Americano Coffee: What It Is and How to Make One at Home

The Americano is one of the simplest drinks on any café menu and one of the most misunderstood. It is not watered-down coffee and it is not the same as drip. It is espresso, opened up with hot water so you can sip it slowly, and when it is made well it has a depth and roundness that drip coffee rarely matches. It is also easy to make at home, with or without an espresso machine.

What Is an Americano?

Because it starts as espresso, an Americano carries the same oils, body and caramelized flavors, just spread through more liquid. That is why it tastes richer than a filter coffee of the same strength.

How to Make an Americano at Home

No espresso machine? A moka pot makes a strong, concentrated coffee that you can dilute about one to one with hot water, and an AeroPress brewed short and strong works too; our AeroPress guide covers the espresso-style method. Neither is true espresso, but both make a very good everyday Americano.

Americano Ratio: How Strong Should It Be?

There is no single correct ratio. Cafés vary, and so do personal tastes. These three strengths cover almost every preference, measured as espresso to water.

If the result tastes harsh, the problem is usually the espresso, not the water; sour or bitter shots stay sour or bitter however much you dilute them. Our espresso crema guide is a good check on whether your shots are pulling well.

Americano vs Long Black

These two use the same ingredients and differ only in the order they go into the cup. An Americano is espresso first, water on top, which breaks up the crema. A long black, the Australian and New Zealand favorite, is water first with the espresso poured on top, so the crema stays intact and the first sip is more aromatic. Long blacks also tend to use less water, so they taste a little stronger.

Americano vs Drip Coffee

An Americano and a mug of drip coffee can look identical, but they taste different because they are brewed in completely different ways. Espresso is forced through finely ground coffee under pressure in about half a minute, which pulls out oils and heavier compounds that a paper filter would catch.

For a fuller breakdown of the two brewing methods see espresso vs drip coffee, and for exact numbers by drink, our guide to caffeine in coffee.

Where the Americano Came From

The most popular story places the Americano in Italy during the Second World War. American soldiers found Italian espresso too strong and too short compared with the filter coffee they drank at home, so they asked for hot water to stretch it out. Italian baristas began serving it that way, and the name stuck: caffè Americano, coffee the American way. Whether or not every detail is true, the drink spread with the espresso bar, and today it is on nearly every café menu in the world.

Iced Americano and Other Variations

An iced Americano is the easiest summer coffee there is: fill a glass with ice and cold water, then pour a fresh double shot over the top so it chills instantly. For a frothier, nitro-style version, try the aerocano, which whips the espresso and water into a creamy foam. A red eye goes the other direction, adding a shot of espresso to a mug of drip coffee for an extra kick, and a lungo gets a similar result inside the machine by running more water through the coffee; our guide to espresso, ristretto and lungo explains why it tastes different.

Start with a double shot and 4 oz of hot water, taste, and adjust from there. Once you find your ratio, the Americano becomes one of the most consistent, satisfying everyday coffees you can make.