Crema’s free americano recipe combines 40 ml of espresso with 120 ml of water for one serving. That is a 1:3 volume ratio, not a rule for every café. Measuring espresso and water separately is a useful home habit: it lets you repeat a drink the next day or deliberately adjust its intensity.
Drink ratio and brewing ratio are different
40 ml of espresso plus 120 ml of water gives about 160 ml of ingredients before serving. The 1:3 ratio describes the assembled drink, not ground coffee compared with espresso yield. Do not automatically substitute 40 g for 40 ml: espresso volume includes crema. If you use a scale to control extraction, keep a separate record of dose and yield, then measure the americano ingredients as the chosen recipe specifies.
Set out a cup and measuring vessel
Choose a cup with room for the ingredients, gentle stirring and carrying. A cup holding exactly 160 ml at the rim will be awkward. Prepare a readable measuring vessel, water and spoon before brewing. Do not compare ratios solely by the height of the drink in different mugs: their shapes change how the same volume looks.
Brew espresso, then add measured water
Crema’s full recipe starts with espresso, adds 120 ml of hot water and recommends stirring gently. Its approximate 80°C guidance refers to water added to the finished coffee, not the espresso brewing setting. Follow your machine’s instructions and take care when pouring. Treat the quantities as a starting point rather than a promise of identical flavour on every setup.
Adjust water while keeping the coffee constant
First make the recipe as written. If you prefer a less intense drink, add a small measured amount of water, such as 20 ml, and note the new total. If it tastes too diluted, use less water next time. Keep the espresso quantity unchanged during this comparison. Changing beans, grind and added water together makes it harder to know which change affected the result.
More water does not remove coffee from the serving
Adding water increases drink volume and reduces concentration, but it does not remove the espresso already in the cup. Do not infer caffeine content from mug size, colour or the water ratio alone. This recipe does not provide a caffeine measurement. Using less espresso is a separate choice if you want less coffee in the serving, and should be recorded separately.
Keep a simple reference note
Record the coffee, 40 ml espresso, 120 ml added water and your impression of the taste. Add one change when you try again. The full free recipe below includes ingredients, equipment and steps. Crema provides 12 free recipes; the other 68 require Crema Club. Photographs are serving illustrations, so there is no need to reproduce their appearance.