For a lot of people, the day starts with drinking coffee. Most people need quick and easy solutions for getting that daily caffeine boost. That said, a lot of them prefer regular drip-brewed coffee because it gives them both the taste and the caffeine. But not everyone has a regular drip coffee brewer. The question remains: Can you make regular coffee with an espresso machine? In this article, we will answer this question and suggest alternatives to make regular coffee with an espresso machine.
Can You Make Regular Coffee with an Espresso Machine
The answer to that question can be both yes and no. The reason for this is that even though you cannot make regular drip-brewed coffee with an espresso machine, you can still make something with that machine that is very similar to regular coffee. The reason for the fact that you cannot possibly make regular coffee with a machine that specifically makes espresso is the way the coffee is made. Espresso and regular coffee are not made in the same way, and even if you wanted to, you could not take anything similar to regular coffee, unless you do some modification.
Differences between Espresso and Regular Coffee
Before we go on to explaining how we can make something similar to regular coffee with an espresso machine, we need to understand how exactly each one is made. Starting with espresso, it is made by pushing and passing hot near-boiling water from well-ground coffee grounds that almost resemble powdered coffee. These espresso machines with a grinder can do the job easily. Next, the hot water is passed with a lot of pressure through these grounds and results in a drink that is super rich in the amount of caffeine. In addition to this, there is always a layer of foam on the espresso drink that is made of soluble oils in coffee beans and bubbles of air. This light-colored foam can be seen in all espresso cups as something to identify it with.
Regular coffee, on the other hand, is made by letting the hot water pass the coffee grounds only by the force of gravity. We don’t pressure the coffee beans and allow the hot water to drip through the coffee grounds. This results in a drink that isn’t as enriched by caffeine, looks smoother, and doesn’t have any kind of foam on it.
All that said, it doesn’t mean that you cannot make anything that will resemble regular coffee with espresso. There is a drink that you can make out of espresso that goes by the name Americano coffee. This drink is named this way due to the fact that Americans made a type of coffee that had twice the volume of liquid but the same amount of caffeine as espresso. That is why this drink is named after them. [1]
Is Americano the Same as Regular Coffee?
Americano is a drink made from adding water to espresso. You might have seen it at a nearby coffee store. It looks and feels a lot like regular drip-brewed coffee, but it is not exactly the same. The first difference is that Americano is richer in caffeine than regular coffee. You can keep that as a point of bonus, because coffee is as important for the amount of caffeine it offers as the taste it offers. You can make an Americano with a coffee machine easily.
How to Make Americano Coffee
Making Caffe Americano with espresso is super simple. We are going to introduce two different ways here. You can go by whichever that matches you best.
The first way to make Americano out of espresso is to have your espresso ready in a cup and have some hot water ready in another bigger cup. Then, you simply pour your espresso in the cup of hot water. That’s it. Now you can enjoy your rich cup of Americano.
The second way is to have some ice ready in a glass, and then pour your hot espresso into the glass. As you pour the espresso down, the ice will start to melt, and when you’re done pouring the whole espresso into the glass, your Americano coffee is ready.
Alternative Ways to Make Regular Coffee with an Espresso Machine
One thing to keep in mind is that you can definitely make lots and lots of fantastic drinks with espresso, and having an espresso machine will prove to be very beneficial. There are lots of drinks like Caffe Latte, Cappuccino, Macchiato, Caffe Creme, etc. Alongside that, you can also make Caffe Americano to get a feeling of regular coffee next to all of those options. If you still have doubts about that, you can easily try both of them by getting them from a nearby coffee shop first to see if you’d feel the same about Americano as you would about regular coffee. Anyhow, there are options like getting used espresso machines or espresso machines under 1000 dollars. Trying these doesn’t hurt, and a good espresso machine can definitely do more than just a regular coffee brewer.
However, just in case you are not comfortable with Americano, you still have the option of getting a combo machine that both brews regular coffee and espresso. This is suitable for people who don’t want to let go of espresso but also want drip-brewed regular coffee.
Conclusion
Can you make regular coffee with an espresso machine or can you not? That is the question! The obvious answer is no, you cannot make regular drip-brewed coffee that way, because they are brewed in different ways. However, what you can do is make a drink called Americano with an espresso machine that resembles regular coffee a lot, a bit in taste and a bit in looks. There is also an option to get a dual-use coffee machine that can both brew drip coffee and make espresso. We recommend trying both of these drinks out first, and then choosing the right scenario based on your own preferences.
Hope you have gotten your answer, and thank you for reading this article. Feel free to share your thoughts and experience about this matter with us down below.
References:
- Americano Etymology. Retrieved from https://www.etymonline.com/word/americano
My name is Yurii Brown. I am a passionate coffee geek and, concurrently, a certified coffee specialist.
I’ve been learning about coffee for a long time, testing various devices and practicing in home coffee brewing. I like to share my experience and insights with fellow coffee lovers so that my readers could enjoy the real taste of quality-brewed beverages.
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