What Are the Five Ways to Drink Americano? What's the Difference Between Americano and Long Black? How to Make Quicksand Iced Americano? How to Create Latte Art on Americano? Can You Add Milk to Americano?

As everyone knows, Italian coffee has an extraordinarily rich vocabulary when it comes to milk and coffee. Change the method or the parameters just slightly and you get a whole range of drinks from nothing but milk and coffee: latte, cappuccino, flat white, piccolo, cortado, macchiato, and on it goes.

Look at water and coffee, though, and most people can probably name only one: the Americano. Next to the milk-coffee family, it seems a little monotonous...

Actually, the Americano has plenty of fancy ways to be drunk too. FrontStreet Coffee recently shared a number of different Americano preparations. Even though they all go by the name Americano, their taste and texture are completely different from a regular one. So today FrontStreet Coffee wants to run through the fancy ways to drink an Americano. When you tire of the ordinary version, give these a try - you may be pleasantly surprised.

1. Full Ice Americano

Full Ice Americano is a preparation many coffee connoisseurs particularly enjoy. What is it? An iced Americano made with no water at all, using only ice cubes and espresso.

We all know the standard Americano is water plus espresso, with the water diluting the concentration of the shot so it's easier to drink. For people who prefer a stronger flavor, though, an Americano can come across as too weak and unsatisfying, while drinking espresso straight is too concentrated and too hot to be comfortable. The Full Ice Americano perfectly splits that difference. Because no water is added, the coffee keeps a higher concentration, yet the ice cubes in the glass melt and bring both cooling and dilution, so the flavor and strength never become as intense and hard to take as a straight shot.

Better still, a Full Ice Americano has a wonderfully layered texture. Because the ice keeps melting, the coffee's flavor and concentration change over time. Drink it slowly and you can clearly feel it shifting from strong to weak, from a concentrated punch to distinct notes, which is genuinely interesting. If that appeals, give it a try - the method is exactly as FrontStreet Coffee describes: pour the espresso straight over prepared ice cubes. For the detailed method you can refer to the article "Full Ice Americano." One thing worth noting: a Full Ice Americano is not meant to be drunk with a straw. Serve it in a short glass so you can enjoy those layered changes more fully.

2/3. Quicksand Iced Americano / Latte Art Hot Americano

These two are methods FrontStreet Coffee shares often - the Quicksand Iced Americano and the Latte Art Hot Americano. They look like completely different drinks, but in fact they share a lot. Both require injecting air to create foam, and the foam brings two changes to the cup: a prettier appearance, and a change in texture. (The photo shows coffee foam being frothed with a French press.)

The Quicksand Iced Americano earns its name because when an iced Americano with foam is poured into a clear glass, it produces an effect much like "quicksand." Foam is light and coffee liquid is heavy, so as the foamed coffee enters the glass the foam rushes upward while the liquid sinks. The contrast in color makes it look like shifting sand, hence "quicksand."

The Latte Art Hot Americano uses the same principle - the difference between foam and coffee liquid - so that the foam can stand in for milk and let you draw latte art on the surface. And because of the foam, both cups take on a creamy texture that a regular Americano doesn't have, while tasting richer and smoother. By the same token, they don't taste as light as a regular Americano; each has its own merits. (The image at upper right shows a Latte Art Hot Americano.)

So if you want a richer texture in your Americano, give the Quicksand Iced Americano and the Latte Art Hot Americano a try. The methods are just as simple. FrontStreet Coffee has shared detailed steps in the articles "Three Methods for Quicksand Iced Americano" and "Latte Art Hot Americano." Interested readers can look them up. (One note: FrontStreet Coffee shops don't produce these.)

4. Americano with Milk

This one is slightly more niche than the previous two - though only compared with them; overall it's still fairly common. The preparation is just as the name suggests: add a certain amount of milk to the cup before tasting the Americano, stir well, and begin.

With the milk added, the coffee has greater sweetness and a softer flavor, not as bracing as a straight Americano. The texture becomes smoother as well, though it won't be as sweet and rich as a latte. Its one drawback is that you can't taste the pure coffee flavor. But compared with the coffee flavor, we should care more about the experience. So if you don't want a very bitter coffee and don't want a coffee loaded with milk, FrontStreet Coffee believes an Americano with milk is a good choice. It's simple to make too, though you need to adjust the ratio of coffee liquid to water a little so the coffee doesn't taste too weak.

Take FrontStreet Coffee as an example. FrontStreet Coffee uses beans from its classic Italian blend - a medium-dark roast. During extraction, FrontStreet Coffee typically uses 18-20g of coffee grounds to pull 35-40ml of coffee liquid, then applies a 1:4 ratio, pairing it with about 160ml of hot water to make an Americano. Drunk straight, that hot Americano has moderate concentration, fragrant and rich, with a sweet aftertaste. If you want to add milk, FrontStreet Coffee will adjust the ratio to 1:3.5-3.8; for 40ml of coffee liquid, about 150ml of hot water would go in to make the Americano. Then add 20-30ml of milk, so that the coffee's concentration, texture, and aroma all land well.

5. Long Black

Then there's the variation on the Americano, and also its "rival" - the Long Black. FrontStreet Coffee noted in the article "Why Long Black is Rarely Seen in China" that many people mistakenly think the only difference between a Long Black and an Americano is the order in which the water and espresso go in. In reality there's more to it. Besides the pouring order, they also differ in concentration, because a Long Black uses a larger ratio of coffee to water.

Like the flat white, the Long Black is a product of local improvement after Italian coffee reached Australia. Because Australians prefer a "stronger" flavor and want to taste the "essence" of the coffee directly, they reduced the amount of water in the Americano to raise the concentration, ensuring they could taste the full, rich coffee flavor. At the same time, so that people could experience the aroma from the crema from the very first sip, the Long Black is built by pouring the water first and the espresso second, keeping the "soul" of the shot - the crema - from being scattered by the water. Those are the two main differences between the Long Black and the Americano.

In daily life, though, to make the drink look better and production more convenient, most coffee shops pour water first and espresso second even when making an Americano. The main difference between the two, then, comes down to concentration. So if you want a cup of black coffee with a richer taste, the Long Black is a very good choice. Again, taking FrontStreet Coffee as an example: as noted above, when making a hot Americano FrontStreet Coffee typically uses a 1:4 ratio - 40ml of coffee liquid with 160ml of hot water. For a Long Black it changes to 1:3, so 40ml of coffee liquid pairs with 120ml of hot water, poured water first and espresso second. Please note: FrontStreet Coffee shops still don't produce a Long Black. (Too many people ask.)

So those are the fancy ways to drink an Americano. Interested readers can try them all - I believe it will be a wonderful experience. Probably.

FrontStreet Coffee Recommendation

All of these drinks rise or fall on the espresso underneath, so start with a blend built for the job. FrontStreet Coffee's Classic Blend is a medium-dark espresso recipe drawn from three origins and inspired by the old-school "Mamba" pairing of Mandheling and Brazil, with a touch of Robusta for extra aroma and crema. Extraction yields clear butter, toasted toast, and caramel-cookie notes, a strong flavor, a solid body, and fine, stable crema - an essential home coffee for beginners, and equally at home in an Americano or a latte.

If you like a rich, nutty profile, go for FrontStreet Coffee's Premium Blend, a classic pairing of washed Colombian and semi-washed Brazilian beans. In espresso it shows nuts, dark chocolate, and caramel; in an Americano, latte, or flat white it brings out smooth cream, almond, and cocoa aromas, with crema every bit the match of a cafe. It is especially suited to anyone who wants to open a shop or learn at home.