The Americano: the barometer for judging any coffee shop or espresso bar

An artisan coffee shop or espresso bar should be able execute an exceptional Americano.  And if not, can they execute anything properly?

You think it would just be all about the espresso, and it is -- to a point. I've known top-notch places that have great espresso, and fail miserably when it comes time to make an Americano. A failed Americano is the result of either improperly roasted espresso, under or over-extracted espresso, bad drink building basics, non-caring barista (it's not a sexy drink), non-caring ownership, or all the above. The Americano is a foundation drink. There are no excuses for poor execution.

The Americano, the quicker, fresher alternative to batch-brewed coffee is a drink that should be easy to execute, and reveals what standards a coffee shop or espresso bar actually has as compared to those that they claim to have. The recipe is simple: espresso brewed directly into the hot water, which is already residing in the cup.

“What about espresso first, and then add water?” No.

“Or maybe pull shots into shot glasses or some funky pitcher looking thingamajig and then pour over the water?” Again, that would be a “No.”

But for the Americano to work, your water should never be hotter than your espresso. Water temperature, relative to brew temperature, altitude, etc. should be as high as 165 F (74 C) or less (ours is at 156  F) for the best results. Once the espresso exits the group head, it has already dropped several degrees by the time it hits the water. Another thing is -  your espresso, and the resultant Americano needs to have body and texture. The proper amount of lipids and oils are necessary for good crema density, texture, and mouthfeel. Without them, result is the same as a weakly brewed cup of coffee. A thin, watery, espresso-like concoction is not an Americano. It's just a bad drink.

There are many new places that have come about in recent years - both in our fair city, and across the globe, and the Americano, much like the Emperor's new clothes, reveals all -- and it isn't pretty.

So for all you current and prospective shop owners, barista, and coffee-beverage lovers of all types – If you can't make a tasty Americano, an honest to goodness “That's good!” Americano, then you might want to examine everything you are doing. Yep, it's that important.

The Jesus Principle, Coffee, and the Truth of Recession

No, not the mythical religious icon....

Jesus, as is (hey-soos) [real name unknown] is a former veteran who's lost most touch with reality and is a semi-transient artist who has been coming to our caffe off and on since our opening year.

Much can be learned about the truth of recession and how it relates to discretionary, or luxury, spending when you examine Jesus.

Jesus does not have a lot of discretionary income, in fact, he has little income at all. He receives a monthly check from the government, but most of his time is spent walking about talking complete nonsense and occasionally selling hand drawn artwork at the park for about three to ten bucks a drawing.

Compare Jesus to the overspending Yuppie or general young idiot. You have someone with a livable income who has spent well outside their means. Luxury items to them may not be a big deal, but the house they couldn't afford is, as well as their other mis-management of money habits.

Jesus has a usual routine: He quietly mumbles his order, an Americano--16 ounce, and sometimes gets two while he sits out on the patio and draws, mumbles about people chasing him with electric griddles (I kid you not!), or both.

He could walk anywhere and get a cup for a buck fifty or less, but with his limited resources he comes here. And as someone else was standing in line asking about the Americano, he brazenly mumbled, "best coffee in the city".

Those who have less, spend it more thoughtfully, and actually they increase the luxury, but decrease the frequency. Recession. Bullshit. For those who have little money, spend wisely, like Jesus.

Conventional Bulk Auto Drip or Americano: Why?

The question has been posed on the Specialty Coffee forums about whether to only offer Americanos or to offer brewed coffee.

For most operators, the term "brewed coffee" refers to conventional bulk auto drip coffee. And to this question I said that only "you" can decide. But is it necessary? The answer would be a definitive "no."

In an earlier post I commented on stealing a customer by offering our Americano as an improvement, not as a replacement.

Coffee is great, but conventional auto drip is not warranted for the best of coffees and is not the best method for highlighting the dynamic flavors of the coffee. Brewing methods such as Chemex, press pot, siphon, hand drip (Melitta)... are better methods -if done correctly- for coffee brewing because they require more attention to detail and the attention and focus translates more "love" into the cup.

We saw everyone doing "drip" and everywhere, and I mean everywhere we went it was from "not bad" to "yuck!". Nothing was excellent. Caffe Vivace in Seattle was the standard bearer for "we only do espresso" and that is the model used for the first year and a half until we began to offer Single Origin press to order coffee and now, Single Origin siphon brewed coffee.

The properly brewed Americano is superior in flavor and body to conventional drip. It's really not even a close contest, but because of the poor espresso of the vast majority of shops, their Americano will follow suit. It's not the drink, it's the quality of the beans and the barista, or PBTC, preparing it.

So if you're looking for a replacement for conventional drip, I don't know what to tell you. But if you're looking for something superior, try a fresh ground, fresh brewed Americano.