How to Make Iced Americano? Which is Better for Americano: Single-Origin Coffee Beans or Blend Coffee Beans?

The weather has entered autumn in a flash, and many regions are still enjoying sunny days. Many customers who visit FrontStreet Coffee enjoy ordering a refreshing iced Americano to cool down. Many have noted that FrontStreet Coffee's Americano has a subtle wine-like aroma, making it a memorable and distinctive flavor. Today, FrontStreet Coffee will share what coffee beans they use for making Americanos and how to prepare a perfect iced Americano.

FrontStreet Coffee currently uses a blend of coffee beans consisting of sherry barrel-processed coffee beans and natural-processed Yirgachefe Red Cherry Project beans for their espresso. The blend consists of 70% Honduras sherry barrel coffee beans, which provide flavor and body, and 30% natural-processed Yirgachefe, which contributes additional aroma and acidity.

FrontStreet Coffee Espresso Extraction Parameters:

• Grinder: Feima 900N
• Grind size: 1.6
• Pressure: 9 bar
• Temperature: 90.5-96°C
• Time: 25-32 seconds
• Dose: 20g (double shot espresso)
• Yield: 40ml

Extracted espresso flavor profile: Smooth texture with medium body, distinct fruit acidity accompanied by subtle berry aroma, whiskey-like notes, rich chocolate flavor, and a noticeable sweet aftertaste.

Making Iced Americano

Iced Americano is essentially made by adding ice water to espresso in a 1:7 ratio. Here are FrontStreet Coffee's steps for making iced Americano:

1. FrontStreet Coffee extracts a double shot espresso using the parameters mentioned above.

2. Prepare 240ml of ice water mixture.

3. Pour the double shot espresso into the ice water mixture, stir well, and it's ready to drink.

Why FrontStreet Coffee Uses Blend Espresso for Iced Americano

Why does FrontStreet Coffee use blend espresso to make iced Americano instead of single-origin espresso?

Blend coffee beans combine different coffee beans with different characteristics due to varying varieties and origins. Acidity, bitterness, sweetness, aroma, and body all have subtle differences. Single-origin coffee beans typically emphasize the unique characteristics of a particular coffee type. Blend coffee, on the other hand, mixes various single-origin coffee beans to fully leverage their strengths, complementing each other to create richer new flavors, either complementing or enhancing in taste. FrontStreet Coffee uses Warm Sun Blend espresso beans for their espresso drinks to ensure customers can enjoy consistently flavored espresso every time.

If using single-origin beans for espresso extraction (what we call SOE), due to the high-pressure extraction from espresso machines, the bean's inherent flavors are amplified. For example, citrus acidity that might be pleasant in pour-over could become sharp and acidic when extracted as espresso, while also being prone to over-extraction that brings out unpleasant flavors like bitterness and astringency. Each SOE extraction requires continuous parameter adjustments, which not only wastes coffee beans but also cannot guarantee consistent SOE extraction every time. Therefore, FrontStreet Coffee does not currently offer SOE beverages.

Tips for Making SOE Americano

For those who want to try making SOE Americano, FrontStreet Coffee can offer a few suggestions:

1. SOE (Single Origin Espresso) coffee beans are selected to highlight regional flavors, so the roast level is generally not too deep. Compared to traditionally darker roasted espresso beans, the flavors are more difficult to extract.

2. Therefore, on one hand, you need to adjust extraction parameters to increase extraction rate. For example, extend extraction time, adjust to finer grind, increase dose, etc. On the other hand, when making espresso-based drinks with SOE, you need to adjust the ratio of espresso to milk or water. Reduce milk or water to highlight the coffee flavor, ensuring it doesn't become too weak.

3. Finally, there are very strict requirements for selecting beans used for SOE. Although SOE can offer outstanding expression, because it comes from a single origin, its disadvantages are also relatively easily amplified. Therefore, factors such as roast level and particle size will all affect the flavor.

Important Notice :

前街咖啡 FrontStreet Coffee has moved to new addredd:

FrontStreet Coffee Address: 315,Donghua East Road,GuangZhou

Tel:020 38364473