The Americano is a coffee with one of the most interesting histories; created during one of the most significant moments in history. Today it is used somewhat differently. While it may slightly resemble a filter coffee, it gives coffee lovers a taste that is closer to an espresso, which was the basis for the Americano.
We owe this recipe to American soldiers in the Second World War. These soldiers were not used to the strong coffees being drunk in Europe, so they added boiling water to their espresso so that the taste was closer to what they knew, a weaker taste than the espresso Italians drank at the time (and still do to this day of course!).
Today, Americanos are somewhat different. Extracting the espresso over hot water allows the coffee to retain its crema. In that sense, the coffee has more body than a filter coffee, and a taste that is closer to an espresso. This makes the Americano the perfect coffee for stronger blends. Adding water weakens the taste a bit, which allows you to better taste the different flavours.
You don’t need to be an expert to make an Americano. All you need to do is add a short double espresso to hot water, and that’s it (respecting the ¼ coffee, ¾ water ratio). However, some places play with these ratios to make stronger or weaker Americanos. Also, the order in which the water and the coffee are added has always the subject of debate. However, of the two options, it is better to add the espresso to the water, as it allows the crema to be preserved.
You can then add sugar, milk, or cream to taste. After all, based on its origins, the Americano was invented to transform an espresso into something resembling a filter coffee, but with the taste of an espresso and a thicker texture due to the crema obtained during extraction.
Grind +/- 18 g coffee (espresso machine grind)
Pour hot water into the cup.
Pull a short double espresso directly onto the hot water.
Respect the ¼ espresso to ¾ water ratio.
Enjoy.
One of the questions that coffee experts probably hear the most is:“What’s the difference between Arabica and Robusta?” The two types of coffee plants are at opposite ends of the spectrum, and by blending the two together, we can achieve the best of both worlds.
