Famous Death Row Last Meals
Food Fights: The Biggest Culinary Scandals Of 2011
Making a caffè Americano. Photo: Erin Meister
During the Allied occupation of Italy in WWII, American soldiers would walk up to a counter and order a caffè, only to be somewhat alarmed by the dainty little espresso cups placed in front of them. You can almost hear the Yankee accents echoing off the walls of this or that bar in Rome: "You call this coffee? Where's the rest of it?!" It wasn't long before the Italian baristas realized that what the boys from the U.S. of A. really wanted was a larger, diluted beverage: By adding hot water to the usual espresso, they could more or less replicate the soldiers' traditional hot cup of "mud."
Today, caffè Americano lives on many stateside coffeeshop menus alongside the more conventional brewed coffee, largely as a matter of taste. Some imbibers see the hot, watered-down espresso as a very fresh alternative to the average filtered brew. Many prefer the flavor or the body of the more voluminous drink, while others bicker endlessly about which concoction has the most caffeine. (Answer: It kind of depends.)
Which do you prefer: caffè Americano or just a regular ol' cuppa joe? Tell us in the comments.
Erin Meister trains baristas for North Carolina-based Counter Culture Coffee and sporadically maintains the blog Meet the Press Pot from her home in New York City. This is part of a series for the caffeine-addicted.
PHOTOS: Best And Worst Of Grammy Dresses
Whitney Houston Dead: Singer Dies at 48, Body Found in Beverly Hilton Hotel
LINSANITY CONTINUES
Whitney Houston Autopsy: Cause of Death Determined?
Whitney Houston, Bobbi Kristina: Late Singer's Daughter Hospitalized
Whitney Houston Dead: Stars React to Legend's Sudden Death
Grammy Red Carpet 2012 (PHOTOS)
Grammy 2012 Winners' List: Adele Sweeps Music's Biggest Night
Jennifer Hudson Whitney Tribute: Grammy President Reveals Why Singer Was Chosen for Musical Memorial
Katy Perry Grammy Performance 2012: Did the Diva Diss Her Ex-Hubby With Revealing New Song?
5-Hour Energy: A Success Equal Parts Caffeine, Chemistry and Meditation
People With Easy-To-Pronounce Names More Likely To Succeed, Study Says
1-05-2010 @3:28PM cathy said... I love coffee. Americano or otherwise. What I don't like is paying $4.00 or more for a cup of it anywhere. www.beyondbitch.wordpress.com
Reply
1-05-2010 @5:01PM dogcow said... Great photo!
Reply
1-05-2010 @10:52PM Benjamin John said... I've GOT to have my Americano, however I had no idea how it had become an Americano. Thank you! I'll enjoy my americano even more now!
Benjamin John
www.blindambitionsolartech.com
Reply
1-05-2010 @11:08PM John said... Best of both worlds, the "Shot in the Dark" or "Redeye" Espresso in a cup of Drip.
Reply
1-06-2010 @1:07PM Gobo said... I love an Americano! I especially enjoy the New Zealand "tall black"... it's their standard coffee down there, and it's just an Americano with the espresso added to hot water (rather than the other way around).
Reply
1-13-2010 @3:47PM Howard said... The photo makes this coffee look even more delicious.
Reply