WHAT IS AMERICAN COFFEE?
For almost everything, at least in Southern Europe, an American coffee is a type of coffee created by adding hot water to an espresso.
This is how Italian baristas were supposed to satisfy the American military, who, during the Second World War, was wide-eyed when they were offered an espresso while ordering coffee at an Italian restaurant.
To Americans it seemed like a small and very concentrated coffee for the filtered coffee they were accustomed to in their country.
That's where the name and problem come from.
Because for many in the coffee world, American coffee is filter coffee.
But the truth is that if you order an American in Southern Europe, the coffee that will come to your table is very likely to be made with an espresso machine, not a Chemex, V60, or any other filter coffee machine. Cone unique to specialty coffee in the United States.
After this short evaluation, let's make it clear in the post that we will talk about Americano, the coffee made as the basis of espresso coffee.
We will use the term filter coffee for the coffees obtained by filtering the coffee and filtering it with the force of gravity.
WHAT IS THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN AN AMERICAN AND FILTER COFFEE?
It's hard to tell the difference between a cup of filter coffee and a cup of American coffee at first glance, but in reality they couldn't be more different.
The main difference is simple, while Americano is prepared by adding water to espresso, a completely different preparation method is used for filter coffee.
WHAT IS FILTER COFFEE?
Espresso is made by forcing water quickly and at high pressure through a fine grind of coffee. However, filter coffee is made by pouring hot water over coffee grounds and letting the extraction liquid drip through a filter.
There are various ratios and extraction methods and filters that can be changed to change the flavor of the coffee you get.
TO SUMMARY THE HISTORY OF AMERICAN COFFEE:
American soldiers landed in Italy for WWII in the 1940s
When you order coffee from Italian baristas, they serve you espresso.
To Americans, this coffee seems small, very dense, and if we are not politically correct, we can say that they do not like that coffee at all, but nothing.
Italian baristas face the problem of how to turn espresso into something Americans love.
And I'll tell you the rest of the story later.
HOW TO PREPARE AN ESPRESSO-BASED AMERICAN COFFEE?
The word conveys one of the most important things you need to know about this drink, it's espresso, in fact the Royal Academy of the language recommends calling it that, not the Italian term.
Espresso is the fastest way to meet your immediate caffeine craving.
It's quick to make, quick to consume, and intense in every way.
However, keep in mind that espresso isn't just meant to be drunk in a highly concentrated cup of coffee available to you in any cafeteria.
Also Americanos, cappuccino, flat white, latte and long etc. It is the basis of all beverages and of course American coffee.
It is prepared with hot water at high temperature (above 90 ºC) and pressurized at nine bar pressure, passing through approximately 7 grams of finely ground coffee, and a much more concentrated and concentrated coffee is obtained than filter coffee, approximately 30 m.
The fact is that there is no 30 ml of filter coffee.
HOW SHOULD ESPRESSO BE?
1 - CREAM
This is the upper golden brown layer made up of proteins, fats and melanoidins created by combining sugars and amino acids.
Not all cafes produce cream, and this is also a point of contention.
Some perceive it as bitter, while others see it as a sign of a good espresso in their coffee that they cannot live without.
In many cases, roasters make their espresso blends with a percentage of robusta that provides much more body and crema in the coffee.
2 - LIQUID
This is the main part of espresso and adds acidity and sweetness.
It can also be thought of as two different parts: the body and the heart.
The body is the middle part of the espresso and is normally a caramel brown colour.
As for the heart, which is the basis of espresso, it is usually a richer, darker shade of coffee.
THE PROBLEM ITALIAN BARISTAS NEED TO SOLVE HOW DID WE GO FROM ESPRESSO TO AMERICANO?
This is the problem Italian baristas faced in the 1940s.
Because giving up your espresso machine was non-negotiable.
The key to the Americano is how we go from this small, concentrated espresso to a much larger, much less concentrated Americano.
Espresso and filter coffee are born from the same concept.
Basically, the water that is poured hot water on the coffee grounds, passes through the particles and somehow the filter and falls into a container.
The main difference between filter coffee and espresso is that instead of going through pressure (9 bar), the water flows by itself through the coffee due to gravity.
Because of this, the preparation process to make an Americano takes longer, making it much less concentrated than espresso coffee and with a smooth, distinct result.
Americano comes from giving everything according to the customer's taste. kinda like coffee.
The Italian baristas did not give up and came up with a solution that seemed satisfactory to everyone.
It couldn't be easier: add hot water to espresso coffee.
So the solution was easy: add water to a larger cup and the original espresso. Problem solved.
They obtained a coffee that was much more diluted than the original espresso and more similar to the filter coffee American soldiers were used to.
Therefore, it would be a good solution to drink a longer coffee with a similar density to that obtained with a filter coffee machine using the original American coffee recipe and an espresso machine.
A BEAUTIFUL RECIPE FOR AMERICAN COFFEE:
Americano is prepared by diluting espresso with hot water.
We need an espresso extraction over a large cup.
For this preparation we will use the same measures as for espresso.
We clean the group, removing the remnants of the previous extraction.
We insert the filter holder into the group and immediately press the button so that the water circulates inside the tablet.
At approx. 25" and 30 ml we produce a perfect espresso at 9 bar pressure and water temperature above 90º C.
We prepare a kettle with hot water.
Separately, a large cup of coffee with a regular espresso and hot water in a kettle for the customer to mix,
The customer pours the hot water over his espresso and we enjoy our Americano.
THERE IS NO GUIDE DEFINED THE AMOUNT OF WATER TO BE USED FOR AMERICANO.
Some baristas claim the 1:2 espresso water ratio is "standard" American.
While others prefer a shorter 1:1 American.
In fact, you can find Americans for brown flavors in ratios greater than 1:2.
IMPORTANT EXPLANATION ON HOW NOT TO MAKE AMERICAN COFFEE.
In fact, in many cafes, American coffee is not prepared as we have explained when someone asks for an Americano.
Filter coffee is rare in catering establishments, especially in Spain and Southern Europe in general.
When someone orders an Americano, they choose to let the water pass through the ground coffee for a longer time so they can drink it longer. Error.
It may seem like a sensible choice, but it's a lousy idea, as Kim Ossenblok said:
The coffee will burn and be flavored with ash
Opinion with which I agree 100%.
Using this option is still a wonder when the other option is not more difficult or does not waste time on preparation.
If you see the waiter pressing the coffee button twice as if he's making two coffees, it's bad.
The solution is simple to resort to the original recipe and the idea of the Italians.
It's as simple as serving a regular espresso in a taller cup and a pot of hot water to add to the coffee on the side.
This way a greater amount is obtained, the density can be adjusted to the taste of the customer and, above all, it prevents the coffee from burning due to over-extraction, as happens when you double the extraction time of espresso. of water.
OTHER LONG COFFEES OUTSIDE THE AMERICANO YOU MAY BE INTERESTED IN.
If the idea is to brew a slightly larger coffee, you can opt for a double black coffee which, as the name suggests, involves doubling the amount of ground coffee (14 grams) and water (60 milliliters).
The result is approximately 60 ml of coffee with the same intensity and body as an espresso.
An intermediate option is the Italian-origin coffee lungo, which, with the same amount of coffee but a little more water and time, is an intermediate step between a double coffee and an Americano.
It is usually made with a slightly coarser grind and does not exceed 30 seconds, experts recommend that you do not go too far in the extraction time to avoid burning the coffee and the appearance of bitter tastes that we do not want,