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What is Black Coffee? What's the Difference Between Pour-Over Coffee and Americano

Published: 2026-01-27 Author: FrontStreet Coffee

Last Updated: 2026/01/27, Professional coffee knowledge exchange. For more coffee bean information, please follow Coffee Workshop (WeChat public account: cafe_style). FrontStreet Coffee - The difference between pour-over coffee and Americano. Have you ever experienced this? When you walk into a specialty coffee shop and want to order a black coffee, the barista asks you, "Would you like an Americano or pour-over single-origin coffee?"

FrontStreet Coffee - Pour-Over Coffee vs. Americano Differences

Have you ever encountered this experience? When you walk into a specialty coffee shop and want to order "a cup of black coffee," the barista asks you in return, "Would you like an Americano or pour-over single-origin coffee?" Confused? I just wanted a cup of black coffee! What's the difference between Americano and pour-over single-origin coffee?

Americano is a type of espresso-based coffee. Typically, it uses medium-dark to dark roasted blended coffee beans. Hot water is passed through ground coffee powder under pressure from an espresso machine to extract Espresso. Generally, a cup of Americano consists of one to two shots of Espresso diluted with hot water.

Usually made with single-origin coffee beans, the roasting level can range from light, medium to dark roast. Pour-over coffee is mostly brewed using a pour-over dripper. First, coffee beans are ground into powder and placed in filter paper. Then hot water is slowly poured and evenly distributed over the entire coffee grounds. The coffee liquid extracted through the filter paper and dripper slowly drips down, completing a cup of pour-over coffee.

Since pour-over coffee is typically meant to express the regional flavor characteristics of single-origin coffee beans, it's recommended to drink it without sugar or milk, making it another type of black coffee. However, brewing a delicious cup of pour-over coffee depends on key factors like grind size, water temperature, and coffee-to-water ratio. Compared to machine brewing, there are more nuances to consider. Next, let me explain the differences between these two types of coffee.

Americano Base: Espresso

The base of Americano is Espresso. "Espresso" originated in Italy and is mostly extracted using an espresso machine.

The brewing process first involves placing ground coffee directly into the portafilter basket, leveling the coffee powder evenly to the rim of the basket. Then, using a tamper, pressure is applied to compress the coffee grounds into a puck. The portafilter is attached to the espresso machine, and when extraction begins, the coffee puck undergoes about 9 bars of atmospheric pressure from the machine. Extraction occurs in just 20-30 seconds, releasing a small amount of concentrated coffee liquid with a thicker consistency. This extracted espresso can then be diluted with hot or ice water in proportion to make Americano.

Pour-Over Coffee Preparation

To make a cup of pour-over coffee, you need to prepare equipment first: dripper, server, filter paper, bean container, coffee scoop, grinder, hot water kettle, and pour-over kettle.

First, place the filter paper in the dripper, pour in the ground coffee, and gently tap the outside of the dripper to level the coffee grounds. Then, using the kettle, pour hot water into the filter paper containing the coffee grounds. Maintain a steady, continuous flow of water, pausing intermittently. When the hot water fully contacts the coffee grounds, the coffee substances are extracted, filtering out a delicious cup of pour-over coffee.

Key Differences

Espresso is ground into finer powder compared to pour-over coffee. Through the high-pressure brewing of espresso machines, it can dissolve more coffee substances than other coffee brewing methods, filtering out coffee with higher concentration.

In terms of brewing time, espresso machines have extremely fast extraction speeds: averaging 30 seconds to produce a cup of coffee. The process is simple, standardized, and easy to learn, making it almost the preferred brewing method for all chain coffee shops. Of course, being ubiquitous doesn't mean mediocre quality. Espresso extraction also requires regular adjustment of fixed brewing parameters according to the state of coffee beans to better showcase their flavor.

Pour-over coffee uses coarser grind particles, with the entire brewing process taking about 2 minutes and 30 seconds. It emphasizes technique and method. From coffee bean grind level, water temperature, water quality, water flow, extraction time, to even the pouring technique and timing—every small factor change affects the final flavor.

Compared to espresso machines that can use fixed parameters to stably provide coffee of consistent quality, pour-over coffee requires mastering more details to fully express the layers and flavor of each cup.

FrontStreet Coffee's Philosophy

In short: FrontStreet Coffee is a coffee research establishment, happy to share coffee knowledge with everyone. We share without reservation, simply hoping more friends will fall in love with coffee. Additionally, we hold three coffee discount events every month because FrontStreet Coffee wants to let more friends enjoy the best coffee at the lowest possible price. This has been FrontStreet Coffee's mission for the past 6 years!