Iced Americano
An iced Americano is espresso, cold water and ice. Nothing else. It is the most transparent cold coffee you can make, which means it shows off a good shot and exposes a bad one.
What you need
- A double shot of espresso — 18 g of coffee in, 36 g in the cup
- 120–150 ml of cold water
- A tall glass, filled with ice
How to make it
- Fill the glass to the top with ice. Genuinely full — a full glass of ice melts more slowly than a few cubes and dilutes the drink less.
- Add the cold water.
- Pull the double shot fresh and pour it straight over.
- Stir once.
The ratio
1:3 to 1:4 espresso to water, a little tighter than a hot Americano because the melting ice will keep diluting it. A 36 g double into about 130 ml of water is a good place to start.
Why the order matters here too
Espresso poured over cold water and ice chills instantly, which stops the extraction and locks in the flavour of the shot as pulled. Water poured onto espresso that has been sitting gets you a shot that has already gone flat and sour. Always pull last.
Common mistakes
- Warm water. Use cold from the fridge, or the ice does all the work and vanishes.
- Not enough ice. Half a glass melts fully in a couple of minutes and the drink turns thin.
- Espresso brewed in advance. Thirty seconds is enough to change how a shot tastes.
Iced Americano or cold brew?
They are not the same drink. Cold brew steeps coarse grounds in cold water for 12–24 hours and comes out heavy, low-acid and mellow. An iced Americano is a hot extraction, chilled instantly, so it keeps its acidity and aromatics — brighter, cleaner, and it takes about a minute.
Which coffee to use
Anything on our shelf works, but milk drinks reward a coffee with body and sweetness over one built for delicate florals — the milk will bury the top notes either way. Check the tasting notes and the process on each product page; a natural or a honey-processed lot usually cuts through milk better than a light washed one.