What is Americano? All About Americano

If you are not a big fan of coffee, you might often wonder what is that  “Americano” you always see on the menu every time you go to the coffee shop. Or maybe sometimes you may notice someone drinking a black coffee but you don’t know what it is called. Well, you come to the right place! We are here to tell you everything you need to know about Americano – the most common coffee order in every coffee shop.

A Brief History about Americano

An Americano is a shot of espresso mixed with hot water. Its name comes from the Italian “Caffè Americano” which signifies “American coffee”, it is additionally called “Americano” and dates from the 1970s. In addition, the military all through Europe was proportioning all their favorite food and beverages during World War II. But it becomes more fortunate for soldiers in Italy because Italians love their coffee as much as their wine. Nonetheless, Americans objected to the Italian-made coffee because it was extremely dark and exceptionally rich. The Americans favor lighter coffee, they sometimes add milk to the coffee to reduce the intense taste. In order to accommodate the American soldiers, the coffee shop starts serving espresso shots and then filling the cup by adding hot water. The word about this coffee serving style spread quickly and people started to recognize this mixture as “Americano”. 

The Process of Making This Coffee

Making an Americano is genuinely simple, you only need two ingredients, an espresso shot and hot/boiling water.  To begin, you need to brew your espresso. Then, you can utilize the coffee maker, which is the thing that you for the most part see at bigger bistros, or you can use an AeroPress and microfilter. After that, you can add the boiling water. 

The proportion of these mixings is typically 1/3 coffee and 2/3 water. Nonetheless, this proportion can change contingent upon the number of shots of coffee you like. Depending on where you are the measure of water proportion may change. For instance, in regions where local people love stronger and bitter coffee, there will be a higher coffee to water proportion.

What Does an Americano Taste Like?

As mentioned above, americano is a mixture of one or two-shot espresso and hot water. On that account, you can already expect that the American tastes just like the espresso shot but in a lighter version. Since the espresso shot is the main ingredient, it will basically have an aftertaste like the espresso. If the espresso has an acidity taste, the americano will most likely have a lemony varietal too. 

For more realization in different coffees, you can also check out Cappuccino and Mocha.

How to Differentiate Americano from Long Black / other Similar Coffee 

So now you have some glue of what is an americano. But well, there are more interesting things on the list you’ll need to discover. Americano is probably the standard classic coffee on every menu, but not all the black coffee you see other people are drinking is the Americano. Long Black is another type of coffee that is very identical to Americano. They both have rich flavor and are black in color. The only difference is the process of brewing them. When making Long Black, you first pure the hot water into your glass then add the espresso shot. In contrast, when making Americano you first pour in the espresso shot then followed by the boiling water. Even though these two types of coffee are almost identical at first glance, the brewing process plays a significant role in differentiating the flavor. 

Aside from long black, many people also often confused the drip coffee with the Americano. But first, what exactly is Drip-coffee? 

Espresso is the core difference between an American and regular drip coffee. Basically, brewing an Americano means adding boiling water to the espresso shot until it’s about the same level of strength as a cup of coffee; however, these two coffees have noticeable tastes due to their differing brewing methods. The use of espresso in Americano makes it typically taste fuller and richer than regular coffee.

Does An Americano Have Crema?

The Long Black usually has more crema compared to Americano. If you wonder what crema is, Crema is the fine layer of froth that sits on top of your espresso. The crema in a long black holds up much better than it does in an Americano. The Americano has less crema because the boiling water usually breaks up the crema. There have been quite a number of conversations discussing whether the crema really is important. The crema is simply weakened when the boiling water of the Americano is poured on top of it. It adds to the smooth taste of the Americano. However, the amount of crema does not have much to do with the coffee quality. Moreover, the crema itself technically has less effect on coffee taste, but some experts in the coffee industry commonly acknowledge that what the quality of the espresso will be like lied within the level of crema sitting on top of the coffee surface. 

Is Americano High in Caffeine?

Americano is normally low on caffeine. However, you still can decide on a higher amount of espresso according to your preference. The standard caffeine substance of an Americano ranges between 60-120 milligrams. A normal Americano has a lower caffeine content than an ordinary fermented or dark espresso. Dribble espresso or blended espresso has a caffeine substance of 95 and 200 milligrams. Obviously, if you are in demand for the caffeine kick to start your day, you would likely decide on a higher caffeine consumption by increasing the quantity of the espresso shots.

What Do You Need If You Want to Make Americano at Home?

An americano is one of the easiest beverages to make at home. Despite the fact that it comprises just two fundamental ingredients and hot water. Moreover, even though you don’t have a coffee machine at home you still can use french press or aero press to make the Americano. All you need to remember when starting to brew your americano is the espresso to water ratio. Regularly, a standard americano follows a 2-to-1 or 3-to-1 proportion of water to espresso. This implies that for each ounce of espresso you put in your americano, you should add 2 or 3 ounces of hot water. But since everybody has different preferences in coffee, this proportion can be changed in accordance with your own inclinations.

Americano is Very Popular in South Korea

Another interesting fact about Americano is that this beverage is pretty popular in South Korea. Bistros are everywhere in South Korea, and every one of them has a special menu and styles that stand out for their customers. However, you will always see the so-called “Classic” coffee order in their menu-the Americano. Another viewpoint is Korean’s adoration for “Americano”, which has the most noteworthy requesting rate among all beverages in South Korean bistros. Koreans drink Americano mostly in light of the fact that it doesn’t contain any milk and it is very affordable. For the employee, they drink it to acquire energy to work, while for students, they drink it to keep awake if they are required to study until late. 

In case you’re searching for an approach to start your day with some caffeine kick yet you aren’t keen on a lot of milk and sugar, an Americano is an extraordinary beverage to add to your list. You can either order it at a coffee shop near your place or brew it from home to save some money. 

References: 

• A brief history about Americano | coffeeordie
• The making of Americano | sehablacafe
• What does an Americano taste like? | coffeeinformer | Edmond Hui 
• How to differentiate Americano from LongBlack / other similar coffee | homegrounds 
• Does An Americano Have Crema? | crazycoffeecrave
• Is Americano high in caffeine? | thrivecuisine
• What you need if you want to make Americano at home? | realgoodcoffeeco
• Americano is very popular in South Korea | gmufourthestate