Restaurants›Couleur Locale›Americano Recipe

Americano Recipe

Name: Couleur Locales Americano Recipe
Cook time: 7 min
Total time: 7 min
Yield: 1 servings
Cuisine: American
Ingredients: 18 g freshly ground coffee (medium-fine grind for espresso); 40 ml cold, filtered water (for brewing espresso); 120 ml hot water; 1 tsp sugar or sweetener; 1 tbsp milk or cream

Inspired by Couleur Locale

Time7m

Serves1

Make Americano Recipe in just 7m. Get the full recipe with step-by-step instructions at pekinthechef.com.

Was this page helpful?

Help improve this recipe for others.

Send this recipe to your inbox.

We'll email it straight to you - plus weekly cooking inspiration.

Ingredients

Some product links may be affiliates. If you buy through them, you're supporting the site and Pekin may earn a commission at no extra cost to you.

Coffee

5/8 oz (18 g) freshly ground coffee (medium-fine grind for espresso)2.71 tbsp (40 ml) cold, filtered water (for brewing espresso)

Water (for dilution)

1/2 cup (120 ml) hot water

Optional

1 tsp sugar or sweetener1 tbsp milk or cream

Method

Prepare espresso

Measure and grind

Measure 18 g of whole coffee beans. Grind to a medium-fine grind suitable for espresso (slightly finer than drip, but not Turkish).

Dose and tamp

Place the ground coffee into a clean espresso portafilter, distribute evenly, and tamp with 30–40 pounds of pressure to create a level puck.

Pull espresso

Lock the portafilter into a preheated espresso machine group head. Start extraction and brew approximately 40 ml of espresso. Aim for a 25–30 second extraction time (from pump to stop) to yield a balanced 1:2 ratio (18 g in → ~36–40 ml out).

Assemble the Americano

Heat 120 ml of hot water to about 90–95°C (194–203°F). You can heat water using the espresso machine’s hot water tap, a kettle, or a microwave (briefly).

Pour the hot water into a preheated cup first (optional) to maintain temperature. Standard Americanos are made either by adding espresso to hot water (traditional) or adding hot water to espresso (crema-preserving). For a preserved crema, pour the espresso into the cup first and then add the hot water slowly. For the traditional café style, pour the hot water into the cup first, then add the espresso on top.

Combine: Add the freshly pulled 40 ml espresso to the 120 ml hot water (ratio roughly 1:3). Gently stir once to combine if desired.

Taste and adjust: Add sugar/sweetener to taste (about 1 tsp) or milk/cream (about 1 tbsp) if desired. Stir until dissolved and serve immediately.

Serve and cleanup

Serve the Americano immediately while hot in a pre-warmed cup. Rinse the portafilter, purge the steam/water lines if used, and wipe down the group head.