The Americano is a café hiding a most interesting history; it finds its origin in one of the most significant moments in history. Today, its use is somewhat differently. Although we can establish a certain resemblance with filter coffee, it offers coffee lovers a taste closer to that of espresso, the latter being the basis of the Americano.
We owe the invention of the Americano coffee to American soldiers of the Second World War. The latter were not used to the stronger coffees that are traditionally drank in Europe. They therefore added boiling water to their espresso so that the taste of their coffee was closer to the one they knew; filter coffee. A type of coffee with a less strong taste than traditional espresso.
Today, the use of Americano is somewhat different. Running the espresso over hot water, instead of adding the water to the espresso, allows the coffee to maintain its crema. In this way, we obtain a coffee with more body than a filter, as well as a taste similar to that of espresso. This renders the Americano perfect for stronger coffee blends. Adding water slightly softens the taste, which makes it easier to perceive the different aromas.
Fill a cup ¾ full of hot water.
Grind 18g to 20g of coffee.
Pour a short double espresso (2 oz) directly on the hot water.
Respect the ratio of ¼ espresso to ¾ water.
Enjoy!
Preparing an Americano coffee is simple and doesn't require specialized equipment. We simply add a short double espresso over hot water and that's it (respecting the ratio of ¼ coffee to ¾ water). On the other hand, some places play with this ratio in order to produce more or less strong Americano coffees. The order in which the water and coffee are added causes some debate, despite the fact that both are possible. However, as mentioned above, it is best to add the espresso to the water to preserve the crema.
Afterward, we can add sugar, milk or cream as we wish. After all, according to its origin, the Americano was invented in order to transform an espresso into something resembling filter coffee, but with the taste of espresso and a thicker texture due to the crema obtained at extraction.
