BLOWING OFF STEAM - Letter writer Lino Mastrangelo.
Editor,
I found Mr. Boyd's article "Grieving over the Grind" fascinating (Boyd"s Town, Dec. 2
issue).
I work as a barista and appreciate much of what Mr. Boyd wrote regarding the closure
of a once great Cafe. I find North Shore residents demand great coffee and are willing
to travel amazing distances to get that perfect coffee. This was not common just a few
years ago, and today the North Shore has a couple of world-class coffee shops that make
coffee on par with top cafes in Italy.
However, I would like to add a comment to Boyd's article that needs clarification: his
opinion of what an Americano should be.
Mr. Boyd believes that a proper Americano should be an Espresso, run long so as to fill
the cup thus "putting it through the full brewing process," as he puts it. He believes
that an espresso shot with hot water is not a true Americano and that the taste is diluted.
As it turns out. Italians came up with the term "Americano" back in the late Fifties.
Italian baristas first began using the term in Rome and Florence when American tourists
found the taste of espresso too strong and asked for hot water added to smooth out the
concentrated taste.
So, a proper and traditional Americano is a shot of Espresso with hot water.
The best espresso shot is run between 20 to 30 seconds which brings out just the right
amount of acidity, sweetness, and body and requires the right grind, tamp, and dispensing
temperature and pressure. Running a shot longer than 30 seconds makes it bitter.
In fact, as a barista I aim for a shot that runs to the line in 25 seconds, and always
discard any shot that runs longer than 30 seconds. A shot running longer than 30 seconds
almost invariably has ruined the pleasing brightness and sharpness of the coffee.
So, making an Americano by running the shot long destroys the coffee.
It is refreshing to know there are people like Mr. Boyd who seek the ultimate coffee
experience and I hope they find their ultimate Americano.
Lino Mastrangelo
North Vancouver
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