What Does Iced Espresso Taste Like? Can You Make an Iced Americano Without Water?

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As everyone knows, FrontStreet Coffee's menu is quite simple, but behind it lies quite a few hidden menu items. For example, Flat White, Dirty, and other coffees—although not listed on the menu—are all available at FrontStreet Coffee.

Until one day, "Boss, could I please have an iced Americano without water, thank you!" a customer said upon entering the shop. We've heard requests for iced Americanos without ice more often, but what's this request for an iced Americano without water all about?

Some friends can't drink beverages that are too cold, but due to extremely hot weather, hot drinks are like adding fuel to fire for them. So they choose a compromise: iced Americano without ice.

FrontStreet Coffee's iced Americano preparation ratio is 40g of espresso, 120ml of water, and 100g of ice. When making an iced Americano without ice, to prevent the coffee from becoming too concentrated (as ice in regular iced coffee would gradually melt), FrontStreet Coffee adds 180ml of water to the 40g of espresso.

But what if a customer orders an iced Americano without water? Actually, this drinking method does exist, and it has many names: exploding ice Americano, iced espresso, espresso with ice...

Generally, people who choose to drink this way prefer stronger iced coffee. Regular iced Americano tastes too weak to satisfy their taste buds, so they prefer to drink Americano without water. Why is it called "exploding ice Americano" or "iced Americano no water" (iced Americano without water) when it's more like a cup of espresso?

Although understanding the espresso system would clarify the relationship between espresso and Americano coffee, for most people who only drink coffee, Americano coffee is more familiar. Therefore, they only need to request some adjustments to their Americano to get the result they want. Iced Americano without water, espresso with ice—both refer to the same beverage.

How to Make Iced Americano Without Water

So how should one make an iced Americano without water? Actually, it's just like making a regular Americano, just replacing water with ice. However, FrontStreet Coffee's recommended approach is to pour the espresso over ice or extract the espresso directly into a cup already filled with ice. This way, the espresso passes through the ice and quickly cools down, resulting in better flavor and texture.

How Does This Taste?

This method reminds FrontStreet Coffee of Hugh Kelly, an Australian barista who introduced a concept called "Extract Chilling" during the 2021 WBC competition. His method for extracting espresso during the competition involved placing a frozen metal block between the espresso cup and the spout of the coffee portafilter. As the espresso flowed from the spout, it would pass through this metal block to cool down before finally reaching the espresso cup.

Hugh said, "The first 12 grams of coffee liquid contain the most volatile compounds (aroma). By rapidly cooling the coffee liquid, more flavor and aroma are retained in the coffee."

This is somewhat similar to our iced pour-over coffee method. With regular hot pour-over, the flavor is very rich and the aroma is obvious right after brewing, but as time passes and the coffee cools down, the flavor and aroma diminish significantly because volatile substances have evaporated. With iced pour-over, ice is added while the coffee is still hot to rapidly cool it down, resulting in a better flavor than coffee that has cooled naturally.

Therefore, iced Americano without water—also known as iced espresso—is still quite strong to drink. FrontStreet Coffee used Sunflower Warm Sunshine Blend coffee beans to make both hot espresso and iced espresso for comparison. Compared to hot espresso, it appears less bitter, with a bit more sour and sweet notes, creating a bright and uplifting sensation throughout the cup.

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