It's simple.

 

What are your ways for preparing an iced americano? And why?

 

I feel like the beverage is kind of forgotten because most will opt for iced coffee.

 

I've been messing with some different ways to prepare it. I'm trying to not drastically drop the temperature of the espresso. I've noticed just pouring espresso over ice bitters the coffee and it starts to not resemble any of the flavors that are tasted when cupped or in a hot beverage.

 

What I've done-Poured my espresso over semi hot water(rocks glass), then poured into a cup of luke warm water, THEN adding ice at the very end.

 

It's a timely task...perhaps I'm not doing it the most efficient way possible. But the results are quite good. It's also not super cold. Cold but not super cold.

 

I should also mention the reason this is timely is because we don't have our water filtration system hooked up to a source that produces room temperature water. It's only hooked up to our 2 water towers, ice machine, and espresso machine. This is soon to change when we get our drinking water faucet on the espresso bar.

 

So yeah...what do you all do? anything different? similar? hows it tasting? I want recipes! 

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I'm currently working at two coffee bars.

At one bar, we just top the glass with ice, fill it with water, then extract the shot on top.

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.

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.

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.

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!

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. 

and please always use fresh shots...

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.

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)

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