Last updated on July 28th, 2024 at 13:43
Iced Americano coffee is amazing, tasty and so refreshing on a hot day. Better still, it is so easy to make at home; in fact you can effortlessly match the drink sold at Starbucks for pennies on the dollar and get the exact same taste.
Just follow the instruction in this article for the details.
Keep reading and get ready to make an amazing Iced Americano coffee at home!
Iced Americano Coffee Starbucks Copycat Recipe
Table Of Contents
If you want to make a true iced Americano coffee just like the one that is served and sold at your local Starbucks, simply follow the recipe exactly, miss nothing.
The key factor here is to use the exact coffee beans that they use, which is the Starbucks espresso roast and use the same ratio that is used by the coffee giant when diluting the espresso shots, which is a ratio of 1:5.
Read: Who orders an iced Americano
Equipment And Ingredients That You Will Need
- Espresso Machine.
- Ceramic Conical Burr Grinder.
- Digital Coffee Scales.
- Starbucks Espresso Roast Coffee Beans.
- Water.
Let’s get you making world-class shots of espresso.
Iced Caffè Americano Instructions Step By Step
Follow these instructions to replicate the coffee drink at Starbucks and use the cold water espresso coffee beans in the ratios and quantities stated.
- Tall 12 Oz (360 ml): 2 shots of espresso.
- Grande 16 Oz (480 ml): 3 shots of espresso.
- Venti 24 Oz (720 ml): 4 shots of espresso.
Each shot requires 20 grams of ground coffee.
Now for the cold water quantity for each drink size to replicate the same American iced coffee drink from Starbucks.
- Tall 12 Oz (360 ml): 10 Oz (300 ml) cold water.
- Grande 16 Oz (480 ml): 13 Oz (360 ml) cold water.
- Venti 24 Oz (720 ml): 20 Oz (600 ml) cold water.
Read: Iced blonde Caffè Americano
Step 1: Prepare Your Espresso Machine
Prepare your espresso machine by giving it a good descaling session and ensuring it is properly clean on the inside with no dirt, debris or mineral deposits building up and causing inferior and imperfect coffee.
Check the water temperature and ensure that it is within the perfect temperature range of 195F to 205F (92C to 96C), preferably nearer to the 96C (205F) for great espresso.
Check your water pressure too and ensure that it is at 9 bars (130 PSI).
These settings are critical for making top quality espresso shots.
Step 2: Weigh Your Coffee Beans
Weigh your coffee beans when they are whole. They will weigh the same when you grind them. Weigh 20 grams per shot that you need to pull.
By weighing them when they are whole, you will get a little freshness factor advantage as you are delaying their grinding until the point of brewing and reducing their exposure to air.
Step 3: Grind Your Coffee Beans
Grind your coffee beans using a ceramic conical burr grinder. The ceramic material helps to reduce heat transfer to your beans, which aid their freshness factor a little by reducing the “cooking” effect of the heat. The conical shape helps to get more accurate and uniform grind size for every single grind.
Grind in short burst of 10 seconds and rest of 5 seconds. Continue until all your beans have been ground.
Step 4: Tamp Your Grounds
Tamp your coffee grounds with a good even pressure of 30 kg of pressure. Tamping is easy, very easy, and it is very, very important as poor taming leads to channeling. Pay attention to this step.
Step 5: Pull Your Shots
Pull your shots. The best technique is to place your digital scales on the drip trap and place your shot glass on your digital scale and zero your scale using the tare function.
Pull your shots. The shots should take 25 seconds with a variance of 5 seconds and should weigh 30 grams (1 ounce).
A double shot should weigh 60 grams (2 ounces) and still take 25 seconds to pull with a 5-second variance.
Trouble Shooting!
If your shot is taking too long to pull, longer than 30 seconds, it should taste a little too bitter. To fix this problem, adjust your grind size and make it slightly smaller until your brew time is within the 25 seconds range.
If your shot brew time is too quick, brewing in less than 20 seconds, you will need to adjust your grind size and make it slightly smaller to encourage greater contact with the coffee grounds.
Step 6: Transfer To A Tall Glass
Transfer your shots to a tall glass with ice and add cold water using a ratio of 1:5, that’s 5 times as much water as there is espresso.
Serve and enjoy.
Read: What is an iced Americano?
How To Make Iced Americano With Nescafé Instant Coffee
Making an iced Americano without a machine is easy, very easy and there is no method that is easier than using a Nescafé Instant coffee.
Technically this is more of an iced coffee than an iced Americano as no espresso is used.
Ingredients Needed
- 4 Teaspoons Of Nescafé Instant Coffee.
- 1 Teaspoon of Sugar or Simple Syrup.
- 2 Tablespoon 30 ml (1 oz) of hot water 92C to 96C (195F to 205F).
- 150 ml (5 Oz) of cold water.
- Ice Cubes.
Instructions For Making Nescafe Iced Americano Coffee
Making your iced Americano coffee is easy. Very easy. Start by heating your water in your kettle and bring it to a boil. Let it cool for 30 seconds to a minute will bring it to the perfect brewing temperature.
While you are waiting for your water to boil and cool down add 4 teaspoons of instant Nescafe coffee to a tall glass. When your hot water is ready, add 30 ml (1 Oz) and stir well to mix your instant coffee.
Optional sweeten with sugar or, better still, simply syrup and stir well
Add 5 ounces (150 ml) of cold water, stir well and add ice.
Serve and enjoy.
What Does Iced Americano Taste like?
Traditional and well-made iced Americano, made with shots of espresso, is very refreshing, sweet, and with crisp acids and light bitter notes.
It’s a coffee that you will enjoy on a hot day.
Does Iced Americano Taste Bitter?
Yes, there are bitter notes that you will taste when sipping your Americano, even though there are notes of sweetness and caramelized sugars.
Does Iced Americano Taste Sweet?
There is a light sweetness to iced Americano, due to the caramelized sugars from the coffee beans and their roasting process.
It’s sweet like a latte or a mocha, not by a long shot, but it is there, subtly, complex and with notes of the bitterness and crisp acidity.
Iced Americano Korean Style
Korean iced Americano is not different from regular iced Americano. It’s made with shots of espresso, cold water and ice.
To make an iced Americano Korean style, just copy the recipe above for emulating the Starbucks copycat version. Pull your shots of espresso and add 5 oz of cold water per shot of espresso and stir well. Add ice to chill it.
Serve and enjoy.
Frequently Asked Questions About Iced Americano Coffee
What Is The Difference Between Starbucks Iced Coffee And Iced Americano?
Both a Starbucks iced coffee and an iced Americano are tasty and refreshing. Their iced coffee has notes of cola and caramel while their iced Americano is rich with a depth of flavor. The main difference is the brewing methods. An iced coffee is brewed coffee while an iced Americano is a shot of espresso that is watered down with cold water and has ice added.
Is Iced Americano High In Caffeine?
Starbucks iced Americano has a lot of caffeine. The exact amount of caffeine depends on the drink size as follows:
- Tall 12 Oz (360 ml): 150 mg.
- Grande 16 Oz (480 ml): 225 mg
- Venti 24 Oz (720 ml): 300 mg.
Maximum amount of caffeine recommended per day is 400 mg, and thus it is fair to say that it is high in caffeine content.
Why Is It Called Iced Americano?
It is called an iced Americano because it is caffe Americano with ice (to state the obvious!). The name of the drink originates from US Soldiers stationed in Italy during the second world war and having a preference for brewed black coffee but found the local coffee, a shot of espresso, too strong and too small. As a solution they added water to it. During the summer months, cold water and ice were added.
Since it was only Americans that ordered that coffee and was created by Americans it became known as caffe Americano.
What Is The Difference Between Latte And Americano?
Both a latte and an Americano are espresso based drinks but are very different.
Let’s look at their composition to get a better understanding of each drink:
- Caffe Latte: Made with a shot of espresso and steamed milk in an espresso to milk ratio of 1:2. It has a layer of foamed milk and is famed for its latte art.
- Caffe Americano: Made with a shot of espresso and traditionally watered down with hot water using a 1:1 ratio between the espresso shot and the hot water.
Note: Many coffee shops break with the traditional espresso to hot water ratio of 1:1. like Starbucks, who use a 1:5 to 1:7 depending on the drink size. Many coffee shops serve the hot water separately and leave it to the client to pour the amount desired.
Both drinks taste very different, with a latte being a milky coffee with a rich silky texture and light coffee flavors breaking through the milk.
An Americano is stronger and bolder with a more notable coffee taste.
Why Is Iced Americano So Bitter?
If your iced Americano is bitter, or too bitter, there are two main causes:
- Your water is too hot while extracting the espresso shot.
- Your brew time was too long.
Start by adjusting your grind size and making it a little larger. Time your shot. It should take 25 seconds with a variance of plus or minus 5 seconds. If your brew time is fine. Check your water temperature; it should be between 92C and 96C (195F to 205F).
Why Is Americano So Sour?
If your Americano is sour, there are three main reasons why this happened:
- Your beans are old and no longer fresh.
- Your brew time was too short.
- Your water temperature was too low.
Check your beans; if they are old, up cycle them and use them in your garden or compost heap. If your brew tim is too short, try a smaller grind size to increase contact with the hot water.
If it is your water temperature, adjust your machine.
Final Thoughts – Iced Americano Coffee
I hope that you follow the instructions to the letter for this iced Americano coffee, particularly paying attention to the part about making world-class shots of espresso – trust me I’ve made 10,000 or more shots of espresso, maybe even there is another zero on the end of that during my years as barista.
Follow those instructions, and you will have perfect shots for the base of every other espresso drinks that you want to make.
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Derek Marshall
Derek Marshall, a certified barista by the Specialty Coffee Association possesses over two decades of experience in specialty coffee shops. He holds professional certifications for coffee brewing and barista skills. Derek is also an author with authoritative books covering various coffee topics including specialty coffee, sustainability and coffee, coffee brewing, coffee recipes, coffee cocktails and books focusing on Brazilian coffee, Vietnamese coffee, Indonesian coffee and Malaysian coffee. As a barista for over two decades, Derek Marshall has worked in specialty coffee shops across the United Kingdom, Spain, Thailand, Malaysia, Cambodia, Indonesia, and Vietnam. His expertise extends to the distinct coffee cultures, specialty beverages, and brewing techniques of each nation. Functioning as a coffee consultant, Derek charges US$50 per hour. To learn more about Derek Marshall and Latte Love Brew, visit his About Me Page. For coffee inquiries, contact him at +34-639-410-375 or Derek@LatteLoveBrew.com, mentioning your name and location
