Americano - does the water go in before or after the espresso? - Page 3

#21: Post by **JohnB.** » May 3rd, 2016, 7:17 pm

IMAWriter wrote:I ALWAYS have the 84c (or so) water ready, and pull the shot into that. Visually way more appealing. BTW, who the he!! cares what you call it? IMO, this is what a proper black/dark brown colored/coloured liquid SHOULD look like. YMMV

Read my later post & you'll see I changed my opinion. Pulling the shot into the water produces something I do not want to look at first thing in the morning. Motor oil indeed! Yuk!!

May 4th, 2016, 4:18 pm

#23: Post by **bean2friends** » May 4th, 2016, 6:22 pm

I like to pull my shot onto the hot water. Then I can pour a little steamed milk in and treat it like a latte, even with some art such as it is. My wife and I each have 2 of these to start every day. It's an excellent drink and very light in calories compared to a real latte.

#24: Post by **lagoon** » May 4th, 2016, 7:59 pm

JohnB. wrote:Read my later post & you'll see I changed my opinion. Pulling the shot into the water produces something I do not want to look at first thing in the morning. Motor oil indeed! Yuk!!

Shots on top of the water is the right way to do it. And the water shouldn't be boiling. 70-80C is about right.

To avoid the "oil slick" appearance, you need to run the stream(s) onto the sidewalls of the cup (ie: like pulling a beer). This "floats" the shot on top and preserves the crema.

If you let the shot pour right into the middle of the water, it will sink straight to the bottom and leave you with the oil slick look.

The other way to do it is to pull the shot into a shot glass then add it to the cup by a hand pour. Again, pour it onto the side of the cup.

#25: Post by **JohnB.** » May 4th, 2016, 8:43 pm

lagoon wrote:Shots on top of the water is the right way to do it. And the water shouldn't be boiling. 70-80C is about right.

There is no "right" way. Only the way you choose to do it. I choose to add tea temp water to the shot. Works for me.

#26: Post by **lagoon** » May 4th, 2016, 8:54 pm

JohnB. wrote:There is no "right" way. Only the way you choose to do it.

This is true, but there is certainly a "right way" to do it if your goal is a decent tasting beverage

Good article here on the topic:

http://www.goodfood.com.au/good-food/dr ... 36j9y.html

#27: Post by **yakster** » May 5th, 2016, 1:35 am

lagoon wrote:This is true, but there is certainly a "right way" to do it if your goal is a decent tasting beverage

By your tastes, maybe, but since taste is subjective I think it's a little more complicated than that.

#28: Post by **JohnB.** » May 5th, 2016, 7:47 am

lagoon wrote:This is true, but there is certainly a "right way" to do it if your goal is a decent tasting beverage

Good article here on the topic:

http://www.goodfood.com.au/good-food/dr ... 36j9y.html

The author obviously prizes the taste of crema more then I do if he wants it floating on top of his morning coffee. When you add the water to the shot the crema gets mixed in as does the flavor. I drink these every morning & they are far better then "decent tasting".