Americano recipe: measure espresso and hot water

Add espresso to hot water

A caffè Americano combines espresso and hot water. Starbucks Coffee at Home publishes one example with two espresso shots and 1.25 cups of hot water, added by pouring espresso slowly into the water. Treat that as a source-labeled starting point. The source states water in cups without a millilitre equivalent. Shot yields also vary. Record the actual amounts you use rather than assuming those terms define one fixed volume.

Source example	Espresso	Water	Order
Starbucks Coffee at Home	2 shots	1.25 cups hot water	Espresso into water

Make one measured cup

Hot water and espresso can burn. Use a heat-safe cup with room below the rim, and follow your machine manual.

1. Choose a heat-safe cup with enough room for the water and two shots. A 14 US fluid ounce cup is a practical starting choice, not a size given by Starbucks. Add 1.25 cups of hot water using your cup measure.
2. Pull two espresso shots into a separate vessel. Weigh their combined yield if you have a scale.
3. Pour the espresso into the water.
4. Write down the espresso amount and water amount before you change either one.

Start with the source example if it fits your cup. If you want a shorter or longer drink, change the water amount first and keep the espresso amount the same.

Use how to make espresso at home for the espresso base. Americano versus coffee explains the difference between an Americano and drip coffee.

Keep a recipe card for two cups

“Two shots” does not tell you how much espresso reached your cup. Put the shot vessel on a scale and record the combined espresso yield before you pour it into the water. Measure the water with the same cup measure each time. A scale can also record the water mass, but a shot count does not fix either mass.

Record	First cup: Starbucks water example	Next cup: smaller-water trial
Espresso	2 shots; write down their combined yield	Keep the same coffee, dose, and combined yield
Hot water	1.25 cups	1 cup
Cup and taste	Use the same heat-safe cup; write down one taste note	Taste before changing anything else

The 1-cup water trial is our comparison, not a second Starbucks recipe. For a filled-in hypothetical card, two shots might give 36 g of espresso on your scale. You would write 36 g espresso + 1.25 cups water for the first cup and 36 g espresso + 1 cup water for the next. Your shots may yield a different mass. Keep that measured yield fixed while you compare the water. If the second cup is too strong for you, return to the first water amount or try a value between them. Stop when you have a cup you want to repeat.

The source does not say how many millilitres are in its “cup” measure. Use one marked measure for both trials and record it if you need an exact volume.

Record water and espresso in the same kind of units

The source recipe gives water in cups and espresso as a shot count. That is enough to assemble a drink, but not enough to calculate one exact espresso-to-water ratio. A shot count does not fix espresso mass. The source also does not define how many millilitres its cup holds. If you want a repeatable home ratio, measure the water you actually add and weigh the combined espresso from the two shots.

For example, a hypothetical home card could read “36 g espresso, 300 g hot water.” Dividing 300 by 36 gives about 8.3 g of water for each gram of espresso. Those numbers are an illustration of the calculation, not a conversion of Starbucks's 1.25 cups and not a drink we prepared. Your first card should use your own measured masses. Keep the same coffee, shot recipe, and cup when you test a different water amount.

If you prefer a measuring cup, keep using the same marked cup for both drinks. Write “1.25 of my cup measure” and then “1 of the same measure” beside the actual combined espresso yield. Do not mix a US cup on the first day with another cup standard on the second. The precise unit matters less than a consistent, named measure for your own comparison. A scale is useful when you want to compare a water mass directly with espresso mass.

Choose the water change from the cup you made

Taste the first cup after it has cooled enough to sip safely. If the espresso flavor feels too strong for you, add a little more hot water to that cup, measure what you added, and write down the new total. If the first cup tastes too dilute, you cannot remove water from it. Make the next cup with the same measured espresso yield and less water. The one-cup water trial above gives a clear second point without changing the coffee at the same time.

Do not judge the espresso recipe only after it has been diluted. If the base shots taste harsh or sharp, use the espresso dial-in guide to adjust them on a separate test. More water changes concentration, but it does not identify what made the base shot taste that way. Once the espresso tastes good to you, keep that recipe fixed while you choose your Americano's strength.

The Starbucks order puts espresso into hot water. Prepare both parts before you combine them so the water does not sit in an overflowing cup while you wait for a second shot. Use a separate vessel for the shots if you want their combined mass. Then pour slowly into the water as the source method says. Leave enough space to carry the cup without spilling hot liquid. Follow your machine's instructions for making hot water; do not place a hand under a hot-water or steam outlet.

Keep this drink separate from two similar orders

An Americano uses espresso and added water. Brewed coffee gets its water through coffee grounds during the brewing method. Americano versus coffee explains why the two cups can look alike while the preparation differs. A red eye starts with brewed coffee and adds espresso. Adding extra water to an Americano changes dilution; adding brewed coffee changes the drink itself.

The water amount also does not give you a caffeine number. The coffee and the espresso recipe determine what entered the drink; plain water only spreads it through a larger cup. If you need caffeine information, ask about the actual coffee and shot preparation rather than using cup size as a substitute. The espresso caffeine guide explains those measurement limits, and its caffeine calculator counts by shot, not by cup size.

If you want an iced version, choose a separate recipe that accounts for ice and cold water. Melting ice adds water over time, so the hot-water comparison on this page will not predict the final strength of a drink poured over ice. Keep this hot version in your notes until you can repeat it, then test an iced cup as a new recipe. Stop adjusting when the water amount gives you a drink you want to make again.

We read Starbucks Coffee at Home's Caffè Americano recipe on September 22, 2026. This is a source-based guide; we did not make or taste these cups.