What is an Americano Coffee?
read time: 2 minutes
date published: May 17, 2024
last updated: Jul 05, 2024
At our coffee shop in Newcastle, the Americano is the third top selling coffee after flat white & latte. But what exactly is the Americano? Here's our guide.
What is an Americano?
Simply put, the americano coffee is a double shot of espresso topped with hot water. It can be drank black (without milk) or white (with milk).
Why is it called an Americano?
In WWII American soldiers stationed in Italy would often add hot water to their espresso shots as they weren't used to the stronger taste of the Italian favourite - the espresso.
Is an Americano different from filter coffee?
Yes - an Americano is hot water with double espresso. The double espresso is a short coffee that uses pressure to push hot water through finely ground coffee to extract the flavours resulting in a bold and robust taste.
Filter coffee doesn't use high pressure & tends to be a gravity based way of extracting coffee with a coarser grind size. Popular filter methods include V60, Chemex & Kalita. The taste of an americano is usually richer & stronger than a filter coffee.
What coffee is good for an Americano?
It all depends on personal preference. Americano drinkers tend to prefer the rich & chocolatey flavours of coffee, which is a great option for with or without milk. However any coffee that can make a tasty espresso should bode well in an americano.
How can I make an Americano?
To make an Americano you'll need an espresso machine. Simply brew your espresso as you normally would, top up with hot water & add milk if that's your preference!
What is an iced Americano?
An iced Americano is the same idea as a regular Americano. The only difference is instead of using hot water to mix with the espresso you use cold water over ice.
