Why is Americano so bitter? Which tastes better: Espresso or Americano?

What exactly is an Americano? Is black coffee the same thing? Why does the coffee from your home machine taste different from what the cafe serves? And what does "Italian coffee" even mean? FrontStreet Coffee breaks it all down here.

A pure, full-bodied espresso was the headliner of coffee's second wave.

Legend has it that coffee arrived in Italy alongside other goods and won the Italians over immediately. As brewing equipment improved dramatically in the early 20th century, espresso took on the form we recognize today, and drinking it became part of daily Italian life. As espresso machines kept advancing, the craft spread from Italy across Europe — filling the continent with the aroma of coffee — and eventually around the world.

The "es" in espresso traces back to the idea of "express" — fast and convenient. Traditionally, Italians downed their coffee within minutes so the flavor wouldn't fade, which gave rise to the standing-at-the-bar habit, and prices stayed lower than takeaway coffee.

Where the Americano Came From

The Americano didn't actually originate in the United States. It began as espresso diluted with hot water — an Italian Americano. During World War II, American GIs stationed in Europe couldn't stomach espresso's intense, purely bitter punch, so they started adding water to stretch it out — and the "Americano" was born.

In the espresso family, the Americano is just one member. The latte, cappuccino, flat white, and Dirty all belong to the same clan, each taking on a different look depending on how it's built, and each becoming a café classic in its own right.

What Makes a Good Americano

An Americano is just water plus espresso. Espresso is highly concentrated and intense; water is colorless and flavorless, a pure diluent. So a good Americano comes down to two things: choosing the right beans and extracting them properly.

FrontStreet Coffee builds its Americano on its house-roasted Sunflower · Warm Sun Blend. Extracted well, it shows whiskey, vanilla, cream, chocolate, berries, and caramel.

FrontStreet Coffee's Americano Recipe

After repeated comparisons, FrontStreet Coffee settled on a 1:4.5 ratio: 20g of ground coffee pulled into a 40g double shot over 30 seconds, then topped with 180g of 80°C warm water. The result is a hot Americano with a full whiskey aroma, balanced by a sweet finish.

For the iced version, the baristas use 100g of large ice cubes plus 120g of water — a coffee-to-ice-to-water ratio of 1:2.5:3. The iced Americano lands at a moderate strength: sweet, bright, and refreshing served straight, with a rich mellow aroma that makes it a summer favorite.

Customizing Your Americano

If straight bitterness isn't your thing, some customers add a splash of milk. That softens the bitterness and the milk's richness gives the cup a thicker body while deepening the caramel and chocolate notes.

For anyone planning to add milk, FrontStreet Coffee adjusts the ratio to 1:4: first 160ml of hot water into the cup, then 40ml of espresso, then fresh milk at 15ml per 100ml of black coffee — so 30ml of milk. Concentration, texture, and aroma all come together beautifully.

FrontStreet Coffee Recommendation

Since an Americano is only as good as its beans, here are FrontStreet Coffee's dedicated americano options. The Classic Blend — a traditional Italian-style recipe of Indonesian Mandheling, Brazilian Red Bourbon, and washed Vietnamese coffee — brings low acidity, herbaceous woody depth, and a torrent of crema, with butter, nuts, spice, and dark chocolate in the cup. The budget-friendly Black Cocoa Base Blend pairs Yunnan arabica with Brazil Cerrado for nutty, chocolatey, creamy notes and a soft plum-like acidity.

For something brighter, the medium-roast Strawberry Candy Espresso Blend unites washed, natural, and honey-processed lots from Colombia, Costa Rica, and Ethiopia: low bitterness with grape, dried blueberry, sweet orange, and candy-sugar flavors plus an almond finish. And the single-origin Hua Kui (Flower Queen) SOE — a natural from Ethiopia's Guji Hambela Buku Abel washing station — makes an americano with zero bitterness, just creamy strawberry, guava, dried mango, black tea, and citrus in a refreshingly sweet-tart cup.