Nowadays, the atmosphere of drinking coffee in China is becoming more and more popular. Not only are the streets and alleys full of coffee shops, but even daily convenience stores have begun to provide freshly ground coffee. You can get a cup of drip-style American coffee with one click. So is this Americano the same as the Americano we drink in coffee shops?
American coffee machine uses normal pressure extraction
There are many equipment for brewing coffee, including French presses, moka pots, hand pour-over cups, and various coffee machines. Among them, mechanical coffee machines are mainly divided into drip coffee machines and espresso coffee machines.
The structure of American drip coffee machines is relatively simple, so the price is more affordable and the functions are relatively simple. Drip filter machines are usually divided into two layers. The upper layer is a funnel-shaped container equipped with filter paper or metal filter, and the lower layer is a glass or ceramic coffee pot. American drip coffee machines also make hot water flow through the coffee powder into the coffee pot below to extract the coffee, but compared to the Italian coffee we drink in coffee shops, the hot water is extracted under normal pressure. In addition to making coffee, you can also make tea.
Since the principle of the American drip coffee machine is to pour water on the coffee powder, and then flow to the lower pot, there is no external force, so the taste of the coffee is relatively light. Of course, it cannot be used as a base for milk coffee, so it can only be used to make black coffee. If our requirements are not high and we just want to drink a cup of freshly brewed coffee, Front Street believes that the American drip coffee machine is also a very good choice.
The espresso machine is a supercharged extraction
Espresso was invented in the early 19th century. In order to extract a cup of rich coffee in a short time, Italians thought of using steam pressure to pass high-temperature and high-pressure water through the coffee powder to speed up the extraction rate of the original drip method. With continuous improvements and updates, our common semi-automatic/fully-automatic espresso machines have been derived.
Italian coffee machines usually have a boiler, which pressurizes hot water and extracts coffee through the coffee grounds tank, so it is also called a pump coffee machine. The coffee brewed by this high-pressure hot water is thicker and contains emulsified oils. We call it Espresso. The American coffee we drink is based on it, so the barista needs to adjust a standard cup of espresso to ensure stable production in the store.
Espresso represents coffee with a complex and condensed flavor. No other brewing method can produce such a body and texture. If you want to get a delicious cup of Italian coffee, excellent extraction is essential, and the aromatic compounds and taste compounds of the coffee in the cup are balanced. Having said so much on the front street, I believe everyone also understands that Italian coffee machines are much more complicated than American drip coffee machines!
What is Americano?
Americano coffee is a type of black coffee, consisting of espresso + water, with no other additives added.
During World War II, coffee became very popular in the U.S. military. Americans were not used to the strong bitter taste of espresso, so they diluted the coffee liquid with water to achieve a concentration acceptable to them. Later, in the cafes opened by Italians in the United States, they also "do as the Romans do" and introduced "watered down coffee" based on espresso. This coffee has become very popular since then.
There is no fixed ratio for Americano coffee. Each store will have its own production standards in order to present the flavor and taste of the coffee. According to the ratio of 1:6 prepared by Front Street's many experiments, 40 grams of coffee liquid is poured into 240 grams of 88°C hot water, and the hot American coffee is completed. If iced Americano is produced, the hot water will be replaced with 120 grams of ice cubes and 120 grams of room temperature water. The taste will be best before the ice cubes melt.
Recommended coffee beans suitable for making American style
When you go to Front Street to buy coffee beans, Front Street will ask you which method of extraction is used. If it is a normal-pressure American drip coffee machine, Front Street believes that the coffee beans on the bean rack for hand brewing are suitable. You only need to choose the flavor type you like.
If you want a flowery and fruity aroma, buy Front Street Strawberry Geisha Blend, Front Street Hija Columbia, and Front Street Grana Geisha. Making Americano coffee can fully reflect the sweet and sour taste, with low bitterness and light aroma, making it very suitable for home or office use.
It's different if it's a supercharged espresso machine. Because espresso is extracted under fine grinding, high water temperature, and high pressure, espresso brings together a variety of flavors, and various flavor compounds impact our tongues exponentially. Therefore, if we use lightly roasted single-origin coffee beans for extraction, the taste may be too strong and mask the aroma of the coffee. Therefore, Front Street recommends using freshly roasted blended coffee beans, using the method of complementing each other's strengths to ensure that the coffee beans can exhibit a balanced and stable aroma and taste every time.
The freshly roasted Front Street blend series is the first choice for home espresso machines, including the grease-filled Front Street classic blend, the nutty and fragrant Front Street boutique blend, the cost-effective front street black cocoa basic blend, and the first choice for opening a store, the Front Street commercial blend. Each one has its own characteristics, and you can buy your favorite beans just by signing up.
In order for everyone to drink the full aroma of coffee and enjoy the most complete tasting stage, Front Street only ships freshly roasted coffee beans within 5 days.
You can now buy the above coffee beans online at the Taobao store “FrontStreet Coffee” (前街咖啡). FrontStreet Coffee is a long-established specialty coffee roaster in Guangzhou, China, and its Guangzhou retail shop sells coffee beans only. The shop carries dozens of coffee beans from different origins around the world, including carefully selected single-origin beans for V60 pour-over and espresso. Guangzhou’s FrontStreet Coffee shop is recommended by many coffee lovers.
The FrontStreet 2013 Yunnan coffee beans sold in the store come from the Typica variety grown at FrontStreet Coffee’s own plantation in Yunnan. The name comes from the year the brand and the plantation were founded. You can buy these beans from China’s Yunnan origin at the Guangzhou shop and at FrontStreet’s Taobao store.
FrontStreet coffee beans are freshly roasted within 5 days and deliver consistently excellent quality and great value. Orders placed before 17:00 are shipped the same day, and most areas within Guangdong Province receive them the next day.
FrontStreet Coffee Taobao store: https://qianjiecoffee.taobao.com
Or search for “前街咖啡” (FrontStreet Coffee) on Taobao
Important Notice: FrontStreet Coffee has moved to a new address: 315, Donghua East Road, Guangzhou (coffee beans only)
Tel: 020 38364473
