Have you ever walked into one of the speciality coffee shops and looked at all the menu options? It’s hard to know what with all the names of coffee products. So how do you know what to order?
Well, I am going to clear up some of that for you.
What is an Americano?
Americano coffee is an exciting drink. Hot water and expresso do the trick.
However, the history behind it is cold. Americano coffee got its name a long time ago during the great world war. The American GIs were in Italy during that period.
The Italians drink espresso drinks. However, the GIs were not happy with the thick expresso that the Italians were making for them there. For this reason, the American GIs made a simple change to the Italian beverage. They put hot water in it. As a result, the dense concentration of coffee became less bitter and more fluid.
After that, the rest is delicious history. The drink became what americano coffee is. It’s a spectacular drink that we all love. Back in the day, you can say it was a drink to die for!
Today, finding a cafe without americano coffee is quite strange. It is sometimes hard to differentiate from standard black coffee.
Recent Past
Americano coffee or Caffe Americano, this historical beverage is not a product of dip coffee machines. Americano coffee incorporates 6 ounces of hot water with an espresso shot.
The espresso shots that create americano coffee come from espresso beans. They roast first. After that, the beans turn to power. It’s much more delicate than regular coffee beans.
As far as the concentration of caffeine, regular coffee has more of it. Though caffeine levels are lower in americano coffee, it’s more than enough to jump-start the day.
Suppose you Don’t want to take americano coffee in the heat of summer, cool! There is a tasty alternative for you. Try Iced Americano coffee. The whole process of production is the same as a hot cup of Caffe americano except ice.
Iced tea does not use hot water, but rather, it incorporates cold water. The cold beverage often comes with milk and ice. After all, most people are after flavour when consuming beverages.
It’s really up to you and what you prefer in your cup. If the menu reads “White americano”. The drink will have more milk in it.
The product resembles a latte or cappuccino. On the other hand, if you want a thick and bitter drink, choose regular americano coffee.
A Brief History of Coffee And Espresso Machines
Expresso is an Italian invention from 1901. The person behind the innovation is Luigi. He saw that coffee had a lot of potentials; however, it was not people-friendly yet. For this reason, he gave the instructions for the compression of the coffee so that they resemble cakes.
Now that he had coffee cakes, the next step towards the modern-day coffee was in his mind. His logic was that coffee is better off as a drink and not bulk matter.
For this reason, the next instructions that Luigi gave out were to pass water through the coffee cakes. The water that came out the bottom of the cake had a bitter flavour. This bitter drink was beneficial for Luigi and his peers. It gave them the energy to stay up and work harder than usual.
This innovation was a significant milestone in the history of coffee, humankind, and the modern-day market. However, there are several more steps that are necessary for coffee cake juice to become americano coffee.
Pavoni
The next innovation came in 1905. There was a company that also took an interest in the production of coffee. It was Pavoni, a company that had the human resources for the perfection of coffee making.
The Pavoni company came up with marvellous machines. They became very popular among the wealthy and wise. Customers could afford the coffee making machine and use it to make money.
The machine was expensive to make and hard to manoeuvre. Luckily, within 15 years, the next innovation came into play. The credit goes to Crema Daisy for the development of a brand new machine. It was responsible for promoting espresso as a brand of coffee.
Crema Daisy
Crema Daisy did not follow the old way of just simply passing water through the coffee. It was not efficient enough for busy people. A method was necessary for passing water through the coffee at a faster rate.
The solution that Crema Daisy gave the world was the technology of piston pumps. They got the water from point A to point B rapidly regardless of solid coffee.
The force of the piston is great like a gun. Water came out of the coffee concentration frothy. This froth or cream is now an indicator of quality espresso.
The next step was clear, faster conversion of water to espresso. Another inefficiency was that water heating was a separate process that took extra time.
In 1961 Feynman gave a solution to the heating and time consumption. The answer was simple and came in a single package. Feynman’s machine had pump technology as a substitute for pistons. Furthermore, the machine could heat the water too. It was a complete solution to quality espresso to keep labour productive in an age of less advancement and hardship.
The 1980s and 1990s
As you can see, the chronological progression is simplifying things, but the story of espresso machines is not over yet. In the 1980s and 1990s, technology in all sectors was advancing rapidly.
Brand new machines hit the market. They could take any types of coffee beans and turn it into the finest shot of espresso. Finest the world had ever seen. Not only that, but the process was also completely automatic. Furthermore, espresso machines became smaller and smaller until it became a cosy fit in a kitchen corner.
Nowadays, even mini automatic espresso machines seem primitive. The new generations enjoy cost-effective technology. This is a result of mass production and automation of work.
These new machines can do pretty much anything that you can ask of them. They will measure to micro units and alert you when the expresso is ready. Everything is digital now, and that does not exclude espresso machines. Ease of functionality is under pressure to surpass expectations as a result of competition in the market.
Now that the history of the espresso machine is out of the way let’s get back to americano coffee. Nowadays, there are espresso machines that incorporate americano coffee in the design of the functionality.
You can choose the temperature of honest desire. So, if it’s a shivery winter night, then your mini espresso machine will brew up a magnificent americano serving. On hot days your machine can make cool drinks for you.
Americano coffee is not just hot water and espresso anymore; it has become whatever you want it to be. It could be cool with ice or sweet and milky. Evolution of coffee is not over so who knows what the term americano coffee will entail in the future.
How To Make Americano Coffee?
Now that you know what americano coffee is let’s move on. I am going to teach you some necessary coffee-making skills.
Let’s dive into the “how-to” of making an americano coffee. An americano is a very simple espresso drink. In a nutshell, an americano coffee beverage is a shot of espresso and hot water.
What I like to do is just start with a mug of hot water. After that, put the espresso and then just pour it slowly over that. So, go ahead and pull that shot. Furthermore, make sure that the grind of the espresso beans is lovely.
This will ensure a divine result. Now that you have your espresso and hot water pour the espresso into the hot water. It’s as easy as that if I am to be frank with you. So you see, there is no reason why you cannot make it at home.
Now you know how to make yourself a premium quality americano coffee. So the next time someone asks you, what is americano coffee, make it for them.
How To Make An Iced Americano Coffee Beverage?
The American coffee branch usually evolves out of a few beautiful drinks. One great example of the transformation of the legendary drink is the iced Americano.
So what is americano coffee that cools your insides on a sunny day? The answer is an iced americano coffee, of course.
I am going to give you the instructions for a perfect glass of iced americano coffee. Here are the basic coffee-making skills that you will need.
The process of making an iced americano drink is easy. It is almost the same as the creation of a hot cup of americano coffee.
Just like its hot counterpart, you have to pull a shot of espresso. The shot you pull into a small cup then goes into the water.
However, instead of using hot water, you have to use cold water. Now you can do this in any size that you want.
Start by pulling the shot. Once again, make sure that the espresso beans are ground finely.
When the expresso is ready, you can now move on. I am sure it already looks delicious. However, we are not after an espresso shot or an americano.
We have to transform this espresso shot into a tall glass of iced Americano. Pour the expresso over the cold water once you have the expresso in the cold water. Its time to add ice to the drink now.
Swirl the drink around to get the drink cold. There you have it, my friend, you have yourself a cafe standard iced American.
So the next time anyone asks you what an americano coffee is, you can say, “there are a few types. Do you want an iced americano or a Caffe Americano?”.
Iced americanos are great in the summer whereas the traditional hot Americano is spectacular in winter.
Americano Coffee Vs Long Black Coffee
So, what is americano coffee, and what is long black coffee? A long black is one of the most identifiable coffee drinks in the world. I bet that you are no stranger to this drink. It is essentially an espresso with hot water.
At the back of your mind, you must be wondering, if that’s long black then what americano coffee is? Isn’t hot water and espresso the recipe for an americano?
Both long black and Americano coffee seemingly resemble one another. I have already told you about the historical background of americano coffee.
Americano coffee
You know the Americans were in Italy. They did not like the concentration and bitterness of espresso shots.
The Americans added some hot water into the thick espresso shot. This dilution of the drink led to the transformation of espresso into a less bitter and more fluid drink. The Americans got it right!
After the war, when the war was over, the drink americano became very popular. So traditionally, espresso comes first then the hot water goes into the cup.
Long Black
On the other hand, a long black is a product of the reversing of the order of preparation. This means that to prepare a long black, you need to pour the espresso into hot water.
The big question is, is there a difference in the taste between the two beverages? I would argue that the only difference between the two ways of making coffee is visual.
The americano coffee has less cream or froth floating above the coffee. On the other hand, the long black coffee retains the froth.
As far as the taste, the difference is very little. I prefer the taste of americano coffee. The reason behind this is that expresso does not break up.
I think that the taste of americano coffee tastes smoother than long jack. However, the debate is endless as both coffee drinks have countless fans all around the world.
Why Do People All Around The World Like To Drink Americano Coffee?
Tradition
Drinking americano coffee has an illustrious history. For this reason, it has always been around in America.
However, these days, americano coffee is famous all around the world.
There are quite a few reasons behind this. The first reason why americano coffee took over the world because of Starbucks
If you don’t know what Starbucks is, then I will tell you. It is a multinational chain of coffee stores. Starbucks is everywhere, whether it is Europe or Asia. Americano coffee is the drink that people order at Starbucks when they don’t know what to order.
There was a time when drinking Starbucks products was a luxury. Back then, Americano was slightly cheaper than all the other beverages and products on the menu of Starbucks.
So this is another reason for the popularization of americano coffee. Now almost everyone knows what americano coffee is.
Development
Next, the development of countries got coffee in all hands. People began to drink more coffee with the pressure and hard work of employees.
Furthermore, americano coffee became the favourite selection
Another primary reason for the global spread of americano coffee is apparent. It’s the influence of American media over the rest of the world.
American coffee began to appear in television shows and movies in theatres. So “What is American coffee?” It became a popular question.
Coffee And Economics
Labor
The production of coffee consists of different costs. The sad truth of modern-day coffee production is that labour is cheap.
Labour for the production of coffee spans wide. It covers the plantation of coffee to the packaging and baristas who make the coffee. Minimum wages are in place, so the system is fair. But the sheer volume of money that the coffee industry is worth makes labour cost look low.
I am not saying that people are not getting money for their work. Coffee contributes so much money to the economy, it’s a country worth of money. In short, coffee money is massive.
The Major Cost in The Production of Coffee
Sadly, coffee has not even come close to reaching its potential in making money. The world has an addiction to coffee products like Americano. We are not talking about a million people. We are talking about billions of people drinking coffee multiple times a day at maximum profit margins.
The main reason the coffee industry is lagging is because of the transportation of coffee. Whether it is aerial or otherwise, the transportation of coffee is too expensive. It is wasting too much time and money.
The Future of The Coffee Industry is Optimistic in Terms of Fairness
Here are some future trends that we will see in the future:
Buy directly from farmers so that labour gets a decent slice of the golden pie.
Improvement in infrastructure and technology of transportation to reduce the cost of transportation.
Implementation of coffee in pharmaceutical, medical and other industries to make even more money.
The Future of Americano Coffee
The traditional americano coffee will branch out into hundreds if not thousands of products. They will cater to recreation to Hitech medical innovation.
Frequently Asked Questions
Q. How many calories does an americano coffee cup contain?
1Oz of americano coffee contains one calorie.
Q. Does americano coffee contain more caffeine than regular coffee?
Contrary to popular belief, Americano coffee contains less caffeine than your average cup of coffee.
The reason behind this is that the hot or cold water dilutes the high concentration espresso shot contains.
Q. Is Americano Coffee Healthy?
Americano coffee has 0 sugar, so it is relatively healthy for most people. However, it is not a good drink for people who have heart complications.
Q. Can You Add Milk and sugar to Americano Coffee?
Yes, you can add milk and sugar to the beverage for flavour. It will not make the coffee healthier. However, it’s easier to drink this way for people who are not OK gulping bitter drinks.
The addition of milk and sugar will increase the number of calories in the drink. If you do decide to add sugar and milk, it is a good idea to exercise. Do a bit more than you already do.
Q. Is Americano good for weight loss?
Americano burns calories quickly. Furthermore, it is much healthier than a latte.
Conclusion
Now that you know what is americano coffee and you can educate your friends and family about it. Furthermore, you can explain the history of the beverage. And how it differs from long black or any other coffee product.
Make americano coffee or icy Americano when you are entertaining friends. It’s easy to make at home as long as you make sure that the beans are ground finely.
Americano is popular all around the world. It has been keeping energy levels up for bread earners for generations.
The future of americano coffee is going to be beautiful. The drink is going to be the adam or eve of thousands and thousands of coffee products. The products are going to help all industries to make money; they are going to range from recreational products to high-tech medical products.
Right now, the best thing that we can do for americano coffee is to give the workers more money. After all, coffee is a billion-dollar industry and even more worldwide. However, the workers only get a small portion of the money.
Next time we buy an americano coffee, let us tip the waiter. Let us tip the barista, and if possible, donate to the farmers of coffee.
If you are passionate about your americano coffee, then buy yourself an espresso machine. Next, grow your coffee without pesticides. This is not the coffee that I advise you to consume. Rather, hold on to it until you find your love.