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Professional coffee knowledge exchange, plus more coffee bean information for curious drinkers.

Defending the Honor of the Americano

An Americano contains nothing but espresso and water — virtually zero calories. Yet some friends complain that Americano tastes bad, calling it burnt, bitter, and harsh. Let me step up and say: you must have been served an espresso that no skilled coffee professional actually cared about. Consider this a defense of the Americano's honor.

Where Americano Came From

Let's start at the beginning. So — where does Americano come from?

The name comes from American soldiers stationed in Europe during wartime who would top up Europe's small espresso shots with hot water. Because Americans generally favor simple, casual coffee, the habit spread quickly along with American chain stores worldwide. Later, "Americano" even became a catch-all term for black coffee — drip, French press, and other brews could all be called Americano. In this article, though, we're only talking about Americano built on an espresso base.

Americano is hugely popular in North America, especially at breakfast and during the workday — office workers clutching an Americano are everywhere. In other coffee-drinking countries it's just as beloved. In China, most coffee shops also list an Americano. By our shop's numbers, Americano accounts for only 15% of total espresso-based drink production, and its fans are mostly foreigners or friends with overseas living or working experience, and mostly takeaway. It's good to see those friends gradually making coffee a daily necessity.

The Soul of Americano: Espresso

The soul of an Americano is espresso. When I first encountered it, I was surprised — could you really just dilute espresso with water and sell it under a new name? Espresso was invented and developed in Italy starting in the early 20th century, but until the mid-1940s it was made purely with steam pressure. With the invention and successful commercialization of the spring-piston lever machine, espresso became the drink we know today.

The process forces hot water at about 90-97°C through the coffee grounds at 9 to 10 atmospheres (bar) of pressure, within 20-30 seconds. Roughly 18-21 grams of ground coffee yields about 40-60ml of espresso. Depending on the beans, roast, and target flavor, the dose, extraction time, and yield will all vary.

That intense little liquid is what tests both the beans and the barista. With an extraction measured in mere seconds, stopping too early leaves the espresso sour and astringent — undrinkable. A few seconds too late, and it thins out or picks up burnt, smoky off-flavors. Only the right timing gives you an espresso that's rich but not muddled — mellow, bright, or deep, depending on the variety and roast.

And even a shot a barista would applaud won't please everyone. That's natural: many people can't quite accept espresso's intensity but can't resist black coffee either, so they choose Americano. Diluted with water, the espresso's acidity, sweetness, and bitterness all soften, becoming easier to enjoy and slower to drink. What a pleasure! A good Americano shouldn't be just bitterness — it should carry a slight acidity, a touch of sweetness, genuine coffee aroma, and a lingering aftertaste.

Americano's Two Brothers: Long Black and Lungo

Now meet Americano's two brothers: Long Black and Lungo. All three are combinations of espresso and water — so what's the difference?

Americano: espresso first, water on top.

Long Black: water first, then the espresso extracted over it.

Lungo: the grinder setting is coarsened so the shot flows faster and longer — no extra water needed.

Crema and Taste Differences

On an Americano, the crema gets dispersed by the hot water poured over it. On a Long Black, the crema lands last, so you see more of it and it lasts longer, undisturbed by outside forces. The non-water-soluble substances in crema are the product of high-pressure emulsification, and the crema also carries carbon dioxide plus a wealth of flavor and aromatic compounds.

Because crema contains those non-water-soluble components, it forms a film on the tongue as you drink — extending the aftertaste while dulling sensitivity to bitterness. That's why Americano tastes slightly more bitter than Long Black.

As for Lungo: it's very popular in Italy, served at roughly 60ml. The extra water-through-coffee contact brings a richer texture. "Lungo" means "long" in Italian — it's essentially an espresso with an extended extraction. In China, though, few shops offer it, likely because it demands a dedicated grinder setting and extra complexity. Combining our own experiments with published guidance, we adjusted parameters and extended the extraction and found Lungo's crema is the most stable of the three. Its taste is lighter than straight espresso but slightly more bitter; compared to Americano, Lungo has the richer texture, while Americano may come across as somewhat more bitter.

Americano Coffee Bean Recommendations

FrontStreet Coffee's best-selling Americano beans — Yirgacheffe, Golden Mandheling, and Brazil — all come with full brand and quality guarantees, and the value is outstanding: a 227-gram half-jin package costs only about 70-90 yuan. At 15 grams per cup, one package brews about 15 cups, so each Americano costs roughly 5-6 yuan — pocket change next to the dozens of yuan cafés charge.

FrontStreet Coffee Recommendation

Prefer to brew your black coffee without an espresso machine? A French press is the simplest option — it's as easy as steeping tea: grounds in, hot water, stir, press. But the simplest tools are also the easiest to get wrong, so a few tips, plus the FrontStreet Coffee beans that suit it best:

FrontStreet PWN Golden Mandheling — the first choice for a low-acid, full-bodied black coffee. One of Asia's most famous specialty coffees, it goes through three rounds of hand-sorting plus one machine pass, leaving the beans uniform and bright. After a medium-dark roast, the large beans carry dense spice, caramel, cedar, and dark chocolate aromas, and a French press extraction delivers a mellow, thick cup with a good layer of oils.

FrontStreet Strawberry Candy (Geisha blend) — for those who love fragrant, delicate coffee. This Geisha blend combines Costa Rican honey-processed coffee with Panamanian washed Geisha, gathering Central America's finest flavor traits. Steeped in a French press, it releases rose, citrus, grape, and dried blueberry aromas — and with milk, a strawberry-soft-candy sweetness.

French press basics: use a coarse grind — like coarse sugar (about setting 10.5 on an EK43s electric grinder, or 26 clicks on a hand grinder), more like small gravel than sand. Grind too fine and fines slip through the metal mesh, leaving muddy sediment at the bottom of your cup. Ratio: 1:15 (15g coffee to 225g water) yields a strength of about 1.1-1.2%, rich and full; adjust from there to taste. Water: boil and let it rest 2-3 minutes, or aim about 1-2°C hotter than you would for pour-over (around 90°C), since a full-immersion brew does all its extracting in one pour. Time: steep 3-5 minutes — start at 4 minutes, shortening for darker roasts and lengthening slightly for lighter ones. Then press slowly, pour gently, and enjoy.