How to Make an Americano in 5 Easy Steps

Americano or café Americano as it is also fondly known as is one of the most popular none milk-based coffee beverages in the USA.

This coffee beverage has its origins in Italy where American soldiers stationed there made it by diluting espresso with water to try and replicate the drip coffee they were used to back home.

It is an easy drink to make as there is nothing much you will need to do besides adding espresso to hot water. But, like any other coffee beverages, it requires you to get the proportion of ingredients right for the perfect taste.

Below we explain in more details how to make the perfect Americano.

Preparations

When preparing to make an Americano, the most important thing is to ensure you gather everything that you will need to ensure you do not miss anything important while in the middle of the process.

Also, grind your whole dark roasted beans for the espresso into a fine texture, add them to the portafilter and tamp before placing it on the machine. Also, check and make sure that the water reservoir on your espresso maker has enough water.

What You Will Need:

• Espresso machine
• 18 grams finely ground coffee beans
• 4 ounces of near-boiling water
• Coffee mug or cup

Brew Time: 5 Minutes

Step by Step Instructions

How you make your Americano will often depend on the method you are using to brew the espresso. An automatic espresso machine makes the process faster and more efficient, but if you are using other methods to make espresso such as Moka pot, the process will take a little longer.

However, besides the espresso-making, everything else is the same, and it will involve the following basic steps.

Step 1: Pull Espresso Shot

If you are using an espresso machine this first step should be super easy and will not take a lot of your time. It is all about placing a cup or glass under the portafilter and pushing the start button to pull your espresso.

And while some Americano lovers will only use a single shot of espresso, this often results in weaker coffee that might not be very pleasant. For a standard size Americano, you will need a double shot which is about 2 ounces, but some people will also use 3-ounce espresso for their recipes.

Step 2: Prepare the Water

There is always some debate among Americano enthusiasts on just how hot the water needs to be to make the perfect brew. And while this will ultimately boil down to your preferences and the taste you are looking for, anything between 160 and 170 degrees Fahrenheit often works well enough.

But before you pour your hot water into the cup, you should make sure that the cup is warm. You can do this by warming it with the cup warmer on your machine or by first filling it with boiled water. And once the cup is hot enough, you can pour water for your Americano.

As for the quantity of water, you should make it around double the size of your espresso. For a 2 ounces espresso, you will need at least 4 ounces of water. But you can adjust the water quantity to your liking by adding more to make the Americano weaker or less to make it stronger.

Step 3: Assemble Americano

Some people will make their Americano by pouring the water over the espresso but this is not the correct way to do it. Pouring water over the espresso can scald the coffee and make it bitter and will also mean you will lose the rich crema.

The right way to assemble your Americano is to pour the espresso over the hot water slowly and steadily. And to make sure you preserve even more crema, you can place the cup with the water on your machine and brew the espresso directly over it.

Step 4: Personalize your Americano

Like any other coffee type, you can also personalize your Americano coffee by tweaking the proportions of ingredients to your liking.

You can also add sweeteners like sugar and honey or even top it up with whipped cream. And there is also a white Americano variation that will entail adding some milk to the brew. But, most Americano fanatics seem to prefer the classic black version most.

Notes:

1. You can keep the espresso to water ratio at 1:1 or 1:2 depending on how strong you want your Americano to be

2. Always preheat your cup before serving to ensure the coffee remains hot for long

3. There are also other variations of the Americano such as iced Americano made with iced water instead of hot water and red-eye which is espresso topped with black coffee

4. If you prefer a larger Americano, you should go for a lungo

5. Never stir your Americano as you will lose the nice crema at the top

Conclusion

A cup of Americano is always a wonderful start to any day, and it is the kind of beverage that will help refresh you and ensure you remain alert.

This amazing coffee provides a larger drip coffee size drink while still maintaining the strength, richness, and boldness of an espresso. In other words, you get the best of both espresso and drip coffee.

And provided you have an espresso machine or other espresso makers like the Moka pot or Aeropress, you can easily make this fantastic beverage in just 5 minutes because besides the espresso, you will only need some hot water.

Better yet, like any other coffee drink, you can easily tweak your Americano to suit your specific tastes, and so you should go ahead and start making and enjoying this classic coffee.