The Correct Way to Make American Coffee Is Iced American Coffee Bitter?

What is Americano Coffee?

Americano coffee (English: Americano, Italian: Caffe Americano) is traditionally black coffee made using a drip coffee maker. Because the general extraction time is relatively long (about four to five minutes), the coffee flavor is also more mellow.

Americano coffee is simple to make, emphasizing convenience, speed, and freedom. Compared to espresso coffee, Americano coffee tastes relatively cleaner and better preserves the original flavor of coffee beans. However, the Americano coffee in today's coffee shops is somewhat different from the traditional definition. Today's Americano coffee has a different preparation method - it's now based on espresso and mixed with large amounts of water, making it an essential drink on every coffee shop's menu.

We understand that Americano coffee contains only two ingredients: espresso and water. There are two mainstream preparation methods: one is to add water to espresso, and the other is to pour extracted espresso into water. The former is often called Americano, while the latter is mostly known as long black.

The Origin of Americano Coffee

Americano coffee was born after World War II. At that time, when Americans finished the European war, many soldiers came to Southern Europe. They couldn't drink espresso, so they diluted it with warm water. Because only this concentration was acceptable to them, it's clear that espresso wasn't naturally loved by everyone! Because this drinking method was mainly used by American soldiers, people named it Americano coffee.

Because most Americans at that time used filter methods to make milder-tasting coffee. Even today, most Americans use drip coffee makers at home, which is why drip pots are also called Americano coffee makers. However, the popularity of Americano coffee made by diluting espresso with water is thanks to Starbucks' global expansion.

So is it correct to use an espresso machine to extract water for a long time to make a mild coffee? There are two opinions on this. Traditional espresso purists believe it's not possible, because this way the coffee becomes over-extracted, especially in the later stages of extraction, where the impurities and excessive caffeine from the coffee grounds are also extracted, and these people are extremely contemptuous of this method.

However, in today's coffee market, for example, Australian coffee shops do this and it's quite common. They say if this method over-extracts coffee, then aren't the extraction times of French press and siphon pots even longer than this method? So what's wrong with doing it this way?

We won't compare the taste differences between these two methods for now, because once we get into this aspect, disagreements arise. But what should be known is that the caffeine content in mild coffee extracted for a long time will be higher than the caffeine content in coffee made by diluting a standard cup of espresso with water. Even so, there are still two preparation methods: making espresso first and then adding water to dilute it, versus putting water first and then adding espresso.

How to Make Americano Coffee?

Americano coffee can be said to be the simplest espresso-based coffee because Americano coffee consists of only two parts: espresso and water, with iced Americano having the addition of ice cubes. But don't relax because Americano coffee is simple - the simplest part is also the most technically challenging part, and Americano coffee is often the espresso-based drink that best tests a barista's espresso extraction technique.

Compared to milk coffee like lattes, Americano coffee allows you to better perceive the original flavor of coffee beans because there's no milk affecting the coffee taste. Many barista friends choose Americano coffee when visiting other coffee shops - one, because it's convenient and quick, and two, because they can know the quality standard.

Getting back to the main point, we just said that Americano coffee is simple to make, with only two parts: water and espresso, so you only need to pour espresso into water. The espresso part needs to be extracted according to the characteristics of the beans - different beans have different extraction parameters. For example, FrontStreet Coffee stores use a Warm Sun Blend - 60% sherry wine barrel coffee beans mixed with 40% natural Yirgacheffe. Baristas must adjust daily according to the bean's condition. To highlight the sherry wine barrel flavor, they chose an extraction plan using 20 grams of coffee beans to extract 40 grams of coffee liquid, with a time of 27 to 28 seconds.

When making hot Americano coffee, you need to preheat the cup with hot water, then pour in hot water, and finally pour the extracted espresso. The ratio for Americano coffee is generally between 1:6 to 1:8, and after multiple tests, FrontStreet Coffee chose a 1:6 ratio, meaning 40 grams of coffee liquid mixed with 240 grams of hot water.

Similarly, when making iced Americano coffee, pre-cool the cup with ice cubes, then pour in water, and finally pour in the espresso. Because ice cubes need to be added, FrontStreet Coffee's iced Americano chooses a 1:7 ratio, with 40 grams of coffee liquid mixed with 280 grams of ice-water mixture, including 180 grams of ice and 100 grams of water.

Does Removing Crema Make Americano Coffee Taste Better?

When making hot Americano coffee, you'll notice a layer of foam floating on the surface of the coffee - that's what we commonly call crema. This part of crema comes from the crema produced when making espresso. We know that espresso has three parts: core, body, and crema. Espresso's crema comes from carbon dioxide being dissolved into the liquid under the high pressure of the coffee machine. After extraction ends, the pressure returns to normal, and the carbon dioxide in the coffee liquid begins to return to the air, while encountering fat from the coffee and being wrapped up - this is the reason crema is produced.

What happens if we scrape off the crema? FrontStreet Coffee tried making two cups of Americano coffee, scraping the crema from one cup as a control group. Using FrontStreet Coffee's Warm Sun Blend coffee beans, the cup with crema scraped off was cleaner and had a smoother texture, while the cup with crema retained had a slightly thicker texture. Both cups had distinct dark chocolate flavor, with subtle whiskey oak barrel aroma and gentle acidity. The difference wasn't actually significant. If you prefer a clean taste, scraping off the crema is recommended. If you need continuous production, keeping the crema is more recommended.

Important Notice :

前街咖啡 FrontStreet Coffee has moved to new addredd:

FrontStreet Coffee Address: 315,Donghua East Road,GuangZhou

Tel:020 38364473