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In the world of espresso beverages, one of the best drinks is the Café Americano. I could not even guess as to how many I've had the privilege of drinking. When I first decided to drink better coffee at home, I used the french press as one of the primary means to brew coffee. With this method comes some extra sediment some might not appreciate. Such was the case with both my mother and mother in law, who are definitely coffee drinkers. The Krups drip coffee-maker would have to be dusted off when they were in town, of course, that was until I gave them the coveted Americano.

The origins of the Americano are more akin to legend than proven fact. The story begins during World War II, with American soldiers reclaiming Italy from Mussolini. Perhaps the soldiers were part of the "Red Bull" 34th ID who spent a considerable time fighting in Italy, who knows. In any case, it is certainly legend which places them in a café, trying to order just a plain cup of coffee. Unfortunately, the cultural barrier keeps their taste-buds full of espresso, really strong coffee brewed under pressure (9 BAR) in a short amount of time (27 seconds). Whether the delicious taste of espresso or its measly 1.5oz (40ml) size, the soldiers didn't exactly like what was offered. To remedy the situation, someone diluted the espresso with hot water to bring the taste more close to that of coffee from the States. Just then, the Café Americano was born. The ratio is apparently just right, and soldiers from all over Italy start ordering what becomes known as the Americano.

In my Americano drinking experience, the only thing wrong with the drink is the lack of standards. The basic mix is always water topped with espresso. However, a few questions arise. How much water is needed to dilute the espresso and in what order would one pour the drink. So here, I propose standards for the most wonderful drink ever created, the Americano.

First, the drink must obviously include hot water and espresso. How hot? Minimum of 190° F to a maximum of 205°. This is similar to brewed coffee, but not exactly. Next, how much water should one use to dilute the espresso? Basically, there are way too many over-diluted Americanos being served. I'm not asking for much, but placing a 1.5oz espresso in 14.5oz of water is just not enough. There is just no way to call the tinted water an Americano. For more specifics in water ratio, see Figure 1 below.

Although the order of pouring doesn't necessarily make the drink much different, the standard should be water first, then espresso. The two primary reasons for this relates to time, and crema. When the water is added to the espresso, the espresso's crema (really, really small bubbles of oils which float to the top of the espresso - aka yummy stuff) stay at the top longer. Rare, however, is the occasion one can find a barista (professional espresso drink maker) who does this unless they too, like the Americano and enjoy crema. The second reason relates to time saving. Rather than looking longingly at the espresso being created, the barista could save some time by adding the hot water to a cup before the espresso has fully poured. Further, using this method reduces the delivery time of fresh espresso to the consumer.

The Americano brilliantly takes the wonderful taste of espresso and adds to it the time to drink that much hot beverage. This allows for the pleasant effects of relaxing with a cup of coffee. Therein lies the best part of drinking Americanos, sitting for a moment, and deepening the relationships which are the most valuable part of life.