Is Full Ice Americano Delicious? How to Make a Water-Free Iced Americano

"Hey handsome! I'd like an iced Americano, the one without water"

This was an order received by a FrontStreet Coffee barista on one occasion. Although FrontStreet Coffee has quite a few hidden menu items (such as Flat White and Dirty), the barista was slightly taken aback by this request. While customers occasionally ask for iced Americano without ice, requesting it without water is quite rare. After all, isn't an iced Americano without water just an espresso with ice?

Water + Espresso = Americano. This formula should be familiar to everyone. Adding hot water creates a hot Americano, while adding ice water creates an iced Americano. Many people choose iced Americano because they can't handle overly strong coffee but still want to get their caffeine while "cooling down and relieving heat," making it an excellent choice.

FrontStreet Coffee's standard iced Americano ratio is 38g of espresso + 90g of large ice cubes + 170g of room temperature water. If customers request an iced Americano without ice, to keep the coffee chilled while preventing it from being too strong, FrontStreet Coffee reduces the ice amount to 30g and increases the water to 210g. (A small amount of ice helps the espresso cool down quickly, and by the time customers receive it, the ice is no longer visible.)

All-Ice Americano!!

So what about the "iced Americano without water" ordered by the customer at the beginning? It's actually an "All-Ice Americano." When we break it down: all ice, Americano - it becomes quite clear: an Americano with only ice, completely replacing the water portion with ice. This way of drinking coffee actually has many different names, such as pure ice Americano, iced espresso, espresso with ice...

When making this water-free iced Americano, FrontStreet Coffee adjusts the ice amount to 60g, meaning 38g of coffee liquid + 60g of large ice cubes, and switches to a smaller cold brew cup. The espresso is extracted directly into the cup containing the ice cubes. This method allows the extracted espresso to be immediately cooled by the ice, locking in more aromatic compounds and resulting in better flavor and texture.

What are the benefits of this iced Americano preparation method? And how does it taste different?

Those who have followed barista competitions might know that in the 2021 WBC (World Barista Championship), Australian barista Hugh Kelly introduced a concept called "Extract Chilling." His method for extracting espresso during the competition involved placing a frozen metal block between the espresso cup and the portafilter's spout. As the espresso liquid flowed from the spout, it would pass over this metal block to cool down before finally reaching the espresso cup.

Hugh explained, "The first 12 grams of coffee liquid contain the most volatile compounds (aromas). By rapidly cooling the coffee liquid, the coffee retains more flavor and aroma."

An Americano made this way actually tastes closer to drinking straight espresso, but after rapid cooling by ice (which locks in the flavor) and slight dilution, the coffee becomes more approachable. There's no need to worry about losing some of the flavor and aroma during the cooling process, and it still tastes quite rich.

FrontStreet Coffee used Sunflower Warm Sun Blend coffee beans to make both a regular iced Americano and an all-ice Americano for comparison. Compared to the large-volume iced Americano mixed with ice water, the all-ice Americano has a higher concentration, is relatively more bitter, and overall reveals more layers of acidic aroma changes. If you're also interested in the all-ice Americano, why not try it next time you order an Americano?

Important Notice :

前街咖啡 FrontStreet Coffee has moved to new addredd:

FrontStreet Coffee Address: 315,Donghua East Road,GuangZhou

Tel:020 38364473