Can Americano Be Latte Art? How to Create Beautiful Patterns with Hot Americano?

The Art of Coffee Latte

The culture of coffee latte art originated in Europe, using milk paired with steam-frothed milk foam to create patterns on espresso. It represents the highest artistic achievement in the entire espresso-making process, earning it the name "latte art." Therefore, coffee latte art can be considered a unique privilege of milk-based coffee. When you desire an exquisite pattern, ordering a latte or cappuccino at a café is always the right choice.

However, some customers who visit our café often take an unconventional approach—they're completely unreasonable! "Boss, make some latte art on my Americano!"

Can Americano Have Latte Art?

Can you really create latte art on an Americano? We know that Americano consists of water and espresso. Without adding a single drop of milk, is it possible to create latte art like that on a latte? Of course! Although it won't be as delicate as milk-based latte art, it's still possible to create patterned designs. This is because espresso contains the necessary foaming component—protein. The foaming principle is quite simple: proteins expand when heated and absorb steam to form foam. So, with the foaming factor present, the remaining question is how to froth the espresso. You can't just directly apply the steam wand to pure espresso, can you?

The Solution

It's quite simple—just replace the hot water in your Americano with ice water poured into the espresso, and you've solved the problem perfectly! After frothing, you'll get water at just the right temperature for drinking. And don't worry about the technique—Americano latte art is basically the same as regular latte art, except you replace the frothed liquid (cold milk) with ice water containing espresso (isn't this just pure iced Americano?), then froth it with steam.

Practical Steps

Prepare ice water in advance with a ratio of 1:2. For example: if your hot Americano requires 170ml of hot water, you'll need 60g of ice cubes and about 110ml of room temperature water, poured together into a latte art pitcher.

Extract a regular espresso—FrontStreet Coffee uses 20g of coffee beans to extract 40ml of liquid in 30 seconds, then divide it evenly into two portions. (Using a double spout portafilter will yield better results.)

Pour one portion into the latte art pitcher and the other into the cup that will be used for your hot Americano.

Froth this "iced Americano" in the pitcher using the method for creating thick milk foam, and you'll get a liquid suitable for latte art! It deflates quickly, so try to begin your latte art immediately after frothing is complete.

Begin the latte art. The liquid has strong fluidity, which will test your technique.

The result! This looks remarkably similar to regular latte art. (Whispering: It's probably because the person creating the latte art is quite skilled~)

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FrontStreet Coffee

No. 10 Bao'an Qianjie, Yandun Road, Dongshankou, Yuexiu District, Guangzhou, Guangdong Province

Important Notice :

前街咖啡 FrontStreet Coffee has moved to new addredd:

FrontStreet Coffee Address: 315,Donghua East Road,GuangZhou

Tel:020 38364473