Caffè Americano: Espresso Lengthened with Hot Water
Inspired by techniques from James Hoffmann.
A strong, hot coffee made by pouring hot water over a single shot of espresso, optionally topped with steamed milk and sugar.
Always check the labels of the products you use.
Method
- 1
Warm. Warm the 180 ml mug with hot water and tip it out.
- 2
Pull. Pull a single shot of 30 ml espresso straight into the mug.
- 3
Pour. Slowly pour about 150 ml of the hot water (about 70 °C, not boiling) over the espresso to fill the mug.
- 4
Crema. Pouring water onto espresso keeps some crema; for more crema, put the water in first and pull the shot onto it.
- 5
Serve. Serve at once, with a little steamed milk and a demerara sugar cube on the side for those who want them.
Storage
Drink immediately whilst hot. Cool leftovers in a shallow container and refrigerate within 2 hours (within 1 hour on a day above 32°C).
EU nutrition claims
- Low fat: 0.8 g fat per 100 ml (limit ≤ 1.5 g)
- Low salt: 0.04 g salt per 100 ml (limit ≤ 0.3 g)
Per 100 ml of the finished dish, worked out from the nutrition per serving and the lowest likely cooked weight (about 125 ml a serving), so the true values are, if anything, lower. Thresholds from the Annex to EU Regulation (EC) No 1924/2006. How we decide
Caffeine · Free sugars
- Per serving: about 64 mg caffeine (serving: 1 cup (single espresso, 30 ml)). Source: 30 ml espresso × USDA FDC SR Legacy #171891 (espresso, 212 mg/100 g).
- Scaling: making more servings does not change the caffeine in each serving; what counts is how many servings you drink in a day. 1 serving: 64 mg · 2 servings: 128 mg · 3 servings: 192 mg · 4 servings: 256 mg (above EFSA 200 mg at once).
- General guideline: EFSA Scientific Opinion on the safety of caffeine (2015): for healthy adults, up to 200 mg in a single dose and up to 400 mg per day do not raise safety concerns. 1 serving = 16 % of 400 mg. EFSA
3.9 g per serving
7.8 % of the 50 g daily maximum · 15.6 % of the ideal 25 g
Free sugars under 50 g a day, ideally about 25 g, based on WHO free-sugar guidance (not endorsed by WHO). The share shown is the share of one serving. WHO
Equipment
- espresso machine
- kettle
- warmed 180 ml mug
- small jug for the milk
Nutrition per serving (estimated values)
| Per serving | Amount |
|---|---|
| Energy | 36 kcal |
| Protein | 1 g |
| Carbohydrate | 5.9 g |
| of which sugars | 5.4 g |
| of which free sugars | 3.9 g |
| Fat | 1 g |
| of which saturates | 0.6 g |
| Fibre | 0 g |
| Salt | 0.05 g |
Protein per 100 kcal
2.8 g High Protein needs ≥ 5 g (20% of energy)
Calculated from USDA FoodData Central ingredient values
