Starbucks Americano vs. Brewed Coffee: which one is stronger?

At first glance, a cup of Americano and brewed coffee can look quite identical. After all, both beverages are made of coffee and hot water. Being a coffee lover, I have come to understand that an Americano and brewed coffee have very distinctive preparations and flavors. A cup of Americano gives me rich caramelly espresso flavor hints, while brewed coffee brings forward notes of toasted nuts and cocoa. An Americano has espresso while brewed coffee contains ground coffee, and this makes the two drinks different in flavor and how strong they are. Read on to learn which is stronger between the two. 

Summary Comparison Table

Feature/Starbucks Coffee House	Starbucks Americano	Starbucks Brewed Coffee
Ingredient	Water Brewed Espresso It is optionally customized with flavors [syrup (toasted vanilla, brown sugar, caramel, toffee nut, hazelnut, cinnamon dolce, sugar-free vanilla, vanilla, or raspberry syrup) and sauces (new dark caramel, mocha, and white chocolate mocha)], toppings, and add-ins.	Water Brewed Coffee Brewed Decaf Coffee for Decaf Pike Place Roast Brewed Coffee and Milk for Café Misto It is optionally customized with flavors [syrup (toasted vanilla, brown sugar, caramel, toffee nut, hazelnut, cinnamon dolce, sugar-free vanilla, vanilla, or raspberry syrup) and sauces (new dark caramel, mocha, and white chocolate mocha)], toppings, and add-ins.
Taste Profile	Rich, deep coffee taste Coupled with caramelly notes	A subtle, mellow and flavorful taste Notes of cocoa and toasted nuts
Calories	15 calories in a Grande serving	All brewed coffees have 5 calories in a Grande serving except Caffè Misto which has 110.
Sugar Content	0 grams in a Grande serving	All brewed coffees have 0 grams of sugar in a Grande serving except Caffè Misto which has 10.
Fat Content	0 grams in a Grande serving	All brewed coffees have 0 grams of fat in a Grande serving except Caffè Misto which has 4.
Caffeine Content	225 milligrams in a Grande serving	All brewed coffees have a caffeine content ranging from 150 to 360 milligrams of caffeine except Decaf Pike Place Roast which has 25.
Availability/Accessibility	Easy to access both from the store and from the app throughout the year	Easy to access both from the store and from the app throughout the year
Roast Level	Starbucks Espresso Roast-Dark roast	Starbucks Pike Place Roast-Light roast

Starbucks Americano vs. Brewed Coffee: Full Comparison

Ingredient

Ingredients are a critical part of Starbucks drinks. It is the drinks’ ingredients that determine their taste and nutritional value. 

When preparing a Starbucks Americano house drink, the barista balances the rich, bold Starbucks espresso roast with hot water to create a thin layer of crema that makes the drink unforgettable.

When preparing a Starbucks Brewed Coffee house drink, the barista balances Starbucks Pike Place Roast with hot water to give a mellow and flavorful beverage with notes of cocoa and toasted nuts.

Beverages in the two coffee houses are prepared with the same ingredients (coffee and water). However, both are prepared differently and have different ingredients. 

Starbucks brewed coffee house wins this category because different versions are available. Different ingredients are used for the different versions. 

Taste Profile

Taste is one of the first factors customers consider when choosing between drinks. 

Taste is derived from the ingredients and method of preparing a drink. Starbucks Americano house drinks are prepared using a specialized machine that produces highly concentrated, rich, bold coffee with a distinctive crema. The highly concentrated coffee is mixed with hot water to give you a drink with a richer and deeper taste. 

 While preparing brewed coffee, gravity is used instead of a specialized machine. Hot water passed through ground coffee. The water then passes over a paper, metal, or cloth filter to give you a drink with a subtle flavor. 

Drinks in the Starbucks Americano house have a Rich, deep coffee and caramelly taste. Conversely, drinks in the Starbucks Brewed Coffee house have a subtle, mellow, and flavorful taste. 

Starbucks Americano wins in this category because it has a richer and deeper taste than Starbucks Brewed Coffee.

Calories  

Calorific is one of the major nutritional value information most customers consider when choosing between two drinks. 

A Grande serving of an Americano contains 15 calories, while that of a Brewed Coffee contains 5 calories. 

If you wish to take the least possible amount of calories in a day, it would be beneficial to take a Brewed coffee because it adds the least calories to your body compared to an Americano. Therefore, Brewed coffee wins in this category.

Sugar Content

Excess sugar is harmful to your body; therefore, keeping track of your daily sugar intake is good. 

A Grande serving of an Americano adds 0 grams of sugar, while that of a Brewed Coffee (except Caffè Misto) adds 0 grams of sugar to your body. 

This category is a draw since Americano and Brewed Coffee add 0 grams of sugar to your body. 

Fat Content

Excess fat is harmful to your body; therefore, keeping track of your daily fat intake is good. 

A Grande serving of an Americano adds 0 grams of fat, while that of a Brewed Coffee (except Caffè Misto) adds 0 grams of fat to your body. 

This category is a draw since Americanos, and Brewed Coffees add 0 grams of fat to your body.

Caffeine Content

Excess caffeine harms your body; therefore, keeping track of your daily caffeine intake is good. 

A Grande serving of an Americano adds 225 milligrams of caffeine. On the other hand, Brewed Coffees have caffeine content ranging from 150 to 360 milligrams (except Decaf Pike Place Roast). The median average for the range is 255 milligrams of caffeine. 

If you are a caffeine lover, Brewed Coffees are the go-to option. Brewed coffee house drinks win this category because they have higher caffeine content, making them the ideal choice for caffeine lovers. 

Availability/Accessibility  

The best feeling is finding that your drink is readily available at the Starbucks store near you all year round. 

You can easily access Americano and Brewed Coffee in the Starbucks store near you all year round. 

This category is a draw since Americano, and Brewed Coffee house drinks are easily accessible and available throughout the year.

Roast Level

A drink’s roast level determines its taste and flavor. Starbucks Americano is prepared using Starbucks Espresso Roast, a Dark roast. Conversely, Starbucks Brewed Coffee is prepared using Starbucks Pike Place Roast, a Light roast. 

Light roast coffee produces a coffee drink with a stronger flavor than dark roast coffee. Apart from the roast level, how a coffee is prepared determines its taste and flavor.

Brewed Coffee is prepared using lightly roasted coffee which leads you to think it has a stronger flavor than Americano. However, Americano has a richer and deeper flavor due to the preparation method used. A special machine is used when preparing Americano. Conversely, no machine is used while preparing Brewed Coffee (the preparation process relies on gravity).

The Americano wins in this category because of its superior flavor.  

Starbucks Americano vs. Brewed Coffee: A Brief Overview

Starbucks Americano-Overview

The perfect pick if you crave a coffee with a rich, deep flavor and nutty and earthy notes. The barista balances the rich, bold Starbucks espresso roast with hot water to create sweet drink with a thin layer of crema that makes the drink unforgettable. 

What I liked;

• Rich, deep coffee notes
• Caramelly notes
• The sweet layer of crema 

What I didn’t like;

• Only one option in the Americano category (Caffè Americano)
• Hard to customize 

Who it’s best suited for

• Best suited for persons who need a low calorie, sugar, and fat drink with a high caffeine content 

Starbucks Brewed Coffee-Overview

The beverage is a perfect option if you want a coffee with a subtle and flavorful taste. The barista balances Starbucks Pike Place Roast with hot water to give a subtle and flavorful beverage with notes of cocoa coupled with toasted nuts. 

What I liked;

• Notes of cocoa
• Notes of toasted nuts  

What I didn’t like;

• Hard to customize 

Who it’s best suited for

• Best suited for persons who need a low calorie, sugar, and fat drink with a high caffeine content

Final Verdict

Brewed coffee is stronger than Americano. Brewed coffee has higher caffeine content than Americano. Americano has a caffeine content of 225 milligrams, while Brewed coffee has a median average of 255 milligrams of caffeine. The house with the higher caffeine content is considered to be stronger the other. Therefore, Brewed Coffee is stronger than Americano.

FAQ Section

Is an Americano stronger than brewed coffee?

An Americano has 225 mg of caffeine, while brewed coffee has caffeine content of between 150-360 mg; thus, Americano is not stronger than brewed coffee since the average caffeine content in brewed coffees is approximately 255 mg.

Is an Americano healthier than brewed coffee?

An Americano has 15 calories in a Grande serving while brewed coffees have five calories; thus, an Americano is not healthier than brewed coffee, although the difference is not vast.

Is Americano better for weight loss than brewed coffee?

Both beverages have zero sugar and zero fat, making them ideal for weight loss. However, an Americano has slightly higher calories at 15 than brewed coffee with 5, making the latter better for weight loss.