I brew a double and pour it into a coffee mug, then add water from the steam wand to taste (usually, less than 8 oz. total volume for the drink). Quick & dirty--no art possible--but I kinda like the way the crema turns to froth.
Sandy www.sandyandina.com ------------------- Life's too short to drink lousy coffee, play crummy guitars and write with ballpoint pens.
Sandy is all over it...try to keep the double to maybe 1 1/2 oz..nice and concentrated for sweetness....believe it or not, the water will not "dilute" the taste as you'd normally think...lots of the sweetness remains...sorta like coke syrup and sparkling water....
I made a double restretto (the usual) and diluted it in a 6 oz. coffee cup with hot water from my bricoletta. It was indeed better than drip. More flavorful, it had the complexities of the espresso but was simply diluted. Thanks for the tip. I'm getting rid of the drip machine for good!!!
Coffee, I must have coffee, And if anyone wants to give me a treat, Ah!, just give me some coffee!
If my machine is on, and I'm not drinking straight espresso, you can pretty much bet it's about to build an Americano.
I usually do the same routine as Sandy, however, I'm hearing that you should float the espresso on top of the water as opposed to pouring water on the espresso. I suppose this is to let any remaining crema stay on top? Does anyone use this technique and if so, what are the benefits?
FYI...I'm also in the habit of using my Melitta Express Kettle to heat water while I simultaneously pull the shots, which seems to work great. The only tricky part is that little thing gets so hot that you have to cut it off early (before the automatic shut off kicks) so you don't get water so hot that it scalds your shots. I believe some of the fancier versions may have temp controls, but for $20 instead of $65, I'll deal with reaching over and flipping it off.
If my machine is on, and I'm not drinking straight espresso, you can pretty much bet it's about to build an Americano.
I usually do the same routine as Sandy, however, I'm hearing that you should float the espresso on top of the water as opposed to pouring water on the espresso. I suppose this is to let any remaining crema stay on top? Does anyone use this technique and if so, what are the benefits?
I pull my shot directly into the cup I am going to build the Americano in. After the shot is in the cup, I pour hot water (from my hot water tap) into the cup. The crema from the shots rides on top of the water and floats on top when I am done. It usually makes a beautiful pattern. If I had a good digital camera, I'd take a pic and post it. (Maybe I'll snap one with my phone in a bit).
The key is pulling the shot directly into the cup you are going to use for the drink. If you pull the shot into another vessel, like a little 3 oz pitcher, or a shot glass, and then dump that into a mug, you might as well forget about the crema. It will all be stuck to the side of the pitcher or shot glass.
As for ratio, I am usually at 2:1 water:coffee.
Good luck.
Jeremy
"I've appeared before every court in the state. Often as a lawyer." - Lionel Hutz, Esq.
The amount of water to espresso is a matter of taste. The proper way to make an Americano is to add the shot to the hot water. One of the many reasons you should "float" the shot into the water is that unlike milk which is heated to roughly 140-160 degrees, the hot water ideally should be around 190 and that is just to much heat to add to the shot. When pouring the shot into the water it's a more "gentle" introduction. All sorts of chemical complexities,breakdowns, re-cooking theories abound here.
Those are all really good suggestions and I'd like to try each of them. I guess I did understand why it's not good to dump near-boiling water on top of a delicate shot of espresso.
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