What is Caffe Americano & Where Did it Come From?

So you’re wondering what is an Americano coffee, or what is “Caffe Americano” to use its proper Italian title? It’s an important distinction, by the way, to state that we’re talking about Americano coffee here. If you were just asking what’s an Americano, the answer to that is that it’s a cocktail, which I’ll get to when talking about where Americano came from.

Ah, I fancy a cocktail now, it’s three in the afternoon though, and it’s a weekday, better not. Also, I don’t keep booze here in the studio, which is probably a good thing. I have copious amounts of coffee though of course, which is also a good thing.

Anway, as well as answering the question about what is an Americano, I’m also going to tell you (and demonstrate) how to make a Caffe Americano at home with or without an espresso machine, and I’m also going to get on my soapbox and explain why most claims regarding the origins of Americano simply can’t be correct!

What is an Americano Coffee?

OK, so I’ll just jump straight in and answer this question, as it’s probably why you came to this post in the first place. What’s Americano coffee, or Caffe Americano, is a really simple question to answer – it’s espresso mixed with hot water. 

It means American (style) coffee, in Italian. Italy is, of course, the birthplace of espresso, and Italians would usually drink their coffee black as ristretto, espresso, or lungo, or with milk as cappuccino, caffe latte, or Caffe macchiato. There wasn’t originally a name in Italy for what it’s called when you dilute espresso with water, in fact, I’m sure there was, but I don’t know any Italian swear words ;-).

Italians at some point discovered that Americans like bigger cups of more diluted black coffee, so the term “Americano” was coined, which means espresso mixed with hot water. 

If you’ve read that this came from American soldiers during the second world war asking for their espresso to be topped up with hot water, this is a myth that I will well and truly bust, shortly. This isn’t just an opinion, by the way, I have some solid evidence that makes it very clear that this old chestnut about the history of Americano isn’t right.

Prior to the invention of the Americano, the three standard black coffees that you’d be served by most Italian baristas, are all simply different espresso ratios, meaning the ratio of ground coffee to espresso.

What is called an “Espresso” is usually an espresso pulled at a ratio of around 1-2 (for instance 17 grams of ground coffee beans to 34 grams of espresso), while a ristretto is a restricted shot of espresso pulled at a ratio usually of 1:1, and a lungo is a long shot of espresso, pulled at a ratio of (usually) 1:3.

All “Caffe Americano” means, is to dilute espresso with hot water for a more “American style” coffee. 

How does Americano differ from similar types of coffee?

Some would say that Americano coffee should be made in a certain way in order to distinguish this coffee from similar coffees that are made with espresso and hot water, but I say otherwise. In my humble opinion, Americano is the original Italian label for diluting espresso with hot water.

There are other espresso-based drinks that have been created since the Caffe Americano, which are also labels for espresso mixed with hot water, namely the long black, which is a more modern take on Americano in which the espresso is added to hot water, for a more intense taste. 

Naturally then, if a coffee shop puts long black on the menu along with Americano, in order to differentiate the Long black from the Americano, they would usually make the Americano espresso first and water second, and sometimes there are other differences such as the number of shots used and/or the volume of the drink. 

But does this mean, then, that Americano must be made by pulling the shot first and then pouring the hot water into the espresso? No, not as far as I’m concerned. Americano simply means espresso mixed with hot water to make a more “American style” coffee, that’s it.

If you want to call it long black if it’s made with the hot water first, then that’s fine, call it whatever you like, call it Dave if you want, it doesn’t bother me, but in my humble opinion, if you mix espresso with hot water, you’re making an Americano.

How to make Americano at home

So to make Americano at home, you’ll need espresso – or espresso style coffee – and hot water. 

If you want to make a “true” Americano, then you’ll want an espresso machine. In the video above I’m using the Sage Dual Boiler. If you’re not too fussed with the “true” bit, and you’re happy to get somewhere close, then you can use a manual brew method to create an “espresso style” coffee, and in the video above I do this with the Aeropress. 

So literally all you do is pull a shot of espresso with an espresso machine, or create a similar “espresso-style” shot using an Aeropress, for example, and then add hot water to taste. 

Although I did say earlier that you don’t have to start with the espresso and pour the hot water on top, I do think this makes more sense than doing it the other way around, simply because you can stop, taste, and then add more hot water, while it’s not quite as convenient to make your Americano to taste if doing it the other way around. 

Another very important factor in making a great Americano is using good coffee. You can have a great technique and have an amazing espresso machine but without good coffee, it’s all for nothing.