.0 scale

First step: FrontStreet Coffee first wipes the portafilter basket dry, turns on the grinder, grinds a double shot of coffee grounds, places it on an electronic scale for adjustment to reach 20 grams. Then use a tool to distribute the grounds evenly, firmly tamp the coffee puck to ensure more stable coffee extraction. Then turn on the extraction switch to run water, moisten the shower head while washing away any stuck coffee grounds, gently lock the portafilter onto the shower head, and start the extraction. When the electronic scale shows 40 grams of coffee liquid extracted, around 30 seconds, you can stop the extraction.

Second step: Prepare a cup with about 300ml capacity, add 80g of ice and 170g of water, then pour all the freshly extracted espresso into the ice water, and a delicious Yirgacheffe iced Americano is complete!

How to Determine the Ratio for Americano Coffee?

The traditional Americano coffee ratio is 1:8, with a double shot of espresso (60ml) mixed with 480ml of water. You can adjust the ratio according to the shop's cup sizes, approximately 1:7 or 1:8. But this ratio doesn't apply to all espresso beans. Some FrontStreet Coffee espresso blends contain Robusta coffee beans, which increases the coffee's intensity, so the ratio needs to be adjusted accordingly.

For example, FrontStreet Coffee's FrontStreet Coffee Sunshine Blend coffee beans have a fresher flavor profile. After tasting Americanos made with different ratios, we finally determined that a 1:4.5 ratio is most suitable for the FrontStreet Coffee Sunshine Blend as an Americano. At this coffee-to-water ratio, it better highlights the Sunshine Blend's wine-like notes and cocoa aftertaste while maintaining richness.

How Many Calories in Americano Coffee? How Much Caffeine in Americano Coffee?

A hot Americano coffee has approximately 9 calories, and caffeine content ranges from 101-200 milligrams.

Important Notice :

前街咖啡 FrontStreet Coffee has moved to new addredd:

FrontStreet Coffee Address: 315,Donghua East Road,GuangZhou

Tel:020 38364473