Americano

Jay was just walking into the café to get a quick caffeine fix.  It had already been a long night and if he wanted to get his report done on time, it was going to be an even longer night.  Needing the buzz and extra energy that coffee gives, Jay was mulling his options.  While he knew an espresso would definitely provide a much needed energy infusion, he just didn’t like the taste.  Little did Jay know that there was the perfect drink for him – the Americano!

When it comes to their coffee, Americans have a notorious reptuation among Europeans.  While Europeans love the hard taste of an espresso, many American find that it is a bit of an acquired taste.  These differences in coffee tastes can be viewed in the specialty coffee drink, the Americano.

While Europeans have embraced the sophisticated setting of a café for decades, coffee lovers in America have only recently obtained the same type of setting.  The rise of specialty coffee stores like Starbucks over the last decade has introduced many delicious specialty coffee drinks into the American consciousness.  These places can be a bit intimidating for the simple coffee drinker but for coffee lovers that take pride in their knowledge of coffee drinks, this has been a fantastic development.

Regardless of how you feel about this development, everybody has to agree that the rise of these types of cafés have resulted in the widening of coffee drink variety.  One such drink that Americans are now catching on to is the Americano drink.  While the name of the drink may seem a bit patriotic, there is a popular story that suggests otherwise.  Many coffee lovers feel that the name of the Americano drink is actually an insult to Americans, as it is essentially a diluted espresso.  Although this may seem petty, one has to remember that many in America refer to the Italian coffee drink, espresso, as an expresso, so perhaps we deserve a bit of good natured ribbing.

The Americano is not a particularly popular drink in Europe, the place where the Espresso is a way of life.  However, it has yet to light a fire under American coffee drinking tastes either.  Most coffee shops will tell you that other specialty drinks that use the espresso as its base are more popular and it’s true – cappuccinos, mocha, and latte drinks are more popular than the Americano.  Still, there are many coffee lovers that absolutely adore this drink.  For them, these are the steps that you need to take to make an Americano:

1. Make a shot of espresso with an espresso machine.  To learn how to make an espresso, check out the article Espresso.
2. Add 6 to 8 ounces of fresh, hot water to the espresso to dilute the strength of the espresso.
3. Drink up while it’s still warm.

Although the Americano may not be the most popular drink, it’s still important to make it right.  The type of espresso coffee beans used to create an Americano is highly important, as they are responsible for the flavor.  It is highly recommended that French Roast gourmet coffee beans are used.