Americano coffee – recipe and guide
An Americano is a simple coffee drink consisting of espresso and hot water.
The result is a larger and less concentrated coffee drink than pure espresso, but the flavor is still distinctly characterized by the espresso you use as a base.
This makes the Americano a great choice if you enjoy the flavor profile of espresso but prefer a larger cup of coffee.
In this guide, you will get a simple Americano recipe and learn, among other things, the difference between an Americano, filter coffee, long black, and lungo.
Quick Americano recipe
A good starting point for one Americano is:
1 double espresso – approximately 36–40 g
100–150 g hot water
This yields a cup of about 140–190 ml.
If you want a stronger Americano, use less water.
If you want a milder and larger cup, add more water.
There is no single mandatory ratio between espresso and water.
How to make an Americano
- Brew a double espresso.
- Heat some water.
- Pour the espresso into the cup.
- Add about 100–150 ml of hot water.
- Taste.
- Adjust the amount of water to your desired strength.
Start, for example, with:
18 g coffee beans
↓
36 g espresso
120 g hot water
This produces a relatively full-bodied Americano where the character of the espresso is still clear.
If you want a larger and milder cup, you can increase the amount of water.
What is an Americano?
An Americano – also called Caffè Americano – is espresso diluted with hot water.
This means that an Americano is not a standalone brewing method in the same way as filter coffee or French press coffee.
You first brew the espresso and then add water.
The water reduces the concentration and makes the espresso easier to drink as a larger cup of coffee.
An Americano normally contains:
• Espresso
• Hot water
As a rule, there is neither milk, milk foam, nor other ingredients in a classic Americano.
How much water should be in an Americano?
That depends on how strong you want your coffee.
A good starting point is about 2–4 parts water to 1 part espresso.
For example, if you have 36 grams of espresso, you can try:
Strong Americano:
36 g espresso + 70–100 g water
Balanced Americano:
36 g espresso + 100–150 g water
Mild Americano:
36 g espresso + 150–200 g water
There is no universal Americano recipe.
It is therefore better to find the amount of water you personally prefer than to focus on a specific “correct” ratio.
How much espresso should be in an Americano?
A double espresso is a good starting point.
You can, for example, use:
18 grams of coffee in
and brew:
36 grams of espresso out
Then you add the hot water.
Of course, you can also make an Americano with a single espresso.
A single espresso provides a milder coffee drink if you use the same amount of water.
In many modern coffee shops, a double espresso is used as the standard because it provides more flavor in a larger cup.
Americano vs. filter coffee
Americano and filter coffee may look similar at first glance.
Both are typically black coffee drinks in a relatively large cup.
However, the brewing methods are completely different.
Americano
Concentrated espresso is brewed under pressure first.
Then, hot water is added.
Filter coffee
Water runs through a bed of ground coffee and a filter.
The entire coffee drink is thus extracted directly during the filter brewing process.
The difference means that the two drinks can have very different flavor profiles, even when they have approximately the same strength in the cup.
The Americano retains the character of the espresso, while filter coffee gets its character from the filter brewing process.
Does an Americano taste like filter coffee?
Not quite.
The Americano likely became popular as a way to turn espresso into a larger and milder coffee drink, but it still tastes different from traditional filter coffee.
This is because the coffee itself is brewed as espresso first.
Espresso has a different extraction, concentration, and mouthfeel than filter coffee.
When the espresso is diluted with water, it becomes milder, but it is not transformed into filter coffee.
If you want the classic taste of filter coffee, you should therefore brew filter coffee.
If you prefer the character of espresso in a larger cup, an Americano is a good choice.
Americano vs. Long Black
Both an Americano and a Long Black consist of espresso and hot water.
The most common difference lies in the order.
Americano
Espresso is brewed first, after which hot water is added.
Long Black
Hot water is usually poured into the cup first, after which the espresso is brewed on top.
This can preserve more of the crema on the surface.
The Long Black is especially associated with the coffee culture in Australia and New Zealand.
In practice, however, recipes vary between coffee shops, so the boundary between the two drinks is not always entirely sharp.
Americano vs. lungo
Americano and lungo are sometimes confused, but they are made in two different ways.
Americano
A regular espresso is brewed first.
Then, hot water is added.
Lungo
Here, more water passes directly through the coffee puck during the espresso brewing process itself.
This means that the extra liquid in a lungo is extracted through the coffee.
In an Americano, the water is added after extraction instead.
This leads to different flavor results.
If you just want a larger cup of espresso, you should therefore not necessarily let the espresso machine run much longer.
Instead, brew a good espresso and add hot water.
Americano vs. black coffee
“Black coffee” is a broad term for coffee without milk.
An Americano is therefore a black coffee, but not all black coffee is an Americano.
Black coffee can include:
• Filter coffee
• French press coffee
• V60
• Chemex
• AeroPress
• Americano
Americano specifically denotes that the drink is made from espresso and water.
Which coffee beans are best for an Americano?
Because an Americano consists of so few ingredients, the coffee beans have a significant impact on the flavor.
There is no specific roast degree that you must use.
Medium-roasted coffee
Medium-roasted coffee beans are a good starting point.
They can provide a balance between sweetness, body, acidity, and roast character.
This works well if you want both a pleasant espresso and a balanced Americano.
Dark-roasted coffee
Dark-roasted coffee beans can provide a more classic, bold Americano with a clear roast character.
When the espresso is diluted with water, the intensity becomes milder, but the darker flavor profile is still clear.
Light-roasted coffee
Light-roasted coffee beans can provide a more fruity, bright, and acidic Americano.
This is interesting if you would like to experience more of the coffee's original flavor character.
However, it places higher demands on the espresso being correctly dialed in.
The espresso is the most important thing
An Americano cannot be better than the espresso you start with.
If the espresso tastes very bitter, sour, or unbalanced, the problem does not necessarily disappear because you add water.
The water makes the flavor less concentrated, but the fundamental character remains in the cup.
Therefore, we recommend dialing in the espresso first.
A good starting point can be:
18 g coffee
36 g espresso
25–35 seconds
Taste the espresso.
When it tastes good, you can start finding the amount of water you prefer in your Americano.
How hot should the water be?
The water does not need to be boiling.
If the espresso machine has a hot water tap, you can often use water from there.
Otherwise, you can use an electric kettle.
A good practical starting point is water around 80–90 °C.
Very hot water can make the drink unpleasantly hot and can hide some of the coffee's flavor nuances until the coffee cools down.
Therefore, an Americano does not need to be served as hot as possible.
Should the espresso or water go in first?
For a classic Americano, you can brew the espresso first and then add hot water.
If you want to experiment with a Long Black-like drink, you can do it the other way around:
- Pour hot water into the cup.
- Brew the espresso on top.
The latter method can preserve more crema on the surface.
The flavor difference is less dramatic than the difference between a good and a bad espresso, so choose the workflow you prefer.
What happens to the crema?
When hot water is poured over the espresso, the crema is partially dissolved and dispersed.
Therefore, a classic Americano may have less visible crema than a Long Black, where the espresso is poured on top of the water.
However, crema should not be used as a measure of coffee quality.
An Americano with very little crema can easily taste excellent.
Focus on the flavor itself.
How strong is an Americano?
That depends on what you mean by “strong”.
An Americano is less concentrated than espresso because water is added.
But the water does not remove caffeine.
If you make an Americano with a double espresso, it therefore contains roughly the same amount of caffeine as the double espresso did before the water was added.
You are primarily changing the concentration and volume.
This is also why a large Americano does not necessarily contain less caffeine than a small espresso.
Does an Americano have more caffeine than filter coffee?
That cannot be answered in general terms.
Caffeine content depends, among other things, on:
• How many espresso shots are used
• How much coffee is used in the espresso
• The coffee beans
• The brewing recipe
• How large a portion of filter coffee you are comparing it with
An Americano with one espresso can therefore have less caffeine than a large mug of filter coffee.
An Americano with several espresso shots can have more.
It is, therefore, not the amount of water in itself that determines the caffeine content.
Can you add milk to an Americano?
Yes.
You can easily add a little bit of milk to your Americano.
It naturally changes the classic black Americano, but if you prefer the flavor that way, there is nothing wrong with it.
If you add a large amount of hot milk, the drink instead approaches other espresso-based milk drinks like a caffe latte.
Can an Americano be made without an espresso machine?
A traditional Americano requires espresso.
If you do not have an espresso machine, you can make a similar drink with concentrated coffee from, for example, an AeroPress or moka pot and then add hot water.
Technically, it is not a classic Americano because the base is not traditional espresso.
But the principle of concentrated coffee diluted with water can still provide a good cup of coffee.
How to make an Iced Americano
An Americano can also be made cold.
A simple Iced Americano can be made with:
1 double espresso
100–150 ml cold water
Ice cubes
Method
- Fill a glass with ice.
- Add cold water.
- Brew a double espresso.
- Pour the espresso over it.
- Stir.
You can adjust the amount of water and ice according to how concentrated you want the drink.
Why does my Americano taste bitter?
If your Americano tastes very bitter, you should first investigate the espresso.
Taste it without water.
If the espresso is already bitter or dry, you can, among other things, try:
• A coarser grind size
• A shorter brewing ratio
• A lower brewing temperature
• A lighter roast degree
If the espresso tastes good on its own, but the Americano does not, the water temperature or the amount of water might also play a role.
Why does my Americano taste thin?
An Americano can become very thin if you add too much water in relation to the espresso.
Try reducing the amount of water.
For example, if you use:
36 g espresso + 200 g water
you can try:
36 g espresso + 120 g water.
You can also use a double espresso instead of a single.
Focus first on getting a good espresso and then adjusting the dilution.
Why does my Americano taste sour?
If the espresso is unpleasantly sharp or sour, that character will often still be detectable after dilution.
Therefore, try adjusting the espresso.
This could be, for example:
• A finer grind size
• A slightly higher temperature
• A longer brewing ratio
However, remember that some coffee beans naturally have fruitiness and acidity.
Acidity is therefore not necessarily a flaw.
Americano or filter coffee – what should I choose?
Choose an Americano if you:
• Prefer the flavor character of espresso
• Have an espresso machine
• Want a larger cup than a pure espresso
• Want to be able to adjust the strength with water
Choose filter coffee if you:
• Prefer a clean filter profile
• Brew several cups at a time
• Do not need an espresso machine
• Want to highlight coffee in a different way than espresso
There is no method that is generally better than the other.
They are two different ways to get a larger cup of black coffee.
A simple Americano recipe to begin with
If you just want one recipe to start with, use:
18 grams of coffee beans
↓
36 grams of espresso
120 grams of hot water
Taste.
Too strong?
Add a little more water.
Too thin?
Use less water next time.
Once the espresso is correctly dialed in, an Americano is one of the easiest coffee drinks to customize to your own taste.
Frequently asked questions about Americano
What is an Americano?
An Americano is a coffee drink made of espresso and hot water.
How do you make an Americano?
Brew an espresso and add hot water. A double espresso with about 100–150 ml of water is a good starting point.
How much water should go in an Americano?
There is no one correct ratio. About 2–4 parts water to 1 part espresso is a practical range to start with.
Is an Americano the same as black coffee?
An Americano is a type of black coffee, but black coffee can also be, for example, filter coffee, V60, or French press coffee.
What is the difference between an Americano and filter coffee?
An Americano is made by diluting espresso with water. Filter coffee is brewed by having water pass through ground coffee and a filter.
What is the difference between an Americano and a Long Black?
An Americano is usually made by adding water to espresso. In a Long Black, the espresso is typically poured on top of hot water.
What is the difference between an Americano and a lungo?
An Americano is espresso with water added after brewing. In a lungo, more water passes through the coffee puck during the espresso brewing itself.
Is an Americano stronger than an espresso?
An Americano is less concentrated because the espresso is diluted with water. However, if made with the same espresso shot, the water does not change the amount of caffeine from the espresso.
Can you put milk in an Americano?
Yes. You can add milk to taste, even though a classic Americano is served without milk.
Can you make an Americano with an AeroPress?
You can make a similar drink by diluting concentrated AeroPress coffee with hot water, but technically it is not a classic Americano because the base is not espresso.
How do you make an Iced Americano?
Fill a glass with ice and cold water and then add one or two espresso shots.
