Starbucks Iced Americano Recipe – A Tasty Copycat Recipe

Making an amazing Starbucks iced Americano recipe is easy when you follow the step-by-step instructions in this article.

I get detailed, very detailed. If you don’t have an espresso machine, don’t worry; I also talk about how to make this coffee drink without a machine.

Keep reading for the details!

Starbucks Iced Americano Recipe

You can make this Starbucks iced Americano with just a few ingredients: espresso shots, dark roast coffee beans, water and ice.

It is one of the easiest coffee drinks to make with a very uncomplicated brewing method. I’ll detail properly how to make a Starbucks iced Americano recipe without a machine. and with an espresso machine.

First, before we get started, and for a matter of clarity, let’s clear up a couple of things.

Read: Iced Americano recipe

What Is An Iced Americano?

An iced Americano is a cold coffee drink and despite being a cold drink it is brewed in the regular manner with hot water. Like iced coffee, it extracts the high temperature flavor compounds which make them unlike a cold brew, which is brewed with cold water and extracts the low temperature compounds.

An iced Americano coffee is a highly caffeinated coffee drink made with 2 to 4 shots of espresso and then watered down with cold water, stirred well to mix the espresso and cold water. Ice is then added to cool the drink and make it a coffee lover‘s favorite and refreshing summer coffee drink.

What Is The Difference Between Iced Americano And Iced Coffee

These two coffees look the same but as any coffee drinker and coffee enthusiast will tell you, they taste very different and are two different cups of coffee. They both used a different brewing method:

• Iced Americano: Brewed with shots of espresso which is diluted with cold water and cooled with ice cubes.
• Iced Coffee: Drip coffee, brewed coffee that is undiluted, served as it is over ice.

Since an iced coffee is made with shots of espresso, there should still be a little crema on  top even though it is watered down, although this can be spread thin due to a larger glass being used.

Let’s Get Making This Starbucks Iced Americano Recipe!

Making this Starbucks iced Americano recipe is easy: let’s emulate the drink at the world’s most popular coffee shop exactly by using their beans and their ratios! 

Equipment And Ingredients Needed

Let’s get to the details of the ingredients needed to make this great and refreshing coffee drink.

• Home espresso machine.
• A conical ceramic coffee grinder.
• Digital coffee scales.
• Starbucks espresso roast coffee beans.
• Mineral water or filtered water.
• Ice cubes.

98% of coffee is water. The better you water, the better your coffee will be. At the absolute minimum, use filtered water. Even though home espresso machines come with a water filter, it is good practice to use filtered water. Prefiltering your water by using a water filter jug you will ensure that your water is double filtered and as a bonus the water filter in your machine will last a little longer.

Think of it as preventative maintenance.

Read: Iced cafe Americano

Making The Perfect Espresso Shot Step By Step

Start by ensuring that your coffee machine is clean and free from any dirt, gunk and limescale build up. If you have not descaled your espresso machine in a while, now is a good time.

Make this a habit, and schedule a regular descaling process every other week or every month depending on your usage. This too is preventative maintenance and helps your machine to last longer and your coffee tasting better.

Give your machine a good once over and check the temperature of the water – it should be 92-96C (195F-205F) and nearer to 96C (205F) for the perfect shot. Too hot will result in a bitter coffee drink, for whatever coffee you make. Too cold, it will be sour.

Check the water pressure. The pressure should be 9 bars (130 PSI). This is critical for getting good quality crema.

Now that you have everything stacked in your favor, let’s get to making the perfect espresso shots.

Step 1: Weigh Your Beans

For each shot that you want to make weigh 20 grams freshly roasted whole coffee beans, using Starbucks espresso roasted coffee.

Weighing your coffee beans while whole ensures that your coffee is a little fresher as when you grind them, you increase the surface area which accelerates their degradation.

The mass of whole beans is the same as ground coffee, regardless of grind size. There is no advantage of grinding then weighing, but there is that little freshness benefit if you weigh your beans and then grind them.

Step 2: Grind Your Beans

Grind your coffee beans to a very fine powder like grind with your conical ceramic burr coffee grinder. A ceramic burr is much better as there is less heat transfer from the burr to your beans and thus less “cooking” of your ground coffee and less degradation of the quality.

Step 3: Tamp Your Ground Coffee

Tamp your ground coffee using an even pressure of approximately 30 Kg. Tamping is easy, and is a skill that should not be underrated. Poor tamping may lead to channeling and other problems.

Step 3: Pull Your Shots

Place your shot glass on your digital coffee scale and use the tare function to set the scale to zero. When your shot should weigh 30 grams or 60 grams for a double shot when brewed.

Your brew time should take 25 seconds with a variation of 5 seconds. If this is how long your shot takes, congratulations, you have the perfect espresso.

If your shot has a brew time of less than 20 seconds, your espresso will likely be under extracted and taste sour or slightly sour. To increase the contact time between your coffee grounds and hot water, you will need to use a finer grind size.

In the event of your shot taking longer than 30 seconds, your espresso will be over extracted and taste overtly bitter. To reduce the brew time and reduce the contact time between your coffee grounds and your hot water, you will need to use a slightly larger grind size.

Read: What is an iced Americano?

Step 4: Pour Your Shots Over Ice

Transfer your shots to a tall glass with ice to cool them down.

Step 5: Add Cold Water

Add cold water using an espresso to water ratio of 1:5, which is exactly what is used at Starbucks. If your shot is 30 grams (1 Oz, 30 ml), use 150 ml (5 Oz) of cold water. Use this formula for every shot.

Stir well to get a good mix and even distribution of espresso and water.

Serve and enjoy.

Iced Americano Recipe Without Machine

Making a great Iced Americano recipe without a machine is easy. Using your moka pot will get strong espresso like coffee but not an exact espresso.

To make a stronger and more potent moka pot coffee for your iced Americano, I strongly suggest that you alter the coffee to water ratio from 1:10 to 1:8 and brew 120 ml (4 Oz) of coffee per 8 Oz (240 ml) serving.

Weigh 15 grams of whole bean coffee. Starbucks espresso roast is a good choice to replicate what is sold by Starbucks.

Grind your coffee to fine powder like grind and put it into your moka pot coffee brewer.

Pre-heat your water to 70C (158F) and then add it to the water chamber of your moka pot. This gets the best results due to less vapor and low temperature water rising and spoiling your final brew with a low temperature extraction spoiling your brew.

When your coffee is ready, pour it over ice. The amount of water to add will vary slightly from person to person. I advise that you don’t use the same ratio of 1:5 that Starbucks use. Add your cold water slowly and frequently sip test to get the perfect taste.

Iced Americano With Milk

You can add milk to your caffé Americano and iced Americano as the sweetness of the milk products takes the edge off of the bitter notes and tones down the acidity. Only a splash of milk is needed.

Although regular dairy milk is a good choice, I love adding a little coconut milk for a tropical taste. Oat milk and almond milk as well as soy milk are great options too.

Adding milk to your iced Americano will turn it into an iced Americano misto.

Frequently Asked Questions About Starbucks Iced Americano Recipe

What Does Starbucks Use For Iced Americano?

Starbucks iced Americano is made with their espresso roast coffee beans. Their signature Pike Place coffee is great option too. The beverage is made up of one to four shots of espresso depending on the drink size and cold water.

What Is The Ratio For Starbucks Americano?

An Americano is supposed to be made with an espresso to water ratio of 1:1 with a hot Americano using hot water and an iced Americano using cold water. Starbucks breaks with this rule, which can be seen by the number of shots used in the four drink sizes, which are as follows:

Note: An espresso is 1 Oz (30 ml).

Is It Okay To Put Sugar In Iced Americano?

An iced Americano is served free of milk and sweeteners. You can add sugar or milk if you so wish. It is much better that you sweeten your coffee beverage with simple sugar instead of regular sugar as it gives your drinks a better and more even distribution of sweetness.

What Is The Difference Between Starbucks Iced Coffee And Iced Americano?

The main difference between an iced coffee and an iced Americano is the type of coffee used to make the two drinks. An iced coffee is made with brewed coffee and ice, while an iced Americano is made with espresso shots cold water and ice. 

What is Americano With Milk Called?

An iced Americano with milk is known as an Americano misto.  An Americano misto is made with shots of espresso, hot water and steamed milk.

What Is An Americano Called In Europe?

An Americano is known as a café Americano in Spain and Portugal, café Americano in Italy and café allongé in France. In Germany and Austria, it is known as a Schwarzkaffee. 

Final Thoughts – Starbucks Iced Americano Recipe

This Starbucks iced Americano recipe is easy to make, and I sincerely hope that you enjoyed making it, be it with an espresso machine or a moka pot. 

Making iced coffee, and iced Americano, is very refreshing and enjoyable during those hot summer months. 

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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