Everything You Wanted To Know About Americanos
Introduction
If you've ever been curious about the popular coffee drink, the Americano, look no further. In this blog post, we'll dive into the history of the Americano, share some tasty recipes, discuss its caffeine content, and explain why you should consider adding this beverage to your regular coffee rotation.
The Americano: Table of Contents
The History of the Americano
The Americano, or Caffè Americano, is a coffee drink made by adding hot water to a shot of espresso. The drink was created during World War II when American soldiers stationed in Italy wanted a coffee that was less strong than traditional Italian espresso, similar to the drip coffee they were used to at home. The resulting drink was named after its intended audience and has since become a popular coffee drink worldwide. While coffee was introduced to the new world in the 17th century, it only became popular in America after the colonists staged the Boston Tea Party in protest of British Parliament over taxing their most popular drink, tea. Coffee quickly became the drink of choice, especially in the west where pre-roasted coffee was sold by the pound to ranchers and cowboys.
The Americano owes its popularity in part to the US military, who were provided with pre-packaged and shipped coffee during WWII due to their high consumption. The soldiers were used to drip coffee and found traditional espresso too strong, so the Americano was created as a way to make the coffee taste more like home.
Today, coffee shops and cafes are ubiquitous and offer endless combinations of coffee drinks, including the Americano. The drink has become a classic coffee choice for those who want the strength of an espresso without the intensity of the traditional Italian espresso taste.
What is an Americano
An Americano is simply hot water over espresso. There is some debate over whether to add espresso or water first. If you want to preserve the crema, pour the espresso slowly over the hot water (this is typical of a long black). If you want a smoother drink that more resembles a black coffee, pour the water on top of the espresso which will blend the crema into the drink.
Who is an Americano for:
The Americano is a tasty beverage that offers a smoother taste compared to espresso, which may be too strong or tart for some people. By adding water to the espresso shot, the Americano creates a more palatable drink, particularly for those not accustomed to the intensity of espresso.
Moreover, the Americano can be a perfect choice in certain situations. For example, when visiting a café or restaurant that doesn't serve drip coffee but offers espresso and milk-based espresso beverages, the Americano can be an excellent substitute for someone seeking a more traditional coffee taste.
Americano vs. Regular Drip Coffee
The Americano is made using the espresso brewing method while what many consider to be “regular coffee” is made from a drip machine or sometimes a filtered brew like a pour-over or Chemex. If you have never had an espresso before,
Espresso is a beverage that is brewed quickly under high pressure while your standard regular coffee has no pressure involved in the brewing process. The pressure in espresso is needed for the water to push through a compact “puck” of ground coffee which is what gives espresso its unique texture, body, and crema. Regular coffee is brewed with similar temperature water but using a coarser coffee grind and gravity does most of the work in this brewing process.
A typical double espresso shot will use anywhere between 18 – 20 grams of coffee and produce 1.5 – 2 ounces of liquid while regular coffee uses 21 – 25 grams of coffee to produce 12 ounces of liquid.
With espresso, you are left with a very robust, creamy, and intense small beverage while with regular coffee the intensity lessens and the drink has slightly more clarity due to the coffee-to-water ratio.
Espresso has a 1:2 coffee-to-water ratio while regular coffee has a 1:16 – 1:13 coffee-to-water ratio.
More water = a less intense beverage which is part of the history of the Americano and why those not used to the intensity of an espresso started adding water to it.
The difference in caffeine of an Americano vs. Regular Coffee:
The difference in caffeine levels of an Americano versus regular coffee comes down to the amount of caffeine per ounce regarding each brewing method. Other factors come into play here as different caffeine levels across varietals (Arabica and Robusta) can play an impact on total caffeine levels. Overall, will have roughly 30 – 50mg of caffeine per ounce while a regular cup of coffee will see 8 – 15mg per ounce.
If we were to look at an 8-ounce Americano using a double shot of espresso versus an 8-ounce regular cup of coffee the following caffeine levels would be expected:
- Americano caffeine content: 60 – 100mg of caffeine
- Regular coffee caffeine content: 64 – 120mg of caffeine
Americano Recipes (all sizes considered)
How do you make an Americano with a Single Shot of espresso?
Americanos are typically made with a double shot of espresso but as long as you stick with the ratios any amount of espresso would work.
To make an Americano with a single shot of espresso:
Dose: 14 grams of coffee to 28 grams or 1 ounce of brewed espresso
Grind: Fine
Brew time: 25 – 30 seconds
Temperature: 90 – 94 degrees Celsius (depends on the roast color)
Final beverage size: 5 ounces
Single shot Americano Recipe:
- Make sure your portafilter has a single basket in. A single basket typically holds between 7 – 14 grams of ground coffee and will perfectly brew a single shot of espresso.
- Use 14 grams of finely ground espresso and pull a 1:2 “normale” shot ending with 28 grams or 1 ounce of espresso in your cup.
- Use a 1:2, 1:3, or 1:4 ratio of espresso to water. The larger the ratio in favor of water, the higher the clarity and lower the intensity will be in the cup.
- Using a 1:4 ratio, pour 4 ounces of hot water (use the same temperature you brewed your espresso with) into your cup for a final beverage size of 5 ounces.
How do you make an Americano with a Double Shot of espresso?
Dose: 20 grams of coffee to 40 grams or 1.5 ounces of brewed espresso. You can also pull a “lungo” shot at 1:3 and end with 60 grams or 2 ounces of brewed espresso.
Grind: Fine
Brew time: 25 – 30 seconds
Temperature: 90 – 94 degrees Celsius (depends on the roast color)
Final beverage size: 7.5 ounces
Double shot Americano Recipe:
- Make sure your portafilter has a double basket in. A double basket typically holds between 18 – 22 grams of ground coffee and will perfectly brew a double shot of espresso.
- Use 20 grams of finely ground espresso and pull a 1:2 “normale” shot ending with 40 grams or 1.5 ounces of espresso in your cup.
- Use a 1:2, 1:3, or 1:4 ratio of espresso to water. The larger the ratio in favor of water, the higher the clarity and lower the intensity will be in the cup.
Using a 1:4 ratio, pour 6 ounces of hot water (use the same temperature you brewed your espresso with) into your cup for a final beverage size of 7.5 ounces.
How do you make an 8-ounce Americano?
Dose: 20 grams of coffee to 40 grams or 1.5 ounces of brewed espresso by pulling a 1:2 “normale” shot.
Grind: Fine
Brew time: 25 – 30 seconds
Temperature: 90 – 94 degrees Celsius (depends on the roast color)
Final beverage size: 8.0 ounces
8-ounce Americano Recipe:
- Make sure your portafilter has a double basket in. A double basket typically holds between 18 – 22 grams of ground coffee and will perfectly brew a double shot of espresso.
- Use 20 grams of finely ground espresso and pull a 1:2 “normale” shot ending with 40 grams or 1.5 ounces of espresso in your cup.
- Use a 1:4 ratio of espresso to water meaning 1.5 ounces of espresso to ~6.5 ounces of water.
- Using roughly a 1:4 ratio, pour 6.5 ounces of hot water (use the same temperature you brewed your espresso with) into your cup for a final beverage size of 8 ounces.
How do you make an 12-ounce Americano?
Dose: 20 grams of coffee to 80 grams or 2.5 ounces of brewed espresso by pulling a 1:4 “lungo” shot. For any Americano beverage beyond 12 ounces, we would recommend using two doubles – this would be a lot of caffeine!
Grind: Fine
Brew time: 25 – 30 seconds
Temperature: 90 – 94 degrees Celsius (depends on the roast color)
Final beverage size: 12.0 ounces
12-ounce Americano Recipe:
- Make sure your portafilter has a double basket in. A double basket typically holds between 18 – 22 grams of ground coffee and will perfectly brew a double shot of espresso.
- Use 20 grams of finely ground espresso and pull a 1:4 “lungo” shot ending with 80 grams or 2.5 ounces of espresso in your cup.
- Use a 1:4 ratio of espresso to water meaning 2.5 ounces of espresso to 8 ounces of water.
- Using roughly a 1:4 ratio, pour 9.5 ounces of hot water (use the same temperature you brewed your espresso with) into your cup for a final beverage size of 12 ounces.
How do you make an 16-ounce Americano?
Dose: Two 20-gram double shots of espresso using a 1:3 “lungo” shot ending with a total of 120 grams or 4 ounces of liquid.
Grind: Fine
Brew time: 25 – 30 seconds
Temperature: 90 – 94 degrees Celsius (depends on the roast color)
Final beverage size: 16.0 ounces
16-ounce Americano Recipe:
- Make sure your portafilter has a double basket in. A double basket typically holds between 18 – 22 grams of ground coffee and will perfectly brew a double shot of espresso.
- Use 20 grams of finely ground espresso and pull two 1:3 “lungo” shots ending with 60 grams of espresso liquid per shot. You will end with a total of 120 grams or roughly 4 ounces of total espresso.
- Use a 1:3 ratio of espresso to water meaning 4.0 ounces of espresso to 12 ounces of water.
Using a 1:3 ratio, pour 12.0 ounces of hot water (use the same temperature you brewed your espresso with) into your cup for a final beverage size of 16 ounces.
Americano vs. Long Black
While a Long Black and an Americano are made by adding water to a single or double espresso shot, there is a crucial difference between the two. In a Long Black, the espresso is added after the water, which helps to preserve the crema and gives the drink its distinctive texture. On the other hand, an Americano is made by adding water to a single or double espresso shot, with the water added after the espresso. This blending of the water and espresso in an Americano causes the crema to mix into the drink giving it more of a regular coffee like texture and taste.
What are the main taste differences between an Americano and a Long Black?
In terms of taste, a Long Black starts strong and gradually decreases in strength as you drink it, while an Americano has a consistent taste throughout the cup. A Lungo can be quite watery and bitter, as it extracts not only the tasty compounds but also the bitter ones.
What is the best coffee for an Americano
Remember: you can make espresso with any coffee (single origin, medium roast, light roast, or dark roast). "Espresso beans" and "espresso blend" mean the roaster has created the blend specifically with espresso brewing in mind.
The Americano is a quite forgiving drink due to the addition of water. Those who enjoy light-roasted coffees brewed via the drip method might find the Americano a suitable alternative to a straight espresso shot. Light roasted coffees can be tricky as a straight espresso shot and the addition of water in the Americano adds clarity and reduces the overall acidic punch that light roasted espresso can sometimes have.
Other than light-roasted coffees, both medium and dark-roasted coffees work well as an Americano. Darker-roasted coffees for an Americano will give you more of that “regular coffee” type flavor and feel. Since adding water to the espresso shot will ultimately dilute the drink, dark roasted coffees will still carry deeper notes of chocolate and nuttiness which may be what you are looking for with your Americano.
What are some Americano drink variations?
White Americano
While it is not part of the “classic” drink recipe, you can certainly do as you please and add milk or sugar to an Americano. Due note that the Americano is already a diluted drink and adding milk to a 1:3 or a 1:4 ratio Americano will increase the dilution and cause the drink to taste thinner.
Our suggestion for adding milk to an Americano would be to keep your espresso and water ratios tighter, maybe a 1:2 or a 1:3 and add the remaining parts with milk to finalize the brew.
White Americano Recipe:
- 2 ounces of espresso
- 4 ounces of water
- 2 ounces of milk
- Final beverage size: 8 ounces
Iced Americano
Similar to the "White Americano" adding iced to your Americano will dilute it further if you do not slightly alter the "classic" recipe ratios.
Our suggestions for any sized iced Americano would be to substitute one part of water for ice. Use any of the above recipes for an 8, 12, or 16 ounce Americano and remove one part of water and substitute in the ice.
Iced Americano Recipe:
- 2 ounces of espresso
- 4 ounces of water
- 2 ounces of ice
- Final beverage size: 8 ounces