Caffè americano

Caffè americano
Caffè americano served in Bengaluru
Alternative namesLong black
Region or state
Main ingredientsSteaming hot water and espresso
  •  Wikimedia Commons logo Media: Caffè americano

Caffè americano (Italian: [kafˈfɛ ameriˈkaːno]; Portuguese and Spanish: café americano; lit. 'American coffee'), also known as americano or American, is an espresso shot with hot water at a 1:3 to 1:4 ratio, resulting in a drink that retains the complex flavors of espresso, but in a lighter way. Its strength varies with the number of shots of espresso and the amount of water added. The name of the drink may also be written with Italian spelling and diacritics as "caffè americano", or Portuguese and Spanish spelling and diacritics as "café americano".

Naming

Americano means 'American' in Italian, Spanish, and Portuguese. Some assert the term entered English from Italian in the 1970s. Caffè americano specifically is Italian for 'American coffee'. There is a popular belief that the name has its origins in World War II when American G.I.s in Italy diluted espresso with hot water to approximate the coffee to which they were accustomed. However, the Oxford English Dictionary cites the term as a borrowing from Central American Spanish café americano, a derisive term for mild coffee, dating back to the middle of the 1950s. Its first use in English appeared in the Jamaican newspaper The Sunday Gleaner in 1964. The term caffè americano entered Italian later than the English or Spanish uses, suggesting the term originates outside of Italy.

In Italy, caffè americano may mean either espresso with hot water or long-filtered coffee, but the latter is more precisely called caffè all'americana (lit. 'American-style coffee').

Following proposals to annex Canada by President Donald Trump in 2025, some cafés in Canada have begun re-branding the americano as "canadiano" on their menus.

Preparation

Americano as served in the Philippines

The drink consists of a single shot of espresso mixed with added water. Typically about 120 milliliters (4 imp fl oz; 4 U.S. fl oz) – 180 milliliters (6 imp fl oz; 6 U.S. fl oz) of hot water mixed with the espresso.

Long black is an Australasian drink similar to the americano (in contrast to short black for espresso), with an emphasis being placed on the order of preparation, adding water to the cup first before pouring one or two espresso on top.

In the western U.S., Italiano sometimes refers to a short americano with equal amounts of espresso and water (lungo).

Variations

See also

References

  1. ↑ Tom (July 28, 2023). "How to Make an Americano the Barista Way". bigcupofcoffee.com. Archived from the original on December 8, 2023. Retrieved October 11, 2023.
  2. ↑ "Americano". OED. Archived from the original on December 29, 2023. Retrieved January 5, 2022. Chiefly representing the usage of Italian, Spanish, or Portuguese speakers: a native or inhabitant of the United States.
  3. ↑ "Americano". Oxford Dictionary of English. Archived from the original on December 29, 2023. Retrieved January 5, 2022. (from Italian)
  4. ↑ "Americano". Collins English Dictionary. Retrieved March 22, 2014. Word origin; C20: from Italian (caffè) Americano American (coffee).
  5. ↑ "Americano". Merriam-Webster. Archived from the original on December 8, 2023. Retrieved January 5, 2020. Etymology; borrowed from Spanish café americano or Italian caffè americano, lit. 'American coffee'.
  6. ↑ "Americano". Lexico. Archived from the original on July 9, 2021. Retrieved January 5, 2020.
  7. ↑ Allerton, David J. (2010). I Only Have a Kitchen Because It Came with the House. The Foodies Handbook. p. 26. ISBN 9781446130018. Retrieved October 19, 2014. An espresso coffee diluted with hot water and containing no milk. An Italian term literally meaning 'American coffee'.
  8. ↑ Coyle, Cleo (2009). Holiday Grind - a coffeehouse mystery. Berkley Publishing Group. p. 228. ISBN 9781101151143. Retrieved November 2, 2016. Caffè americano, americano—The Italian answer to American-style drip coffee. An espresso diluted with hot water. It has a similar strength to drip coffee but a different flavor. The drink's origin dates back to World War II when American GIs stationed in Italy added hot water to their espressos to create a drink closer to the type of coffee they were used to back home.
  9. ↑ "cafe Americano". Oxford English Dictionary (online ed.). Oxford University Press. (Subscription or participating institution membership required.)
  10. ↑ Caucci, Raffaella (February 6, 2019). "Caffè americano e caffè all'americana. Qual è la differenza?" [American coffee and American-style coffee. What is the difference?]. Dersut Magazine (in Italian). Archived from the original on October 18, 2022. Retrieved January 5, 2022.
  11. ↑ "The 'Canadiano'—Why Canadian Cafés Are Renaming The Americano, Explained". Forbes. March 3, 2025. Retrieved March 5, 2025.
  12. ↑ "Americanos are now 'Canadianos' in Canadian cafes protesting Trump". Washington Post. February 25, 2025. Retrieved March 5, 2025.
  13. ↑ Bellis, James (April 13, 2023). "Flat White vs Cappuccino vs Latte vs Americano vs Macchiato". Balance Coffee. Archived from the original on October 5, 2023. Retrieved December 29, 2023.
  14. ↑ "Why You Should Stop Drinking Long Blacks and Start Drinking Black Coffee". Perth Coffee Project. February 26, 2014. Retrieved February 24, 2015.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: deprecated archival service (link)
  15. 1 2 "Coffee Recipes – Long Black". Breville. Archived from the original on June 7, 2023. Retrieved December 29, 2023.
  16. ↑ "Espresso: Questions and Answers – Italiano drink order". coffeegeek.com. November 11, 2005. Archived from the original on July 8, 2011. Retrieved December 29, 2023.
  17. ↑ "Regional: United States West – espresso profeta in Westwood?". coffeegeek.com. Archived from the original on July 8, 2011. Retrieved December 29, 2023.
  18. ↑ Agence France-Presse (February 10, 2023). "'I only drink this': why South Koreans are in a froth over iced Americano". South China Morning Post. Retrieved May 31, 2025.
  19. ↑ Cho, Min-jeong (November 27, 2023). "Koreans will 'freeze to death' for iced Americanos even in winter". The Korea Herald. Retrieved August 22, 2025.
  20. ↑ Cho, Yong-jun (March 15, 2025). "[WHY] It's cold in Korea. Why is everyone drinking iced americanos?". Korea JoongAng Daily. Retrieved August 22, 2025.
  21. ↑ "What Is An Americano? Is It Just Regular American Coffee?". Super Coffee. Retrieved May 8, 2025.
  22. ↑ "Red-Eye Coffee Recipe: How to Make a Red-Eye Coffee". MasterClass. June 24, 2021. Archived from the original on January 3, 2022. Retrieved December 29, 2023.