Caffè Americano

Caffè Americano

A Caffè Americano
Type Beverage
Region or state Italy or Latin America
Main ingredients hot water and espresso
Cookbook:Caffè Americano  Caffè Americano

Caffè Americano (Italian pronunciation: [kafˈfɛ ameriˈkaːno]) or Americano (shortened from Italian: caffè americano or American Spanish: café americano, literally American coffee) is a style of coffee prepared by adding hot water to espresso, giving it a similar strength to, but different flavor from, regular drip coffee. The strength of an Americano varies with the number of shots of espresso and the amount of water added. The name is also spelled with varying capitalization and use of diacritics: e.g., café americano.

In the United States, "Americano" is used broadly to mean combining hot water and espresso in either order, but in a narrower definition it refers to adding water to espresso (espresso on the bottom), while adding espresso to a smaller volume of water (espresso on the top) is instead referred to as a long black. In Italy caffè americano could mean either espresso with hot water or filtered coffee (caffè all'americana).

Origin

The term "Americano" means "American", and comes from American Spanish, dating to the 1970s,[1] or from Italian.[2] The term "caffè Americano" specifically is Italian for "American coffee".[3] There is a popular, but unconfirmed, belief that the name has its origins in World War II when American G.I.s in Italy would dilute espresso with hot water to approximate the coffee to which they were accustomed.[4][5]

Preparation

The drink consists of a single or double-shot of espresso combined with between 1 and 16 fluid ounces (30–470ml) of hot water.

An alternative of the same ingredients is encountered with the long black. The long black is the same as an Americano but prepared almost oppositely. A long black is created specifically by adding double espresso to a sitting cup of equally portioned hot water leaving the crema intact, this allows the tannins in the espresso to remain in the drink, giving the drink a slightly more full bodied flavor. Adding water to already sitting espresso annihilates the crema, and is called an Americano.

Lungo and Ristretto describe the ratio of ground coffee to espresso. Ristretto generally being a 1:1 ratio and lungo a 3:1 ratio.

The term Italiano is sometimes used in the Western United States, meaning a short Americano, specifically a 1:1 espresso/water ratio.[6]

The hot water can be drawn directly from the same espresso machine that is used to brew the espresso, or from a separate water heater or kettle. Using the same heater is convenient, particularly at home, not needing a separate heater, and the water can in fact be drawn directly into the glass, either before or after pulling the shot of espresso. Some espresso machines have a separate hot water spout for this purpose, while others allow the use of the steam wand for dispensing hot water. Using a separate water heater is more practical in a commercial setting, as it reduces the demands on the espresso machine, both not disrupting the temperature of the brew water and allowing an inexpensive water heater to be used for hot water, rather than the substantially more complicated espresso machine.

Caffè Americano is brewed coffee in the Philippines.

Uses

Most commonly, an Americano is used when one orders a brew-coffee sized drink from an espresso bar.

Americanos—particularly short, long black style Americanos—are also used within artisanal espresso preparation for beans that produce strong espresso. This is particularly used for single origin espresso, where many find that undiluted espresso shots can prove overpowering. This is particularly used of lighter coffees and roasts not generally associated with espresso, such as beans of Ethiopian or Sumatran origins. For this preparation, generally a ratio of 1:1 espresso to water is used, to prevent excess dilution, with the espresso pulled directly into a cup with existing water to minimize disruption to the crema.

Variations

See also

References

  1. ↑ "Americano". Oxford Dictionary of English. 2013. Retrieved December 3, 2013.
  2. ↑ "Americano". Collins English Dictionary. 2014. Retrieved March 22, 2014.
  3. ↑ Allerton, David J. (2010). I Only Have a Kitchen Because It Came with the House. The Foodies Handbook. p. 26. Retrieved October 19, 2014. An espresso coffee diluted with hot water and containing no milk. An Italian term literally meaning ‘American coffee’
  4. ↑ Coyle, Cleo (2010). Holiday Grind - a coffeehouse mystery. Orion Press. p. 334. Retrieved October 11, 2014. caffe Americano, Americano—The Italian answer to American-style drip coffee. An espresso diluted with hot water. It has a similar strength to drip coffee but a different flavor. The drink’s origin dates back to World War II when American GIs stationed in Italy added hot water to their espressos to create a drink closer to the type of coffee they were used to back home.
  5. ↑ Americano Coffee - What is Americano coffee and how do I make it
  6. ↑ Espresso: Questions and Answers – Italiano drink order, 2005, Portland, OR; Regional: United States West – espresso profeta in westwood?, Los Angeles, CA, 2009

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