# Caffè Americano

Source: https://dailyextraction.com/drinks/americano/
Last updated: 2026-10-21

> An Americano is espresso diluted with hot water, giving a drink close in strength to filter coffee but with espresso's flavour. CoffeeGeek's recipe is a 45–50 ml double shot with twice as much hot water, about 93°C. The popular story says American soldiers in wartime Italy invented it; that's a legend.

## At a glance

- Chapter: Espresso drinks
- Served: Hot
- Brewing method: https://dailyextraction.com/methods/espresso/
- Origin: Italy
- Glass: Preheated cup, 150–165 ml (150 ml)
- Also known as: Americano, café americano, caffè americano

## Ingredients

- 1 double shot (45–50 ml) espresso
- 90–100 ml hot water, about 93°C

## Steps

1. **Warm the cup**: Run hot water into a cup of about 150–165 ml, then tip it out, so the drink stays hot.
2. **Add the water**: Pour in 90–100 ml of water at about 93°C, twice the volume of the espresso you're about to brew.
3. **Brew the espresso**: Brew a 45–50 ml double shot straight onto the water. Brewing onto the water keeps the crema on top.
4. **Serve unstirred**: Serve without stirring, so the first sips go through the crema; it mixes in as you drink. Add cream if you like, but don't stir that either.

A **caffè Americano** is [espresso](https://dailyextraction.com/methods/espresso/) diluted with **hot water**: a longer, milder drink, close in strength to a cup of filter coffee but with espresso's flavour. Trade calls it the closest you can get to drip coffee with an espresso machine. It's simple, but there are real choices in it: how much water, whether the water goes in first or last, and whether to stir. Here's how to make a good one, how it differs from a long black, and why its famous wartime origin story is probably a legend.

## The short version

- **Espresso plus hot water**, no milk.
- **About two parts water to one part espresso** in CoffeeGeek's recipe; chains go much longer.
- **Water first** keeps the crema on top; espresso first breaks it up.
- **Same caffeine** as the espresso in it: water adds volume, not strength.
- **The GI story** is popular, and unproven.



## What's the best ratio for an Americano?

There's no single answer, because the drink comes in every size. CoffeeGeek, which says it has brewed over 35,000 Americanos, recommends a small one:

| | CoffeeGeek's Americano |
| --- | --- |
| Espresso | A 45–50 ml double shot |
| Water | 90–100 ml, about 93°C (200°F) |
| Ratio | 2 parts water to 1 part espresso |
| Cup | Preheated, no more than 150–165 ml (5 oz) |
| Order | Water first, then brew the shot on top |

Other ratios are common. CoffeeGeek notes that chains serve Americanos from a balanced 1:1 up to 1:6 or more in large sizes made with only a double shot, and that Australians often make a long black at 2.5:1 or 3:1. Trade says a small Americano in a coffee shop is likely to be at least 8 oz.

## Should the water go in first?

CoffeeGeek says yes. Pouring water onto espresso dissolves the crema's oils into the coffee below; brewing the shot onto water leaves the **crema** floating on top. CoffeeGeek prefers the crema intact: the first sip gets its brief bitterness, followed by smoother coffee underneath, and it mixes in as you drink. It also says to serve it **unstirred**, even if you add cream. Some people, CoffeeGeek admits, argue that mixing the crema in boosts the body and aroma.

## Where does the Americano come from?

Italy, probably. The name means "American coffee", and the best-known story ties it to the Second World War:

| Claim | What the source says |
| --- | --- |
| **American soldiers, WWII** | GIs in Italy found espresso too strong and watered it down to taste like coffee at home; Tasting Table calls this the legend related by *The New York Times* |
| **Hot water on the side** | Italian baristas served espresso in a larger cup with hot water alongside, so soldiers could dilute it; by the 1960s baristas added the water themselves (CoffeeGeek) |
| **An earlier "americano", 1928** | In Somerset Maugham's *Ashenden*, the hero sits in the Galleria in Naples and drinks "an americano", without saying what it is |
| **The cocktail** | CoffeeGeek thinks such early references are to the **Americano cocktail** of Campari, red vermouth and soda, renamed around 1900 for its popularity with American tourists |
| **Doubt** | Trade doubts the wartime story, noting that the war came before modern pump espresso machines |

Tasting Table adds that the Americano became much better known in the 1990s, with the wave of new specialty coffee shops that served mainly espresso drinks.

## How do you make one at home?

1. **Warm a small cup** with hot water, then tip it out.
2. **Add the hot water**, about twice the volume of your shot.
3. **Brew a double espresso** straight onto it. See our [espresso guide](https://dailyextraction.com/methods/espresso/).
4. **Serve it unstirred.**

CoffeeGeek says any espresso machine will do, with a kettle if your machine has no hot water spout. Trade adds that a concentrated brewer like the [AeroPress](https://dailyextraction.com/methods/aeropress/) can make one too.

## Americano vs other espresso drinks

- **[Long black](https://dailyextraction.com/drinks/long-black/):** the Australian and New Zealand version: smaller, with the espresso brewed onto the water.
- **[Iced Americano](https://dailyextraction.com/drinks/iced-americano/):** espresso with cold water and ice.
- **[Red eye](https://dailyextraction.com/drinks/red-eye/):** filter coffee instead of water, with a shot of espresso.
- **[Cortado](https://dailyextraction.com/drinks/cortado/):** the shot cut with milk instead of water.

Explore every drink in the [espresso drinks chapter](https://dailyextraction.com/drinks/espresso-drinks/).

## Words used in this guide

- [Total dissolved solids (TDS)](https://dailyextraction.com/glossary/tds/): Total dissolved solids (TDS) measures how much coffee is dissolved in the cup, shown as a percentage.
- [Crema](https://dailyextraction.com/glossary/crema/): Crema is the golden-brown foam on top of an espresso.
- [Body](https://dailyextraction.com/glossary/body/): Body is how heavy and textured coffee feels in your mouth, from light and tea-like to thick and syrupy.
- [Specialty coffee](https://dailyextraction.com/glossary/specialty-coffee/): Specialty coffee is high-quality coffee graded at 80 points or more out of 100 by trained tasters using the Specialty Coffee Association's scoring system.

## FAQs

### What is the difference between an Americano and a long black?

Many sources say it's the order: an Americano is water added to espresso, a long black is espresso poured onto water, which keeps the crema. Trade says that in real cafés the main difference is size: a long black is usually 4–6 oz, an Americano 8 oz or more.

### How strong is an Americano?

About as strong as filter coffee, Trade says, though it depends on how much water is added. CoffeeGeek uses two parts water to one part espresso; chains serve everything from 1:1 to 1:6 or more in large sizes, with only a double shot.

### Did American soldiers really invent the Americano?

It's a legend. The New York Times story, as told by Tasting Table, is that GIs in wartime Italy watered down espresso to taste more like coffee at home. Somerset Maugham's hero drinks "an americano" in Naples in a 1928 novel, but that may have been the Americano cocktail.

### Does an Americano have more caffeine than espresso?

No. The water adds volume, not caffeine. Trade notes that an Americano and a long black made with the same double shot have the same caffeine.

### Can you make an Americano without an espresso machine?

You need strong, concentrated coffee. CoffeeGeek says any espresso machine will do, with a kettle for the water if it has no hot water spout; Trade says a concentrated brewer such as the AeroPress works too.

## Sources

- [How to make an Americano](https://coffeegeek.com/guides/howtos/americano-how-to/)
- [How WWII brought about the invention of the Americano](https://tastingtable.com/875532/how-wwii-brought-about-the-invention-of-the-americano)
- [Americano vs long black: what is the difference and which is stronger?](https://www.drinktrade.com/blogs/culture/americano-vs-long-black)
- [Ashenden: or the British agent (1928)](https://gutenberg.ca/ebooks/maughamws-ashenden/maughamws-ashenden-00-h.html)