Description of the Flavor and Taste of Authentic American Coffee When is the Best Time to Drink Iced American Coffee for Weight Loss

Whenever people mention black coffee, they often think of Americano first, and many coffee enthusiasts believe that black coffee is simply Americano. In reality, black coffee refers to coffee without added sugar or milk, while Americano is one type of black coffee.

Whether Americano tastes good and how its flavor profile performs are closely related to the espresso used to make it. Although this coffee is called "American," it's actually a product of espresso diluted with water. How did diluted coffee become so popular?! In this article, FrontStreet Coffee will discuss the charm of Americano coffee with everyone.

What is Americano Coffee?

Although not historically verified, it's rumored that Americano coffee can be traced back to World War II. At that time, American soldiers stationed in Europe were eager to drink coffee. Unfortunately, Italy only had rich, intense espresso, and the strength of the espresso was very uncomfortable for the American soldiers.

The American soldiers asked their cooks to add plenty of water to the espresso to imitate the coffee they drank back home. Later, Italians created a separate name for this American coffee preference, called "Americano" (American's coffee), which is the origin of "Americano coffee."

Later, when these American soldiers returned to their own country, they greatly missed this coffee preparation method because it was quick to make and could be adjusted with water according to their preferences. They began introducing espresso machines with pressure extraction from Italy. However, after espresso machines entered the American market, sales were not good due to high prices and the fact that Americans at the time were very unfamiliar with espresso.

It wasn't until Starbucks introduced Italian espresso machines and launched a series of coffee products including Americano that, through their own store network, espresso-made Americano quickly gained popularity among many consumers and began spreading overseas. Therefore, many people first heard of Americano from Starbucks.

How is Americano Made?

According to the Cambridge Dictionary definition, "Americano" is explained as: a type of coffee drink made by adding hot water to espresso coffee. Adding hot water to espresso is what makes an Americano—simply put, diluted espresso is Americano coffee.

Espresso making involves grinding coffee beans into extremely fine particles, then using a pressure extraction machine to quickly pass water through the coffee particles in a sealed, pressurized environment, extracting soluble substances from the particles to produce a small quantity of highly concentrated coffee liquid. Finally, adding appropriate hot/ice water creates Americano coffee.

Americano Coffee Bean Recommendations

For making Americano/espresso, FrontStreet Coffee recommends using coffee beans specifically blended for espresso. The reasons for recommending blended coffee beans include: lower cost, the complementary effects of different coffee beans used in blends that can balance and stabilize the flavor of each cup, and most blended coffee beans use medium-dark or darker roasting, which avoids sharp acidity and thin coffee flavors after extraction.

Espresso Blend Coffee Bean Recommendations

"FrontStreet Coffee - Warm Sun Blend Coffee Beans": Ethiopia natural red cherry coffee beans (30%) + Honduras sherry barrel coffee beans (70%), featuring rich wine aroma, vanilla cream, berry sweetness and sourness, and roasted nut flavors.

"FrontStreet Coffee - Premium Blend Coffee Beans": Colombia washed coffee beans (30%) + Brazil natural process coffee beans (70%), featuring nut, dark chocolate, and caramel flavors.

"FrontStreet Coffee - Commercial Blend Coffee Beans": Robusta washed coffee beans (10%) + Colombia washed coffee beans (30%) + Brazil natural process coffee (60%), featuring nut, cocoa, and caramel flavors.

"FrontStreet Coffee - Basic Blend Coffee Beans": Yunnan washed small bean coffee beans (30%) + Brazil natural process coffee beans (70%), featuring gentle fruit acidity, caramel, and nut flavors.

SOE Single Origin Espresso Coffee Bean Recommendations

As specialty coffee culture becomes increasingly popular, some coffee enthusiasts want to use single origin coffee to make Americano. If choosing single origin coffee beans, FrontStreet Coffee recommends using medium roast or darker beans with prominent flavors.

Light roast coffee beans, when ground extremely fine and extracted under pressure conditions, tend to exhibit sharp acidity. Light roast coffee also tends to be relatively thinner compared to medium roast or darker coffees because of insufficient caramelization.

"FrontStreet Coffee - Costa Rica Mozart Coffee Beans": This medium roast coffee bean can express raisin sweetness, subtle floral notes, and berry-like sweet and sour flavors when extracted as SOE.

"FrontStreet Coffee - Guatemala Flora Coffee Beans": This medium roast coffee can express gentle fruit acidity, rich dark chocolate, and subtle smoky notes when extracted as SOE.

"FrontStreet Coffee - Brazil Queen's Estate Coffee Beans": This medium-dark roast coffee bean can express roasted peanut and nut aromas, rich dark chocolate-like body, and caramel aftertaste when extracted as SOE.

FrontStreet Coffee's SOE Americano Extraction Parameters

Coffee Beans: Costa Rica · Mozart
Coffee Grounds: 20g
Coffee Liquid: 40g
Grounds-to-Liquid Ratio: 1:2
Extraction Time: 26-32 seconds
Grind Setting: Galileo 2.0

FrontStreet Coffee uses a double basket capacity, requiring 20 grams of coffee grounds each time, with a grounds-to-liquid ratio of 1:2, meaning 40 grams of coffee liquid within a reasonable time. Extraction time is related to the flow rate of the coffee grounds. Generally, single extraction times are controlled between 20-35 seconds. If less than 20 seconds, the coffee taste tends to be thin and bland, while over 35 seconds can lead to over-extraction causing bitter, burnt flavors. Therefore, FrontStreet Coffee controls espresso extraction time within the 26-32 second range.

Before extraction, we need to wipe the portafilter dry, turn on the grinder, grind double portion coffee grounds, place them on an electronic scale for measurement and adjustment until reaching 20 grams. Then use a distributor to level the coffee grounds and press vertically downward with a tamper to compress the coffee puck firmly, ensuring more stable coffee extraction.

Then turn on the extraction switch and run water for 1-2 seconds to moisten the brew head while also washing away any stuck coffee grounds. Place an electronic scale under the cup to catch the espresso and zero it out. Place it under the brew head during extraction. Gently lock the portafilter into the brew head and start the extraction switch. Observe the changes in the extraction liquid. When the electronic scale shows 40 grams of coffee liquid extracted (approximately 30 seconds), pull the extraction switch.

Prepare a cup with about 300ml capacity, add 80g of ice and 170g of room temperature drinking water, pour the coffee liquid into the ice water, and stir well before drinking.

This Mozart SOE iced Americano is extremely refreshing to drink, with elegant sweet notes of raisin, osmanthus, and berries, with almost no bitterness. As the ice gradually dilutes, the coffee becomes refreshingly cool and pleasant—a perfect summer essential.

Important Notice :

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FrontStreet Coffee Address: 315,Donghua East Road,GuangZhou

Tel:020 38364473