Americano Coffee Unlike Starbucks: Flavor Profile and Taste Characteristics

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When it comes to Americano coffee, many people naturally think of Starbucks. When Starbucks first entered the Chinese market, they set up locations in major cities, and their prices could be considered quite luxurious at the time. However, since coffee always gave people a sense of sophistication in that era, many young people wanted to visit Starbucks at least once to experience foreign coffee culture.

The Americano can be considered one of Starbucks' relatively affordable products, so many people's first freshly ground coffee experience began with Starbucks' Americano. In reality, Americano is a very common coffee beverage, and today you can find it in any type of coffee shop.

Why is Americano Coffee So Popular?

1. Simple and Convenient
Americano coffee is prepared quickly, making it very practical for busy office workers who can order and pick it up anytime—simple and fast.

2. Cost-Effective and Consistent Product
Most coffee shops use medium-dark roast blended coffee beans to make Americanos. Compared to single-origin coffee beans, blended beans are created by baristas who combine coffee beans from different regions in various proportions to achieve balanced and stable flavors even when extracted at high concentrations.

Additionally, blended coffee beans are cheaper than single-origin beans, which means that among black coffee types, Americanos are significantly less expensive than pour-over or cold brew made from single-origin beans.

3. Low-Calorie, Energizing, Fat-Reducing, and De-bloating
Americano = Espresso + Water, making it low in calories and guilt-free to drink. Moderate consumption of Americano provides a caffeine boost for alertness. Caffeine can also cause mild dilation of renal blood vessels, increase glomerular blood flow, and enhance kidney excretion functions, so moderate Americano consumption may have some diuretic and de-bloating effects. It also stimulates gastric acid secretion and promotes intestinal peristalsis, which can aid digestion.

How is Americano Coffee Made?

As FrontStreet Coffee mentioned above, Americano is actually a product made by diluting espresso with water. This originated during World War II when American soldiers went to Italy. Because they didn't like the quickly extracted espresso that was popular locally, they added water to the espresso to adjust it to their preferred taste.

At that time, Italians called such coffee "Americano" (meaning "American" in Italian). However, the American soldiers didn't mind this name. Later, Starbucks introduced espresso machines to their stores, and Americano quickly gained acceptance among American consumers, helping more people around the world discover this beverage.

Starbucks' Americano uses Italian-style dark roast coffee beans that are ground extremely fine. The machine pressurizes hot water to quickly pass through the coffee grounds, extracting highly concentrated coffee liquid which is then diluted with the appropriate amount of hot water. A tall Americano uses 1 shot of espresso, a grande uses 2 shots, and a venti uses 3 shots.

Americano Coffee Bean Recommendations

Other coffee shops may also use different coffee beans for espresso extraction and Americano preparation, typically using medium-dark roast or darker blended coffee beans, or single-origin (single-region) coffee beans with unique flavor characteristics. Americanos made with blended beans usually have a rich, full-bodied taste with low acidity and intensity; Americanos made with single-origin beans typically have rich flavor layers, noticeable acidity, and a slightly lighter body.

So for those who want to drink a stable, rich Americano, FrontStreet Coffee recommends using specialty coffee blends specifically created for espresso. As a concentrate, the flavor of coffee beans cannot remain stable for long periods, but blended coffee beans can solve this problem well. By utilizing the flavor characteristics of different coffee regions in varying proportions, they achieve complementary effects and balance the stability of extracted coffee flavors.

The taste of Americano depends on the flavors expressed by the extracted coffee beans. Based on consumer preferences for coffee taste, FrontStreet Coffee has launched 4 espresso blend coffee beans. Everyone can choose the appropriate blend for making espresso according to their taste preferences.

「Warm Sun Blend Coffee Beans」 ¥79/227g: Ethiopian natural red cherry coffee beans (30%) + Honduras sherry barrel-aged coffee beans (70%), with rich wine aromas, vanilla cream, berry sweetness, and roasted nut flavors.

「Premium Blend Coffee Beans」 ¥75/454g: Colombian washed coffee beans (30%) + Brazilian natural process coffee beans (70%), with nut, dark chocolate, and caramel flavors.

「Commercial Blend Coffee Beans」 ¥60/454g: Robusta washed coffee beans (10%) + Colombian washed coffee beans (30%) + Brazilian natural process coffee (60%), with nut, cocoa, and caramel flavors.

「Basic Blend Coffee Beans」 ¥50/454g: Yunnan washed small bean coffee beans (30%) + Brazilian natural process coffee beans (70%), with soft fruit acidity, caramel, and nut flavors.

To ensure everyone experiences the most complete flavors of coffee, all coffee beans sold by FrontStreet Coffee are shipped within five days of roasting. For better crema performance during espresso extraction, coffee beans must be freshly roasted and ground extremely fine before immediate extraction.

Americano Coffee Preparation Steps

The performance of each coffee machine and grinder varies, with differences in both pressure and grind settings, so there are no exact grind settings or particle size parameters to reference.

According to the Specialty Coffee Association (SCA) standards, a single shot of espresso uses 7-9 grams of coffee grounds, while a double shot uses 14-18 grams to extract 25-35g of coffee liquid in 20-30 seconds. The extraction pressure should be 9-10 bar, and water temperature should be 90-96°C. Each coffee shop makes adjustments up or down based on the coffee beans and equipment they use.

FrontStreet Coffee's in-store Americano uses the 「Sunflower Warm Sun Blend Coffee Beans」. Typically, 20g of coffee grounds are used to extract 40g of coffee liquid at a 1:2 ratio with 9 bar pressure over 25-30 seconds. However, daily adjustments are made based on the actual flavor profile of the extracted coffee.

Once the espresso extraction is determined, add the appropriate amount of hot water/ice water based on the espresso's flavor profile. For coffee shop preparation, standardized ratios need to be established to ensure consistent quality for every cup.

Important Notice :

前街咖啡 FrontStreet Coffee has moved to new addredd:

FrontStreet Coffee Address: 315,Donghua East Road,GuangZhou

Tel:020 38364473