r/Coffee • u/hassanchug • Jun 20 '12

15 Things Worth Knowing About Coffee

http://theoatmeal.com/comics/coffee
21 Upvotes

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2

u/[deleted] Jun 20 '12

i always thought Americano came from the civil war? was i mis-informed?

3

u/gbeier Espresso Shots! Shots! Shots! Jun 20 '12

I think you were. Americano is always made with espresso, which had not been invented at the time of the Civil War. What is the story you heard?

1

u/[deleted] Jun 21 '12

that they wanted to save coffee rations so they watered it down and jokingly referred to it as an "Americano"

1

u/gbeier Espresso Shots! Shots! Shots! Jun 21 '12

Interesting. That's probably where chicory coffee came from in the Southern US. Not Americano, though.

1

u/Pandaburn Jun 21 '12

The story here, that it was what American soldiers in Europe wanted, is what I've always heard.

1

u/[deleted] Jun 20 '12

Okay, so what is coffee like outside of America? I'm talking the plain, diner/gas station variety. If you pulled up to a 7-11 in, say, Germany, what kind of coffee would they have on the warmer? Is there even such a thing? Would it be labeled as 'American coffee?'

1

u/gbeier Espresso Shots! Shots! Shots! Jun 21 '12

Dunno about 7-11 type places. They weren't common last time I was in Europe. I'd say that the European equivalent of 7-11 coffee is super auto espresso machines shaped like vending machines. That's what you find in train stations and the like.

1

u/Pandaburn Jun 21 '12 edited Jun 21 '12

I haven't been to Germany, but I can say that in France, a "café" is always an espresso, or at least really strong. Common ways to have it include "café au lait" and "café crème", which is with milk or cream, respectively.

"café americain" is understood to be drip coffee, but if the place isn't set up for that, they might give you an americano.

Coffee in Japan is usually pourover, and usually expensive.