Is American Coffee Better Without Surface Crema? The Correct Way to Make Americano Coffee Illustrated

The Americano we typically order in coffee shops is made by diluting espresso with water. The crema from the espresso naturally remains in the drink. In an Americano, the crema dissipates within about 3-5 minutes, and most people don't pay much attention to it. However, FrontStreet Coffee wants to tell you that it's precisely these overlooked details that can lead to different results.

How does crema affect coffee?

The golden espresso crema can be considered the soul of espresso coffee. Even the moka pot next door tries to produce some crema to prove it belongs to the espresso family.

Indeed, crema serves as a revealing mirror for espresso. By observing the espresso crema, you can identify issues with coffee beans and extraction quality. When tasting espresso alone, the rich crema adds a full-bodied texture and aroma to the coffee. However, when made into an Americano—whether by pouring water into espresso or espresso into water—a thin layer of crema floats on the surface. There's nothing wrong with the taste—it's simply the characteristic flavor of an Americano!

Water poured into espresso (left); espresso poured into water (right)

What if we take one extra step—removing the crema?

FrontStreet Coffee simultaneously prepared two Americanos—one left unchanged and the other with the surface crema removed with a spoon before tasting. FrontStreet Coffee discovered that the Americano without crema was cleaner, with less pronounced bitterness, and the flavor perception was clearer and more transparent.

What causes this phenomenon?

To understand this, we need to examine the composition of crema. Espresso crema is primarily composed of carbon dioxide and insoluble oils from coffee grounds. However, since the pores in the portafilter aren't as fine as filter paper, small amounts of extremely fine coffee particles also fall into the coffee during extraction, hiding within the crema.

When drinking espresso, crema makes the coffee feel richer because it's fine and dense, plus crema accounts for about 1/4 of the espresso, naturally creating a noticeable effect. However, when made into an Americano, the minimal crema becomes insignificant and doesn't provide significant textural benefits. Instead, the fine particles cause muddled flavors and a sandy texture. Additionally, crema itself tends toward bitterness, which also intensifies the bitterness of the drink.

In fact, removing crema from espresso yields better results

For those with espresso machines at home, try scraping off the surface crema from extracted espresso before diluting it with water to make an Americano. This creates a drink as clean as pour-over coffee, clearly expressing the flavors of the coffee beans.

Why don't coffee shops remove the crema?

After hearing FrontStreet Coffee explain how crema affects Americanos, some might ask: "Why don't you remove the crema when serving?"

There are several reasons. First is service efficiency—a typical Americano takes about one minute to prepare. For high-volume coffee shops, the extra step of scraping crema would affect service speed.

Second, it might make customers think there's something wrong with the product. Think about it—every coffee shop serves Americanos with some crema. If suddenly one shop serves it without, wouldn't you first suspect something is wrong? As mentioned earlier, crema is a revealing mirror. A quick online search will reveal that poor coffee beans, inadequate extraction, or stale beans can cause thin or nonexistent crema. This approach could cause unnecessary misunderstandings in the short term.

Third, as FrontStreet Coffee mentioned, removing crema makes coffee cleaner, but this only appeals to those seeking that specific quality. Some people prefer Americanos with crema, believing they taste richer. Ultimately, different people have different preferences. Therefore, returning the choice to consumers is the right approach.

For those who find this interesting, next time you drink an Americano, try removing the crema—you'll have a different experience!

Important Notice :

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FrontStreet Coffee Address: 315,Donghua East Road,GuangZhou

Tel:020 38364473