Caffè Americano

A caffè Americano is 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.
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 can make one too.

Americano vs other espresso drinks

• Long black: the Australian and New Zealand version: smaller, with the espresso brewed onto the water.
• Iced Americano: espresso with cold water and ice.
• Red eye: filter coffee instead of water, with a shot of espresso.
• Cortado: the shot cut with milk instead of water.

Explore every drink in the espresso drinks chapter.