What Is An Americano
What is American style coffee and where did it come from? If you are curious to know more about what an Americano is and its preparation process, you can go through the following article. This article will answer all your queries regarding American coffee. Furthermore, it will focus on the history of American coffee making a fair comparison between American coffee and Italian coffee.
What Is An Americano?
American style coffee is a type of drink prepared by diluting an espresso with hot water. The strength will be similar to traditional coffee. But the flavor will be different. The base of the Café Americano is espresso. That is made by forcing stream at a high pressure using coffee grounds. So, Americano has only two ingredients, water, and espresso. The ratio of these two ingredients will be both 1/2 or 1/3 espresso and 2/3 water. Normally, the chain chops use more water than espresso since Americans do not find espresso easy to palate.
Americano takes preference among the espresso-based line-up since it does not add milk. However, some people like the creamy flavor and add milk in their coffee. You should never expect any form of dairy in your coffee unless you have specifically mentioned it. Americans generally prefer a coffee without milk and Americano makes the best choice for this.
History of Americano
The origin of the American coffee dates back to history. It has a very interesting story. The Café Americano has its history in WWII when soldiers stationed in Italy found something similar used in the United States. The soldiers like the taste and brought the Americano back when they returned home. Later, it became part of American life.
First bring introduced in the 17th century. During that period, tea was a favorite drink all over. According to a report mentioned on study.com, things started to change after the revolution especially when the colonist’s planned the Boston Tea party in protest of the British parliament for overtaxing the drink, tea. After that, coffee emerged as the king and as a favorite drink.
In 1864, coffee became more popular when John and Charles Arbuckle started pre-roasting coffee. They began selling coffee to the cowboys and ranchers. During that period, the coffee trade was making people wealthy and successful.
Coffee received more popularity in the USA since the military loved it. By the time of WWII, the US servicemen and military were consuming so much coffee. As a result, the Army Quartermaster corps would go to grind, pack, and ship coffee overseas so that the military would have enough to consume. The success of the coffee in the USA went to the large part of the US people serving the military.
Soldiers were used to having the drip coffee. However, when they encountered a different process to prepare coffee, they found it too bitter and unenjoyable. At this very period, the Americano espresso came into existence. Adding water in the espresso was the easiest way for soldiers to prepare coffee in Italy. The returned home with the espresso and that received increasing popularity soon after both in the United States and Europe.
What Makes It Different?
Today’s coffee shop had its origin in 1475 in Turkey. In this place, the coffee was served black, strong, and unfiltered. In 1519 only, they started adding milk and sugar in coffee to get a creamy flavor. When it comes to America, the coffee fashion dated back to colonization.
During that period, the coffee house was a place for businessmen to discuss and meet. For this reason only, the New York Stock Exchange was constructed at the Tontine coffee house since many business activities were conducted in that place. Today, coffee is not limited to any particular flavor. You can try countless combinations, unlike American soldiers.
How Do You Make American Coffee?
Now we will have a look at the preparation style. First, you will have to use the appropriate machine. Make sure that the machine is well made to retain the intense flavor. Also, you will have to ensure that the coffee is neither coarsely ground nor finely ground. The ratio to prepare the coffee is 0.28 oz of coffee per 5.07 fl oz of water. The temperature should be 199.4-203F. Here is the step-by-step instruction of the process.
Americano: How to Prepare
1. Take hot water and put it in the coffee machine and place it in the cone of porous paper.
2. Wet the filter slightly and then put the coffee into that cone and then start the machine.
3. Pour the espresso into the mug. You should never reheat the espresso. If you do it, the coffee will lose the original flavor.
What is the Difference between Italian Coffee and American Coffee?
From the history of America coffee, you might have an idea about Italian coffee. The key difference is that Americans drink coffee to get energy and strength. But the Italians drink coffee to enjoy the flavor and savor extracted from the coffee beans. So, the purpose decides the preparation style. When Americans prefer instant and drink coffee, Italian love the espresso. They prepare it differently.
Also, Italian coffee has been around for a long. Italians prefer a completely different taste than Americans. They love a smoky almost burnt taste in the espresso. Americans love the mildness, smoothness, and a balanced milk taste. They would love to add some sugar and milk to boost energy.
In the Italian Espresso, they normally use robusta beans for around twenty percent of their coffee. Americans prefer Arabica beans to get a milder taste. Also, Arabica beans are expensive than the previous one. The Italian espresso gives a bitter taste compared to Americans. The taste is fabulous and authentic. However, you will not find the taste of American espresso anywhere else.
Final Thoughts
Now you might have an idea about the American coffee style. These are instant and drip coffees. The preparation is easy. You just need to use the right machine. Also, know the proper ratio of water and espresso to enjoy your coffee anytime you want.