How to make Americano

Americano is one of the most consumed coffee drinks in the US and globally. If you want to learn how to make Americano, keep reading.

To make an Americano, add a shot or two of espresso into a mug of hot water (or ice if you prefer).

I first learned how to prepare Americano when I was in high school. Years later, while in college, I perfected the art of making Americano after preparing it almost every day and several times a day during the exam period. To date, I get compliments about my Americano tastes, and my favorite ones are from my barista friends. If you’re interested in learning about Americano, including how you can prepare it and the equipment you’ll need, this post is for you, so stick around.

Table of Contents

What are the ingredients for making Americano?

The ingredients needed to make Americano are espresso shots and hot water/ice. A hot Americano is prepared with hot water, while the cold version, the iced Americano, is prepared with ice or sometimes cold water.

Some prefer their Americano with milk, dairy or non-dairy, but it’s worth knowing that this won’t be a genuine Americano if it is one of the ingredients. A genuine Americano contains only water and espresso. Water is used to lighten espresso’s otherwise very bitter taste, resulting in a perfect coffee drink.

The amount of water used varies depending on one’s preference and the number of espresso shots. However, the typical Americano is prepared with one part espresso and two parts hot water. This ratio is perfect for an Americano with balanced flavors and bitterness. For an even lighter Americano, one part espresso can be used in three ounces of hot water. Know that this ratio can be customized depending on preference.

What is the equipment for making Americano?

How to make Americano — Americano, Nespresso. Image source: Nespresso

To prepare Americano, you’ll need an Aero Press, espresso maker, or espresso machine. You might also need a coffee grinder if you only have coffee beans and a scale to measure the coffee ground. An electric kettle, saucepan, or even a microwave will be needed to heat the water. Whichever brand of coffee maker you have will do as long as it makes espresso shots perfectly. If you’re grinding coffee beans, remember to grind them finely, as this is key to obtaining the richest and most flavorful espresso shots.

What are the instructions for making Americano?

To prepare an Americano, start by preparing your preferred number of espresso shots, then heat water to the ideal Americano temperature (which we will discuss in a few). Pour the hot water into a coffee mug and add the espresso shots, using your preferred ratio from the ones we discussed earlier and enjoy your cup of Americano. If you only have coffee beans, start grinding them extremely fine in the coffee grinder, then prepare the espresso shots. To operate the espresso maker, simply place your ground coffee into the portafilter, tamp them, and place the portafilter into the machine and let the machine do the rest for you. As mentioned earlier, you can heat the water with your preferred method.

How do you customize an Americano when making it at home?

Americano recipe — Homemade Americano. Image source: Pinterest

The first and most common method of customizing your Americano is serving the espresso shots over ice cubes for an iced version instead of mixing the shots with hot water. Also, you can add sweeteners or flavored syrups to your Americano if you find the plain version too bitter. Some sweeteners and syrup used in Americanos are honey, sugar, brown sugar syrup, vanilla syrup, simple syrup, toffee syrup, or hazelnut syrup.

Depending on how rich and bitter you prefer your Americano, you can also customize the number of espresso shots. Similarly, the amount of water used in the Americano can also be customized.

Genuine Americano typically uses dark roast espresso, but if you like, you can use blonde roast espresso but know that the flavors will change slightly. Lastly, you can add a bit of milk to the Americano if the bitterness of the plain version is too much for you.

What is the best temperature for making an Americano at home?

The best temperature for making an Americano is between 70 to 76 degrees Celsius or 194 to 201 degrees Fahrenheit. This temperature refers to the temperature of the water used in the Americano. Also, use hot espresso shots. Note that very high temperatures will take longer to cool, which will affect the Americano’s flavor, while low temperatures won’t yield a high-quality Americano.