Caffè Americano or simply Americano is a coffee style prepared by adding hot water to espresso, giving a similar strength to but a much more flavourful version of a regular drip coffee.
Typically, you take a single or double-shot of espresso and then add about 30 – 470ml (topup to cup) of hot water. You can vary the strength of the Americano by adding more or less shots of espresso.
In the United States, “Americano” means adding hot water and espresso in any order, but according to coffee gurus strictly speaking it means to add water to espresso. If you swap it around, and add espresso to water it’s called “a long black”.
Variations include:
- Long black
- Lungo
- Red eye
