Iced Americanos - Barista Exchange2024-03-28T12:06:18Zhttps://www.baristaexchange.com/forum/topics/iced-americanos?commentId=1688216%3AComment%3A1036398&feed=yes&xn_auth=noHave you thought of making th…tag:www.baristaexchange.com,2017-02-14:1688216:Comment:16075082017-02-14T17:52:52.687ZSimon Taylorhttps://www.baristaexchange.com/profile/SimonTaylor
Have you thought of making the switch to cold brew instead? We did that, and it has worked on several levels: don't have to worry about espresso getting diluted or bitter with addition of water, and after some trial and error, can make a brew that has the same flavours and strength of an Americans. Also, the price point is good, as it is cheap to make, and can generally charge a bit more than an Americans. Finally, the base brew is great for making specialty drinks (we make a lavender one that…
Have you thought of making the switch to cold brew instead? We did that, and it has worked on several levels: don't have to worry about espresso getting diluted or bitter with addition of water, and after some trial and error, can make a brew that has the same flavours and strength of an Americans. Also, the price point is good, as it is cheap to make, and can generally charge a bit more than an Americans. Finally, the base brew is great for making specialty drinks (we make a lavender one that people go mental for, as well as a cold brew and tonic) i just pour the shots over co…tag:www.baristaexchange.com,2013-01-15:1688216:Comment:14364942013-01-15T03:29:32.455ZShayna Pyskhttps://www.baristaexchange.com/profile/ShaynaPysk
<p>i just pour the shots over cold water, and then add ice at the end. Still doesnt preserve the flavor very well but when comparing the quickest and most efficient methods i find its still better then pouring it over ice directly.</p>
<p>i just pour the shots over cold water, and then add ice at the end. Still doesnt preserve the flavor very well but when comparing the quickest and most efficient methods i find its still better then pouring it over ice directly.</p> and please always use fresh s…tag:www.baristaexchange.com,2012-07-17:1688216:Comment:13978282012-07-17T13:56:36.949Zlance battenfieldhttps://www.baristaexchange.com/profile/lancebattenfield
<p>and please always use fresh shots...</p>
<p>and please always use fresh shots...</p> The way to go is getting a fi…tag:www.baristaexchange.com,2012-07-17:1688216:Comment:13978002012-07-17T13:55:56.632Zlance battenfieldhttps://www.baristaexchange.com/profile/lancebattenfield
<p>The way to go is getting a filtered water tap hooked up next to your bar. i always add water from my tap first, then the espresso over the water and then the ice on top. i've tried it several ways and found that this introduces the espresso to the temperature change much better than pulling it over ice which (i would say, 'depending on the espresso') would come out a little harsh. on the other hand, if you add espresso first then when you add your water you get a bunch of bubbles and end up…</p>
<p>The way to go is getting a filtered water tap hooked up next to your bar. i always add water from my tap first, then the espresso over the water and then the ice on top. i've tried it several ways and found that this introduces the espresso to the temperature change much better than pulling it over ice which (i would say, 'depending on the espresso') would come out a little harsh. on the other hand, if you add espresso first then when you add your water you get a bunch of bubbles and end up having a nice head on your americano which i don't like. </p> We do shots in the cup with a…tag:www.baristaexchange.com,2012-05-05:1688216:Comment:13805752012-05-05T18:56:31.966ZEmily Wiersmahttps://www.baristaexchange.com/profile/EmilyWiersma
<p>We do shots in the cup with a little bit of cool water (so as not to shock the shots), add ice, and fill to the top with cool water. We keep a bottle in the fridge, so it's always cool and filtered. Best of luck!</p>
<p>We do shots in the cup with a little bit of cool water (so as not to shock the shots), add ice, and fill to the top with cool water. We keep a bottle in the fridge, so it's always cool and filtered. Best of luck!</p> I'm currently working at two…tag:www.baristaexchange.com,2012-04-21:1688216:Comment:13759132012-04-21T04:27:16.413ZAndy Kwonhttps://www.baristaexchange.com/profile/AndyKwon
<p>I'm currently working at two coffee bars.</p>
<p></p>
<p>At one bar, we just top the glass with ice, fill it with water, then extract the shot on top.</p>
<p></p>
<p>At another bar, they're big proponents of the "espresso shock" theory, so we actually only fill the cup halfway with water, then pull the shot, then top it with ice.</p>
<p></p>
<p>I personally prefer the first method. It's just more efficient, and you preserve some crema. I don't think the taste of the espresso will change, and…</p>
<p>I'm currently working at two coffee bars.</p>
<p></p>
<p>At one bar, we just top the glass with ice, fill it with water, then extract the shot on top.</p>
<p></p>
<p>At another bar, they're big proponents of the "espresso shock" theory, so we actually only fill the cup halfway with water, then pull the shot, then top it with ice.</p>
<p></p>
<p>I personally prefer the first method. It's just more efficient, and you preserve some crema. I don't think the taste of the espresso will change, and I guarantee you if we conducted a blind taste test, nobody would be able to figure out which is which.</p>
<p></p>
<p>I would be interested to read an article making a convincing argument for the "espresso shock" theory. I wouldn't be surprised if this theory was conjured up by the same crowd who believes an espresso shot "dies" after 30-45 seconds.</p> Hi Guys, I've been reflecting…tag:www.baristaexchange.com,2012-04-20:1688216:Comment:13758932012-04-20T14:20:28.190ZZev Ghttps://www.baristaexchange.com/profile/JoelGreenblatt
<p>Hi Guys, I've been reflecting over this question lately, so I thought I'd share some thoughts. Assuming there IS such a thing as an iced americano (and this would be true according to a customer who asks for one), here goes:</p>
<p> </p>
<address><em>1. At Caffe Mocias, we used to serve a beverage that we called an "Italian Iced Coffee." Actually there is no such thing as an Italian Iced Coffee. They don't drink iced coffee in most of Italy. Bad name. But anyway, here is how we did it: (a) -…</em></address>
<p>Hi Guys, I've been reflecting over this question lately, so I thought I'd share some thoughts. Assuming there IS such a thing as an iced americano (and this would be true according to a customer who asks for one), here goes:</p>
<p> </p>
<address><em>1. At Caffe Mocias, we used to serve a beverage that we called an "Italian Iced Coffee." Actually there is no such thing as an Italian Iced Coffee. They don't drink iced coffee in most of Italy. Bad name. But anyway, here is how we did it: (a) - fill a 16 oz clear cold cup with ice bulging at the top. at this point some customers would ask for not so much ice, but we would say its needed for some reason I forget which - more on this later. (b) pour a shot of espresso over the ice. Towards the end we were using two shots. (c) Add milk until full (d) the customers LOVED it! Once spoke it terms of seamlessness, the way the flavors came together. We used a medium roast espresso which may be part of the reason for this.</em></address>
<address> </address>
<address>2. Since hot espresso was poured over the ice, cold water was created, making this beverage on the way to becoming an iced americano. if the customer asked for it black, we had a problem because the recipe does not call for water, so how do you fill it to the top? they pulled the shots long and that seemed to satisfy. Towards the end we just didn't make it available it black.</address>
<address> </address>
<address>3. If someone ordered an iced latte, they would get the same thing but with only one shot of espresso. the cost basis for this was less than the IIC because our coffee cost us more than the milk.</address>
<address> </address>
<address>4. putting all this together, here is what I would do:</address>
<address> </address>
<address>Iced Latte: espresso, add milk, add ice. dont create water by pouring hot liquids over ice.</address>
<address> </address>
<address>Espresso Iced Coffee (or some other name): small amount of water that is created by pouring espresso over ice, according to the recipe above. no black.</address>
<address> </address>
<address>Iced Americano: do the same thing as above, except will with cold water instead of milk. Leave space for milk if desired.</address>
<address> </address>
<address>5. If the customer wants "less ice" for the in-between beverage, then just make him or her an iced latte.</address>
<address> </address>
<address>Hope this is more helpful.</address>
<address> </address> Just for fun, I did this expe…tag:www.baristaexchange.com,2011-04-06:1688216:Comment:10832822011-04-06T22:26:05.521ZBradyhttps://www.baristaexchange.com/profile/Brady
<p>Just for fun, I did this experiment again today... on different gear, with a different barista, with different tasters, and with a different espresso.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Same result - zero if any detectable difference.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>BTW, I thought the barista was going to hit me when he saw what I meant by "help with an experiment"... as he put it, "pouring shots over ice goes against everything I know is right".</p>
<p> </p>
<p>In both samples, the resultant drink was a totally different…</p>
<p>Just for fun, I did this experiment again today... on different gear, with a different barista, with different tasters, and with a different espresso.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Same result - zero if any detectable difference.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>BTW, I thought the barista was going to hit me when he saw what I meant by "help with an experiment"... as he put it, "pouring shots over ice goes against everything I know is right".</p>
<p> </p>
<p>In both samples, the resultant drink was a totally different experience than the shot when hot. Less sweet, less bright, more bitter. In this case, the shot looked great - this shop does everything right and this barista is one of the best I know. The coffee was Toscano, btw. The act of cooling this shot, in either way, took an outstanding espresso and flattened it into something totally different. I liked the drink, made either way, but it was not as great of an experience as the shot would have been hot.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>What I did hope to confirm by doing this again, though, was that the preparation method didn't make the difference. A cold espresso tastes the way it does not because you did or didn't "shock it", but because you cooled it to a certain temperature. Whether the mechanism is the loss of crema (not convinced - remember the "scooped crema" craze?) or some physiological factor... which is my theory. Cold matters, method not so much.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>FWIW, after the experiment, we all enjoyed freshly-made "Japanese method" glasses of CC Burundi. It was a much more enjoyable drink than Toscano on the rocks, by the way.</p>
<p> </p>
<p><cite>Brady said:</cite></p>
<blockquote cite="http://www.baristaexchange.com/forum/topics/iced-americanos?page=2&commentId=1688216%3AComment%3A1082086&x=1#1688216Comment1081971"><div>I guess the important thing is that you find a method that works well in your environment and with your coffees.<br/> <br/> I did try this experiment again today, by the way, and multiple blind tasters found little to no difference in flavor.<br/><cite><br/></cite></div>
</blockquote> Hmmm. My tasters all used str…tag:www.baristaexchange.com,2011-04-04:1688216:Comment:10820862011-04-04T23:26:25.040ZBradyhttps://www.baristaexchange.com/profile/Brady
Hmmm. My tasters all used straws, which would take crema out of the picture. I'll bet that might have something to do with our different observations as well.<br></br><br></br><cite>Joshua Taves said:</cite><blockquote><div><p>Just had a quick two cents to spice up the conversation</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Another thing to consider is that as stated in Rao's book, when adding espresso to water (either hot or cold) the fines and insoluble solids contained in the crema and throughout the shot are so diluted that…</p>
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Hmmm. My tasters all used straws, which would take crema out of the picture. I'll bet that might have something to do with our different observations as well.<br/><br/><cite>Joshua Taves said:</cite><blockquote><div><p>Just had a quick two cents to spice up the conversation</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Another thing to consider is that as stated in Rao's book, when adding espresso to water (either hot or cold) the fines and insoluble solids contained in the crema and throughout the shot are so diluted that they are no longer affecting your evaluation of the drink. Often these particles will coat your tongue and lend slightly sweeter notes to your espresso. So, perhaps your espresso is tasting different in americanos because of this reason.</p>
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</blockquote> I guess the important thing i…tag:www.baristaexchange.com,2011-04-04:1688216:Comment:10819712011-04-04T21:44:53.075ZBradyhttps://www.baristaexchange.com/profile/Brady
I guess the important thing is that you find a method that works well in your environment and with your coffees.<br />
<br />
I did try this experiment again today, by the way, and multiple blind tasters found little to no difference in flavor.<br></br><br></br><cite>Jordan Guenther said:</cite><blockquote><div><p>the devil might be in the details here, my process is slightly different, the biggest difference may be I'm using doubles on both my "drinks" so the difference be more noticeable. we serve doubles on 12…</p>
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I guess the important thing is that you find a method that works well in your environment and with your coffees.<br />
<br />
I did try this experiment again today, by the way, and multiple blind tasters found little to no difference in flavor.<br/><br/><cite>Jordan Guenther said:</cite><blockquote><div><p>the devil might be in the details here, my process is slightly different, the biggest difference may be I'm using doubles on both my "drinks" so the difference be more noticeable. we serve doubles on 12 and 16oz drinks so that's why I'm not splitting shots.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>1. prep and start both sets of shots at same time.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>2. one shot goes into the cup filled with ice, one shot into the 1-2 oz of luke warm water. repeat with second shots.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>3.add ice to the luke warm water until volume of ice and water is roughly the same as the shots over ice. </p>
<p> </p>
<p>man, I wish I would of paid more attention in science class, I'd probably be better able to describe my process...</p>
<p> </p>
<p><cite>Brady said:</cite></p>
<blockquote cite="http://www.baristaexchange.com/forum/topics/iced-americanos?id=1688216%3ATopic%3A1026417&page=2#1688216Comment1081506"><div><p>Maybe our process is different for this experiment?</p>
<p> </p>
<p>What I did was:</p>
<p>1. Split a good shot.</p>
<p>2. Pour 1 over ice, stir to chill, then strain into a shotglass.</p>
<p>3. Take the other and add cool water to match the volume of the first shot+icemelt.</p>
<p>4. Add a little ice to both to make the temperatures match.</p>
<p>5. Mark the bottom and have someone switch up the cups.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>The last step is the most important for me... your preconceptions can be your worst enemy when it comes to stuff like this.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>I'll try this experiment again tomorrow, as well as the one you've described. The concept of "shocking a shot" seems too prevalent for me to just dismiss after a couple of experiments. Thanks for taking this up, by the way. I've kinda been trying to discuss this for a while, with no takers.</p>
<p><br/> <cite>Jordan Guenther said:</cite></p>
<blockquote cite="http://www.baristaexchange.com/forum/topics/iced-americanos?page=2&commentId=1688216%3AComment%3A1081549&x=1#1688216Comment1081549"><div><p>We use a light roast <a class="ml-smartlink" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Espresso">espresso</a> blend, although that's all I could tell you about it due to proprietary secrets and what not (seriously. my own roasters won't tell me whats in the blend, where it's from, what conditions its grown under, etc. I'm running blind here)</p>
<p> </p>
<p>it is peculiar that they don't taste any different for you...</p>
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