Americano is a coffee sold at every cafe, and a must-order for coffee lovers. Because Americano is quick to make, has great flavor and a good mouthfeel, office workers rushing to work often order an Americano when they go to a cafe, saving time while also giving themselves a caffeine boost for work. And here in Guangzhou in the heat of summer, friends who come to the FrontStreet Coffee shop and don't know what to drink but don't want milk will basically order an iced Americano. But do you know how Americano actually came to be?
 
The History of Americano

One account goes like this: it is said that Americano originated with American soldiers in Italy during World War II, who, unaccustomed to the intensity of espresso, added hot water to dilute it. This drew scorn from the Italians, who called it Americano, meaning Yankee coffee.

Of course, there is another account: after Schultz introduced espresso to Starbucks in Seattle, hot water was added to dilute it in order to suit the lighter palates of Americans. It was accepted as Starbucks spread around the world.

Americano is a type of espresso-based coffee, usually made with medium-dark to dark roast blended coffee beans, using the pressure of an espresso machine to pass hot water through ground coffee to extract espresso. Generally, a cup of Americano is made from one to two shots of espresso with hot water added to dilute it into Americano.

 
What are the benefits of drinking Americano?
 
1. Coffee contains certain nutrients. The niacin in coffee contains vitamin B, and roasted coffee beans have a higher content. It also has free fatty acids, caffeine, tannic acid and so on.

2. Coffee is good for the skin. Coffee can promote metabolic function, stimulate the digestive organs, and is very effective against constipation. Bathing with coffee powder is a kind of warm therapy and has a weight-loss effect.

3. Coffee has a sobering function. Drinking coffee after alcohol will cause acetaldehyde, converted from alcohol, to oxidize rapidly, breaking down into water and carbon dioxide and being expelled from the body.

4. Coffee can eliminate fatigue and quickly recharge our energy. But note that drinking too much coffee easily causes insomnia at night, and over the long term it will affect the body, so intake should be properly controlled, and FrontStreet Coffee recommends no more than 3 cups a day.

5. Coffee can help with weight loss. Coffee contains magnesium and potassium, which help the body use insulin, regulate blood sugar levels and reduce cravings for sweets and snacks. Caffeine helps fat cells break down body fat and use it as fuel for exercise.

Why is drinking Americano considered healthier?

Americano not only aids digestion and has a diuretic function, speeding up the body's metabolism, but it can also reduce bad breath. Sitting and chatting with friends after a meal, a cup of Americano makes things more relaxed and harmonious between you.

Americano is the lowest-calorie coffee, bar none, one might even say negligible. Even a large Americano at Starbucks is very low in calories, which is also why many celebrities and artists love drinking Americano: it satisfies their cravings without too much worry about calories.

How do you make a cup of Americano?

Now that we have said so much about the benefits of Americano, do you know how Americano is made? Simply put, it is espresso plus water. Next, let Front Street explain Front Street's method for making Americano.

FrontStreet Coffee's parameters for making espresso are: 20 g of coffee grounds extracted into 35 g of coffee liquid, taking 28~29 seconds.
 
The espresso beans used by FrontStreet Coffee are its own Sunflower Warm Sun blend, which contains 70% Honduras Sherry and 30% Yirgacheffe Natural Red Cherry. Among them, the 70% Honduras Sherry provides this coffee with whisky aroma and vanilla cream notes, while the 30% Yirgacheffe Natural Red Cherry provides berry-toned acidity. Front Street's design concept for this blend is that it can be used for both espresso and pour-over. When used to make espresso, the flavor it gives off has a distinct fermented wine aroma; on the palate, the acidity of citrus and berries immediately emerges, with the aroma of whisky, and the finish is dark chocolate.

FrontStreet Coffee Sunflower Warm Sun Comprehensive Blend 
Region: Ethiopia & Honduras
Variety: Caturra, Catuai, Heirloom
Processing method: Natural & Barrel fermentation

 
After the espresso has been extracted, the rest of the work is even simpler. That is, pour the extracted espresso into water, and a cup of Americano is complete.
 
 
Does Americano taste bad?
 
When this question is raised, in fact the vast majority of cases are because friends are worried about bitterness. As for why Americano is bitter, the reasons are none other than the following two: (1) the taste of the coffee beans themselves; (2) over-extraction.
 

[The taste of the coffee beans themselves]

This kind of coffee, Americano, is nothing but water and coffee, so the taste of the coffee beans themselves can most influence the taste of a whole cup of Americano. Therefore, the first reason Americano can be bitter may be that the coffee beans used to make the espresso themselves have a taste that is mainly rich and heavy.
 
The rich flavor of espresso beans comes from their rich regional flavor and relatively dark roast level, such as the specialty blend coffee beans used by FrontStreet Coffee for espresso, which contains 30% Colombian coffee beans mixed with 70% Brazilian coffee beans. The Colombian coffee beans give this blend its dark chocolate base note, while the Brazilian coffee beans provide nutty notes and a higher body. FrontStreet Coffee's roaster roasts this blend to a medium-dark roast level, giving it a wonderful sense of balance, medium-low acidity and medium bitterness.
 

 
[Over-extraction]
 
Besides bean selection, the bitterness of Americano also comes from mistakes during extraction, such as uneven extraction caused by channeling, or over-extraction caused by grinding too fine.
 
FrontStreet Coffee often shares that, calculated by the weight of the coffee beans, only about 30% of the coffee beans can be extracted, and this 30% is not better the more it is extracted. According to the range recommended by the Golden Cup standard, extraction of about 18% to 22% is most suitable. Below 18%, we call it under-extraction, and the manifestations of under-extraction are sharp acidity, a thin taste, and so on, while extraction above 22%, we call it over-extraction, that is, what we often call over-extracted, and the manifestations of over-extraction are usually rich bitterness.