Optimal Water Ratio for Perfect Americano Coffee Flavor and Texture - Iced Americano Coffee-to-Water Ratio Method

Understanding Americano Coffee

Today, when we generally talk about Americano coffee, we're referring to espresso diluted with water to create a large cup of mild coffee. In theory, as long as we can solve the most challenging part—extracting the espresso—making Americano coffee shouldn't be a problem.

However, recently many friends have been asking about the water-to-espresso ratio in Americanos, and whether the amount of water significantly affects the taste.

The Impact of Water Ratio

Regarding the ratio in Americano coffee, the most direct impact is on concentration. Of course, people's preferences for concentration vary quite widely. Some people like to drink espresso straight, while others prefer to add a lot of water and even a small spoon of milk. Some people who drink Americanos add an extra shot of espresso. This means that when it comes to Americano taste preferences, standard ratios cannot satisfy everyone.

Moreover, the water ratio also greatly depends on the flavor profile of the coffee beans. For example, some classic Italian blend beans that feature flavors like caramel, nuts, and cocoa tend to be more bitter and concentrated in espresso form, so a larger ratio is used, typically between 1:7 to 1:8.

Meanwhile, for lighter roasted SOE (Single Origin Espresso) beans, the flavor profile is not just bitterness but also includes fruit acidity and sweetness. The ratio wouldn't be stretched as large, staying around 1:5.

Therefore, deciding how much water to add mainly depends on the final flavor expression of the coffee.

FrontStreet Coffee's Approach

Taking FrontStreet Coffee's Sunflower Warm Blend coffee beans used in their stores as an example, baristas must adjust daily according to the bean's condition. To highlight the sherry barrel flavor, they chose an extraction method using 20 grams of coffee beans to extract 40 grams of coffee liquid, with an extraction time of 27 to 28 seconds.

FrontStreet Coffee once determined the Americano water ratio for this bean. Using the above extraction method, after two rounds of range narrowing, they finally made three cups of coffee at ratios of 1:4, 1:4.5, and 1:5 for comparison. They ultimately settled on the 1:4.5 ratio, as at this proportion, it better highlights the Warm Blend's wine aroma as well as vanilla and chocolate flavors while maintaining good mouthfeel.

Iced Americano Preparation

When making iced Americano, considering the chilling and ice melting factors, FrontStreet Coffee opts for larger ice cubes, each weighing about 25g. FrontStreet Coffee's iced Americano ratio is 40g of espresso, 100g of large ice cubes, and 120g of water—that is, 1:2.5:3. This way, the coffee isn't too concentrated at the beginning to cause discomfort, and the large ice cubes melt slowly, preventing it from becoming too diluted while ensuring it stays cold for an extended time (coffee at room temperature doesn't provide a good experience).

The All-Ice Americano

In fact, besides the regular iced Americano mentioned above, coffee shops also have another hidden menu item—the all-ice Americano. From the introduction above, we can see that this "all-ice Americano" requires only espresso and ice cubes. Although there are only two ingredients, the preparation method is quite particular. Where does the particularity lie? It's in whether you pour the espresso first or place the ice cubes first.

For making an iced Americano without water, it's best to add ice cubes first, then pour the espresso. This allows the espresso to come into contact with the ice cubes immediately after extraction, thus being directly cooled. I wonder if you've read the recent article about frozen portafilters—these two methods actually achieve the same effect, both aiming to cool the espresso immediately, which is called extract chilling.

Because the volatilization speed of coffee aroma is affected by temperature, when coffee is first extracted, the higher temperature of the coffee liquid leads to a slightly faster volatilization speed. However, if we cool it directly during extraction using a portafilter or ice cubes, the liquid temperature is immediately lowered, and the aroma volatilization speed decreases. Then we can experience more aroma expression in the subsequent espresso (that is, comparatively more aroma is preserved).

Meanwhile, the "add ice first, then pour espresso" method cools the coffee liquid faster than the "extract espresso first, then add ice" approach, which helps improve the mouthfeel more quickly. Therefore, FrontStreet Coffee would recommend adding ice first, then pouring espresso when making an "all-ice Americano." Not only that, but if we add an additional method during preparation, we can further preserve the aroma and lower the temperature more quickly!

Important Notice :

前街咖啡 FrontStreet Coffee has moved to new addredd:

FrontStreet Coffee Address: 315,Donghua East Road,GuangZhou

Tel:020 38364473