When two different coffee cultures collide : the birth of Americano
One of the many variants of espresso, caffe americanο, has been common enough for many years in Greece as well. The birth of Caffee Americano hides a very interesting story, which has become a legend.
Coffee preparation and drinking show many things about everyday life: from the extraction method to the hours of the day the locals are used to enjoy their favorite beverage, coffee can reveal important secrets for a country or a city. A well-known coffee beverage, Americano, is said to have been born because of such a difference between two coffee cultures, the American and the Italian.
Caffe Americano is nothing more than an espresso diluted in warm water, usually in a ratio of 1: 1 or 1: 2. The final beverage usually resembles something between espresso and filter coffee. Due to dilution, the dense flavor of the espresso gets weaker, while its characteristic cream disappears. On the other hand, because of its extraction, americano remains stronger and more intense than the usual filter coffee, preserving some of the espresso flavors.
The earliest mention of "Caffe Americano" is found in a novel by English writer Somerset Maugham, whose plot is taking place in Naples of the First World War. As Maugham does not give us more details about the americano, we cannot be sure he is talking about the same drink, but Americano's birth story makes it extremely likely.
According to the urban legend, American soldiers in Italy during the Second World War, besides the other difficulties, had to deal with one more: they could not get used to the taste of espresso. Espresso seemed too intense, bitter, and too small for their taste. The Americans were accustomed to large, filling cups of filter coffee, much lighter in taste and flavor, unlike the Italians who used to enjoy coffee the espresso way: in small, intense doses enjoyed quickly, standing on the bar, many times during the day. When two such anti-diametrically opposed coffee cultures collided, the legend says, a new beverage was born, caffe Americano.
Thus, the habit of American Soldiers of the Great War to dilute their espresso with hot water, trying to bring the everyday life of their homeland that they were nostalgic of a little closer, seems to have created another espresso variation. Over the years, Americano variants appeared: if we add hot water to the espresso, we prepare an americano, but if we add an espresso to a cup of hot water, the drink is called Long Black, and its difference lies in the fact that cream of espresso does not completely dissolve, and the final drink reminds the taste of espresso a little more. Of course, the ratio of 1: 1 we mentioned produces the typical Americano (or Italiano, for the Americans), while further dilution of espresso is also a commonplace. Other variations include the iced americano, while for the bold ones there is Red Eye (or Shot in the Dark), in which the espresso does not dilute with water but with ... filter coffee!
If you enjoy the flavor of espresso, but you want coffee to take more time, the Americano is a very good solution - but be careful of the caffeine: americano’s taste may be lighter, but is has the exact same amount of caffeine as an espresso. The next time you prepare an espresso, try this variation that has its roots at the years of the Great War!
