Do you need a different coffee powder to water ratio for milk coffee and Americano? Small changes can give your coffee a different flavor!

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A few days ago, a friend asked me, if the same coffee beans are used, with the same grinding degree and the same amount of coffee powder, when producing milk coffee, Americano, and espresso, will there be different requirements for the coffee powder to water ratio of espresso? So I compared the performance of milk coffee and Americano made with espresso with different coffee powder to water ratios.

The cup used in this experiment is the latte cup we usually use for production, with a capacity of 180ml;

The beans are a fine blend of Colombia and Brazil; the grinding degree is Pegasus 900N 1.9; a single-head portafilter is used to make espresso, the amount of powder is 13 grams, and three powder-water ratios are tested: 1:1, 1:1.5 and 1:2 .

Now let’s try what the espresso tastes like when made with these three powders and water, and what the milk coffee and American coffee taste like?

| Powder to water ratio 1:1

13g of coffee powder extracted from 13g of liquid coffee, extraction time: 19 seconds

[Concentrate] It is smooth on the palate, but has a slightly higher acidity, with a creamy, nutty flavor and a long-lasting sweetness from the sucrose.

[Latte] It smells distinctly nutty, with flavors of nuts, chocolate, cream, and a hint of butter cookies, and the sweetness of milk is obvious.

[American] It smells like caramel, has a soft and smooth taste, and has the flavor of red berries.

| Powder to water ratio 1:1.5

13g of coffee powder extracted 20g of coffee liquid, extraction time: 27 seconds

[Concentrate] It has a sour taste of berries at first, chocolate and hazelnut flavors in the middle, and a long-lasting sweet aftertaste.

[Latte] It smells like caramel, and tastes like cream, milk chocolate, and a slight nut flavor. The flavors of milk and coffee are well balanced.

[American] It has a slight berry-like sour taste at first, and the sweetness of sucrose is obvious at the end.

| Powder to water ratio 1:2

13g of coffee powder extracts 26g of coffee liquid, extraction time: 34 seconds

[Concentrated] It has a creamy sweetness at first, a refreshing sweetness, and a bit of rock sugar sweetness, and the aftertaste has a distinct smoky flavor.

[Latte] Although it tastes light at first, it has a toffee-like sweetness, and the aftertaste is the taste of cinnamon and wood.

[American Style] It smells a bit like wood, with a cocoa and woody flavor.

【Summarize】

The experiment found that the espresso with a smaller ratio of coffee powder to water tastes sour, but after adding milk, it becomes very sweet, and it also has a very soft taste when made into Americano. The editor believes that this is mainly because the extraction ratio of espresso is reduced and the extraction time is shortened, basically only the substances in the front part are extracted, and it is not easy to over-extract. In addition, since the espresso liquid is less, the amount of milk is increased under the premise of the same output, so the sweetness will be more obvious.

The espresso with a higher ratio of powder to water tastes lighter at first, but the sweetness is quite obvious. However, the wood and smoky flavors soon appear. The same is true for latte. Although it tastes light and sweet at first, it is very similar to espresso, and the woody flavor soon appears. After being made into Americano, the over-extracted woody flavor is obvious at first sip.

Whether it is espresso or Americano, the ratio of powder to water is 1:1.5, the flavor level will be relatively rich. When made into latte, the taste of milk and coffee is also relatively balanced. The taste of coffee will not cover the milk, and the taste of milk will not steal the limelight from the coffee. It is a more balanced feeling.

We have said before (for details, click → Analysis of the flavor of the first, middle and last extraction of Italian coffee), the espresso extracted at the beginning has a higher acidity and concentration, while the espresso extracted from the middle will begin to have a noticeable sweetness and the taste will begin to fade. Therefore, espresso with a large ratio of coffee powder to water will be more likely to be over-extracted.

Taking the beans and parameters we used this time as an example, without changing the grinding degree, if you want a cup of latte with a prominent sweetness or a softer Americano, you can try using espresso with a powder-to-water ratio of 1:1; and if you want a cup of espresso or Americano with rich layers, or a more balanced latte, you might as well try using espresso with a powder-to-water ratio of 1:1.5~

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