Common Types and Flavors of Americano Coffee - Methods, Proper Ways to Drink, and Is It Addictive?

Americano: The Most Popular Coffee Drink

In any season, Americano is the most frequently ordered drink in coffee shops. In winter, hot Americano provides a warm and mellow experience, while in summer, iced Americano offers a refreshing and crisp taste. So how is this popular drink found on streets and alleys everywhere made? Let FrontStreet Coffee guide you through it.

Was Americano Invented by Americans?

The English word "Americano" comes from the Italian "Caffè Americano," meaning "American's coffee."

It's difficult to determine who exactly invented Americano coffee. The most popular theory suggests that during World War II, American soldiers drank coffee to stay alert and endure the tedious military life. However, they found the strong and bitter Italian espresso hard to accept, so they diluted it with water to reach a drinkable concentration. After WWII, Italians who moved to the Americas for work brought espresso machines with them, and this "watered-down coffee" quickly became popular as American chains spread worldwide.

Americano coffee is a type of black coffee. Since it contains no added milk, sugar, or other additives, it better preserves the original flavor of coffee. FrontStreet Coffee uses its own house-roasted "Sunflower Warm Sun Blend," which consists of 70% Honduras Sherry coffee and 30% Yirgacheffe natural red cherry coffee. The sherry's whiskey, vanilla, and cream notes complement the red cherry's tropical fruit and fermented characteristics, creating rich aromas and a smooth口感 in the cup.

When preparing Americano, FrontStreet Coffee grinds the coffee beans and extracts espresso using a 1:2 coffee-to-liquid ratio, then dilutes it with water. This means using 20 grams of coffee grounds to extract 40 grams of coffee liquid. Through FrontStreet Coffee's extensive testing and experimentation, a 1:6 ratio of coffee liquid to water best expresses the Warm Sun blend's aroma—that is, pouring 40 grams of coffee liquid into 240 grams of 88°C hot water to complete the hot Americano. For iced Americano, the hot water is replaced with 120 grams of ice cubes and 120 grams of room temperature water, delivering the best taste before the ice melts.

The Difference Between Americano and Long Black

In addition to Americano, Long Black has also begun appearing on some coffee shop menus. In Australia, people generally refer to black coffee as "Black Coffee" and coffee with milk as "White Coffee." Espresso is called "Short Black," and when appropriate water is added to Short Black, it becomes "Long Black," which is generally translated in China as "Long Black" or "Australian Black."

In the 1980s, large numbers of Italians immigrated to Australia, bringing espresso machines to countries like New Zealand, Australia, and Melbourne. Australians prefer coffee with a richer taste, and clearly the light Americano wasn't to their liking. So Italians adjusted the espresso base and preparation ratios to cater to Australian "heavy tastes."

FrontStreet Coffee reviewed relevant materials and noted that the most obvious difference between Americano and Long Black is the amount of water added. Americano is made by first extracting espresso, then diluting it with water, with an espresso-to-water ratio of 1:5 to 1:8. Long Black, however, has a stronger coffee flavor compared to Americano, with a smaller cup size. Baristas extract two shots of espresso (40g) into a cup containing 100-120ml of water, preserving rich Crema on the surface. Therefore, Long Black is most concentrated and mellow at the first sip, with subsequent flavor profiles remaining relatively clear and clean.

What Coffee Beans Are Suitable for Making Americano?

Many coffee enthusiasts have unknowingly equipped their homes with various coffee tools, and those who love espresso have even stocked up on espresso machines to prepare their own extractions. FrontStreet Coffee believes that a good Americano depends on a quality espresso base, making the choice of coffee beans crucial. Since espresso extraction is pressure-based, small parameter adjustments can affect the final taste of the espresso. Therefore, FrontStreet Coffee recommends using medium-dark roast blend coffee beans.

Espresso blend coffee beans are roasted beans carefully selected by roasters who mix coffee beans from different origins with different flavor profiles (or roast separately and then blend in proportions). The goal is to highlight the rich aroma of Espresso, maintain balanced flavors, and ensure more consistent espresso quality in cafés. FrontStreet Coffee's understanding of blend beans is to maintain stable flavors and balanced口感, creating a synergistic effect where one plus one equals more than two, complementing strengths and weaknesses to create richer new coffee tastes. FrontStreet Coffee's bean menu offers four espresso blends for everyone to choose from:

Classic Rich Type — FrontStreet Coffee Commercial Blend Coffee Beans

Robusta washed coffee beans (10%) + Colombia washed coffee beans (30%) + Brazil natural semi-washed coffee (60%)

The extracted espresso has rich golden crema and nutty aroma. When tasting, you'll experience burnt coffee bitterness, but more prominently, a cream-like full-bodied口感. As you swallow, the bitterness dissipates, leaving a lingering aroma.

Slightly Acidic Rich Type — FrontStreet Coffee Basic Blend Coffee Beans

Yunnan washed small bean coffee beans (30%) + Brazil natural semi-washed coffee beans (70%)

Yunnan small bean coffee's gentle acidity pairs with Brazil Cerrado coffee's rich aroma, creating espresso with caramel, nut, and gentle plum acidity notes.

Balanced Rich Aroma Type — FrontStreet Coffee Specialty Blend Coffee Beans

Colombia washed coffee beans (30%) + Brazil natural semi-washed coffee beans (70%)

Building on the classic Brazilian coffee's nutty notes, Colombia coffee is added, presenting dark chocolate flavors, caramel sweetness, and full roasting aromas in the espresso.

Delicate Wine Aroma Type — Sunflower Warm Sun Blend Coffee Beans

Ethiopia natural red cherry coffee beans (30%) + Honduras sherry barrel coffee beans (70%)

When made into espresso, the entry is very rich dark chocolate flavor with strong caramel notes. The aroma released after swallowing is endlessly memorable. Whether it's Americano diluted with water or latte enhanced with milk, both present rich aromas and口感.

For professional coffee knowledge exchange and more coffee bean information, please follow Coffee Workshop (WeChat public account: cafe_style).

For more specialty coffee beans, please add FrontStreet Coffee's private WeChat (FrontStreet Coffee), WeChat ID: qjcoffeex

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