What Is An Iced Americano? – All You Need To Know +More!

This article details exactly what is iced Americano with three methods of making it at home. With an espresso machine, without a machine and with instant coffee.

I’ll also touch on Korean iced Americano and a lot more. The best recipe is the one where you will be replicating the Starbucks iced Americano coffee exactly!

Keep reading for the details!

What Is An Iced Americano Coffee?

An iced Americano coffee is a coffee beverage made with 2 to 4 shots of espresso, which traditionally are poured over ice cubes. The shots are then diluted with cold water, stirred and then served.

Traditionally, the amount of cold water used is a 1:1 ratio; however, Starbucks uses an espresso to cold water ratio of 1:5.

There is no exact set ratio or amount of cold water to use. It’s a personal thing. The best coffee shops respect this and serve the espresso shots with ice in tall glass with a small jug with cold water.

Read: How to make an iced Americano

How To Make Iced Americano Like A Professional Barista

Let’s now get to making this tasty, delightfully refreshing summer coffee drink. I’ll show you three easy ways of making it. Both with an espresso machine and give you the option of making the drink exactly as Starbucks do and with the same coffee beans.

A second option is making an iced Americano without an espresso machine; you’ll still need something to brew your espresso like shots and a third method, making it with instant coffee.

Making A Starbucks Iced Americano – Equipment And Ingredients

Let’s get straight to making a great iced Americano, exactly as it is made at Starbucks.

The equipment and ingredients that you will need:

• A home espresso machine.
• Digital coffee scale.
• A conical ceramic burr grinder.
• Starbucks’ signature espresso roast coffee beans.
• Cold water.
• Ice.

Instructions Step By Step

Your Starbucks iced Americano needs to be made with an excellent espresso shot or two, or three or four depending on the size of the drink that you are making.

• Tall 12 Oz (360 ml): Double espresso shot.
• Grande 16 Oz (480 ml): Three shots of espresso.
• Venti 24 Oz (720 ml): Four shots of espresso.

The goal is to replicate a Starbucks iced Americano exactly. That we will do!

Step 1: Weigh Your Espresso Beans

A good strong shot of espresso requires 20 grams of beans per shot brewed. This means that you must weigh 40 grams for a double shot, 60 grams for 3 shots and 80 grams for four shots.

Use this same formula of 20 grams per shot.

It is much better that you weigh your coffee beans while they are whole. This small act will get you better tasting coffee.

When you grind your beans, regardless of the brewing method or the coffee that you are making, the total surface area of your coffee increases, which as a result increases its exposure to oxygen and accelerates their degradation.

Delaying this until the point of brewing has a freshness and flavor advantage.

At Latte Love Brew everything we suggest, every technique, is focused on peak freshness and peak flavor.

Step 2: Grind Your Espresso Beans

Grind your espresso beans to a very fine grind size. Your coffee grinds should resemble a fine powder.

Using a conical ceramic burr grinder is for quality reasons. A burr grinder gets a better and more even grind consistency than a blade grinder. This ensures a better quality coffee due to all the coffee grinds extracting at the same time, a good even extraction.

The ceramic material causes less heat transfer from the burr to the beans while they are being ground, meaning no loss in quality of flavor or quality due to “cooking” the beans.

Grind in short 10-second bursts.

Step 3: Tamp Your Coffee Grounds

Tamping is unfortunately a skill that doesn’t get enough attention due to being so easy. Pay special attention to your tamping.

Get it wrong, and you can end up with channeling and coffee that is unevenly extracted as well as other problems. Take a second to ensure your coffee grounds are perfectly tamped.

Tamp with a flat and even pressure of approximately 30 kg.

Step 4: Pull Your Shots Of Espresso Over Ice

Place your digital scale on your drip tray. Put a glass with ice on it and use the tare function to zero the display.

Pull your shots and time the brew time.

Your shots should weigh 30 grams (1 Oz) for a single shot and 60 grams (2 Oz) for a double shot.

Brew time should take 25 seconds with a variance of 5 seconds. If your shot takes longer than 30 seconds to brew and will taste a little bitter, too bitter.

To fix this, alter the grind size and make it a little larger to encourage the hot water to flow.

If your brew time is less than 20 seconds, your shot will taste sour and under brewed. To fix this problem and encourage greater contact with your coffee grinds, make your grind size smaller.

Step 5: Add Your Cold Water

To dilute your espresso shots you will need to use an espresso to water ratio of 1:5.

• Tall 12 Oz (360 ml): 10 Oz (300 ml).
• Grande 16 Oz (480 ml): 13 Oz (390 ml).
• Venti 24 Oz (720 ml): 20 Oz (600 ml).

These are the ratios and amount of water used at Starbucks for their drink sizes.

Pour your water and stir well. Serve and enjoy.

Iced Americano Recipe Without Machine

To be open, honest and exact, making an iced Americano recipe without a machine is not really possible as what you are making is an iced coffee since you are not using shots of espresso.

A moka pot and an AeroPress will get you espresso like coffee not espresso.

Equipment And Ingredients Needed

Let’s get to the equipment and ingredients needed to make an iced coffee without an espresso machine.

• Moka pot.
• Digital coffee scales.
• Starbucks espresso roast coffee beans.
• A ceramic conical burr grinder.
• Water.
• Ice.

Instructions

Start by weighing your coffee beans and weigh 15 grams of whole coffee beans and grind to a fine powder, similar to an espresso grind. Add your coffee grinds to your moka pot.

Pre-heat 4 oz (120 ml) of water to 70C (158F) and add it to your water chamber. Put your moka pot on the stove and brew your coffee.

You’ll note that here we are using a coffee to water ratio of 1:8 instead of the usual 1:10 for this brewing method.

Add ice to a tall glass and pour your moka pot coffee over the ice. Add your cold water and stir well.

Serve and enjoy.

Note: To get the best results you are using a larger amount of coffee (4 oz) per cup of coffee and a different ratio for diluting your coffee. For the best taste, add and sip test and stop when your coffee is perfect for you.

How To Make Iced Americano With Instant Coffee

As per the moka pot method, making iced Americano with instant coffee is not really an iced Americano it is a variation of iced coffee, only it is made with instant coffee and not brewed coffee.

Here is how you can make iced Americano with instant coffee.

Ingredients Needed

• 4 Teaspoons of instant coffee of your choice.
• 1 Ounce (30 ml) of hot water.
• Sugar (optional).
• Water.
• Ice cubes.

The Method

Heat your water to 96C (205F), the ideal temperature for brewing coffee. If you don’t have a digital thermometer, boil your water and let it cool for 30 seconds.

Add your 4 teaspoons of instant coffee to a tall glass or mug. Add 30 ml (1 Oz) of hot water. Stir well until all the coffee has dissolved.

Add sugar or simple syrup as desired. Add 150 ml (5 Oz) of cold water. Stir well to mix your coffee and cold water. Add your ice cubes.

Serve and enjoy your instant iced coffee.

Iced Americano Korean Style

Iced Americano is the most popular coffee in South Korea, much more popular than cold brew, an iced latte and an iced espresso by far.

Koreans love to have their iced Americanos made with shots of espresso, exactly as a coffee shop would make it. A moka pot and instant coffee method are out of the question.

Simply make it the same way as you would as if you were replicating a Starbucks iced Americano, because, essentially that is what a Korean iced Americano is.

Iced Americano Vs Iced Coffee Taste

An iced Americano and iced coffee are two different coffee drinks. An iced Americano is made with shots of espresso which are watered down and diluted with cold water.

An iced coffee is made with brewed coffee with ice added to cool it down. An iced coffee has a clean, crisp flavor due to the paper filter removing all the coffee oils from the drink.

An iced Americano is sweet, slightly sweet with crisp acids and light bitter tones that are cooled from the addition of water.

Iced Americano Ratio

There is no actual set in stone iced Americano ratio regarding the amount of water to use in relation to the shots of espresso.

Traditionally, a 1:1 ratio was used. At Starbucks the ratio is 1:5, which works very well. Most coffee shops I know and have worked at serve a small jug of water for the drinker to add the water to their own taste preference.

Frequently Asked Questions About What Is An Iced Americano

Is Iced Americano Stronger Than Iced Coffee?

Iced Americanos have more caffeine for each drink size than iced coffee, as demonstrated in the table below. In terms of flavor, an iced coffee has a stronger taste than an iced Americano.

 Is Iced Americano Just Black Coffee?

No, a regular black coffee is brewed coffee. It’s drip coffee whereas an iced Americano is made with shots of espresso and watered down with cold water. The brewing methods are different; the result is two different tasting cups of coffee.

What Is The Difference Of Iced Coffee And Iced Americano?

The difference between an iced coffee and an iced Americano coffee is the brewing method.

An iced Americano is made with espresso shots and then watered down with cold water and then ice cubes are added. Iced coffee is made with brewed coffee, drip coffee and has ice cubes added to cool it down.

The result is two very different tasting coffees.

Is Iced Americano Healthy?

Starbucks iced Americano is one of the healthiest coffees on their menu. It has no sugar, is very low in fat and calories with only 10 to 15 calories per drink, depending on the drink size.

As long as you are not adding various types of milk, toppings and syrups, it is a good drink to enjoy.

Is It Okay To Put Sugar In Iced Americano?

Yes, a hot Americano or an iced Americano can have sugar added to it if you so desire. It is much better if you use a liquid sugar or simple syrup due to getting a much better and more even distribution of the sweetness with no residue from the sugar left.

Is Iced Americano Low Calorie?

Yes, iced caffe Americano is a low calorie coffee drink. It has only 10 to 15 calories depending on which drink size you order.

As a bonus it has no fat and no sugar and this is a great choice if you are watching your diet and intake of fat, sugar and calories.

Final Thoughts – What Is An Iced Americano?

Now that you have the details and knowledge of what is an iced Americano and have three unique methods of making it this cool and refreshing coffee drink, all that is left for you to do is to make it in the method that is best suited for you.

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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