Making Americanos at home is easy; you only need two main ingredients: fresh espresso and hot water. Legend has it that American soldiers found the local espresso too strong during World War II. As a solution, they began diluting the shots with hot water, giving birth to the Americano! This brew had the same strength as the shots but with the same familiar enjoyment as filtered coffee.
What is Americano Coffee?
Americano is essentially diluted espresso. The ratio between espresso and water varies, but it's typically 1:3 or 1:4. You can adjust the strength by varying the ratio of espresso to water. It can be enjoyed black or with milk, sugar, or other flavorings.
How to Make an Americano
Mastering the art of making espresso is a skill. Thankfully, this recipe is very forgiving.
Warm up your espresso machine and cup. Brew two 1.5-ounce (50ml) shots of espresso into a preheated cup. Ensure your espresso machine is clean and properly heated. Insert the portafilter and start brewing. Aim for an extraction time of 20 to 30 seconds.
Carefully pour hot water over the espresso. While there's no exact ratio, the typical goal is a 1:4 ratio of espresso to water. I usually fill the cup almost to the top, leaving space for a splash of cream or sugar.
Tip:
An alternative method is to pre-fill the cup with hot water, leaving space for two 1.5-ounce (50ml) shots of espresso. This helps preserve the crema on the surface, a desirable aesthetic feature for many.
If you love strong caffeine hits like me, then try my Turkish coffee or a classic macchiato next. Let me know how your Americano turns out in the comments!
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Americano Coffee Recipe
- Total Time: 5 minutes
- Yield: 1 Americano 1x
Description
Learn how to make the perfect Americano with just two ingredients: fresh espresso and hot water. Enjoy the same strength as espresso with the flavor of filtered coffee.
Ingredients
- ½-¾ oz (16-20g) fine-ground espresso coffee
- hot water
Instructions
- Warm up your espresso machine and cup. Brew two 1.5-ounce (50ml) shots of espresso into the preheated cup.
- Carefully pour hot water over the espresso. While there's no exact ratio, the typical goal is a 1:4 ratio of espresso to water. I usually fill the cup almost to the top, leaving space for a splash of cream or sugar (use the steam wand to add hot water or boil water separately on the stovetop).
- Remove any floating crema with a spoon.
- Add milk and sugar as desired.
Notes
Recipe adapted by The Coffee Book
- Prep Time: 5 minutes
- Category: Breakfast, Coffee Drinks, Drinks
- Cuisine: American, Italian
Tanisha L. says
I didn't realize how easy it was to make an Americano!!!! It came out great. I left the foam and added hot milk. Delicious!