In Egypt, American coffee means filter or drip coffee: medium-ground coffee with hot water dripping through a filter, at about 55 to 60 g of coffee per litre of water (about 15 g for a 250 ml cup). Coffee & Cream stocks the filter coffee, the drip machine and the capsules this guide uses.
What American coffee is
American coffee is a long black cup made by dripping hot water through medium-ground coffee in a paper or metal filter. Milk and sugar are optional. The bag is the same filter grind people use in a drip machine, a pour-over or, in a pinch, a French press.
An Americano is espresso with hot water added in the cup, so the shot stays as it was pulled. A drip cup and an Americano can look alike in the mug. The table below sets both beside the lungo, which the espresso, lungo and ristretto guide covers in full.
| Drink | How it is made |
|---|---|
| American coffee | Medium-ground coffee, hot water dripping through a filter, about 55 to 60 g per litre |
| Americano | Espresso with hot water added in the cup, so the water never runs through the coffee |
| Lungo | Extra water pushed through the coffee puck, so extraction keeps going and the cup turns more bitter |
Other cups, from Turkish to latte, are in types of coffee drinks.
American coffee amounts
The Specialty Coffee Association recommends 55 g of coffee per litre of water. Melitta's filter pages on our store suggest 60 g per litre, or roughly 6 g per 100 ml, and the 500 g Grand Aroma Strong page says to adjust that if you prefer it stronger or a bit milder. A working dose is 55 to 60 g per litre.
| Brew size | Coffee |
|---|---|
| 1 cup, 250 ml | about 14 to 15 g |
| Full 0.75 L carafe | about 41 to 45 g |
| 1 litre | 55 to 60 g |
Weigh the coffee. A heaped spoon holds a different weight from one bag to the next, so weighing keeps the strength the same from cup to cup.
How to make American coffee in a drip machine
A drip machine heats the water and runs it through the coffee for you. The targets are water at the coffee around 92 to 96°C and about 4 to 8 minutes of contact between water and grounds. On a one-button machine you cannot set either one, so grind and dose are what you change. Grind medium, the starting point for a standard drip brewer. The ground coffee brew method guide uses the same grind: medium, a touch finer for V60, and a pack labelled for filter.
One machine that fits this recipe is the LePresso Drip 0.75 L: drip brewing, a reusable filter, a glass carafe, a keep-warm function and one-button operation. Follow the included operating and cleaning instructions. See filter coffee machines. The collection also has the LePresso Brewify tea and coffee brewer with a digital display.
- Fold the paper filter along its seams and seat it in the holder, or use the machine's reusable filter.
- Rinse a paper filter with hot water so the paper taste stays out of the cup. Skip this if you are using a reusable filter.
- Fill the tank with fresh water. Weigh it if you can: 250 g for one cup, 750 g for a full 0.75 L carafe, 1000 g for a litre.
- Add medium filter-grind coffee and level the bed. Use the dose in the table above.
- Switch the machine on.
- If you can reach the grounds safely at the start, stir them a few times so they wet evenly.
- When the dripping stops, swirl the carafe and pour. You can leave the machine on if you want the coffee kept hot.
Taste, then change one thing. Sour and fast usually means go finer. Bitter and slow usually means go coarser. For a stronger or milder cup, move the dose within or slightly past 55 to 60 g per litre.
How to make American coffee without a machine
V60
A V60 is the same idea, done by hand: hot water through a paper filter. Our V60 pour-over guide gives the full pour. The headline numbers are about 15 g of medium-fine coffee and 250 g of water at around 92 to 96°C. Bloom for 30 to 45 seconds, then finish dripping in about 2:30 to 3:30. The ratio is 1:16.7. That 15 g to 250 g is the same 60 g per litre as Melitta's filter figure, so a V60 cup and a drip-machine cup land close in strength. For two people the same guide uses 30 g of coffee and 500 g of water.
The V60 grind is a step finer than coffee for a drip machine. Drippers, paper filters and gooseneck kettles are in pour-over tools.
French press
A French press is a fair home stand-in when you have no filter. The coffee steeps instead of dripping, so the cup is fuller and keeps a little sediment.
The French press guide gives the recipe: coarse ground coffee at about 1 to 15, for example 30 g of coffee to 450 ml of water just off the boil, a short stir and a 4 minute steep. Then press the plunger slowly and pour every cup right away. Water sits around 92 to 96°C. One 225 ml cup in that guide is 15 g of coffee. Filter grind is the closest pre-ground option, slightly finer than a true press grind, so expect a bit more sediment in the cup. Presses are in milk frothers and French presses.
Americano from espresso
An Americano is espresso, about 30 to 40 ml on a portafilter machine, plus hot water. Illy's recipe uses up to about 100 ml of hot water per single espresso. Let the water rest 1 to 2 minutes after the boil, and do not pour boiling water straight onto the shot. Put the water in the cup first, then add the espresso, so the crema stays on top. The drink is more diluted and less intense than espresso on its own.
An iced Americano needs more espresso, because the ice melts: 60 to 80 ml of espresso (a double shot, or two espresso capsules), 120 ml of cold water and a glass of ice. The full build is in the iced coffee recipes. The machines are in espresso machines, and the coffee for them is in espresso ground coffee.
American coffee with capsules
On a Nescafé Dolce Gusto machine, Nescafé Dolce Gusto Americano is a classic long black coffee, and each capsule makes a full 230 ml cup, medium roast. Nescafé Dolce Gusto Americano Intenso is the stronger, fuller long black, medium-dark roast. Gimoka Americano is mild, with a light roast, compatible with Dolce Gusto machines. Nescafé Dolce Gusto Lungo is 100% Arabica and brews on the lungo setting, around 120 ml. The Dolce Gusto machine guide shows how to set the water level for each capsule, and the pods are in Dolce Gusto pods.
On a Nespresso Original machine, the long black cup from a capsule is a lungo: Nespresso Buenos Aires Lungo, Nespresso Shanghai Lungo, or Illy Classico Lungo compatible with Nespresso (run as a lungo, 110 ml, and not for Vertuo machines). For an Americano, brew an espresso capsule into a cup of hot water, as above. Capsules are in coffee capsules and Nespresso capsules.
Which coffee to buy
Buy coffee ground for filter, or whole beans you grind yourself: medium for a drip machine, a touch finer for V60, coarse for a French press. Ground coffee loses aroma faster than whole beans, so a 250 g bag is the better everyday size unless you brew filter coffee often enough to finish 500 g or 1 kg while it still smells fresh. Whole beans are in whole coffee beans, and grinders are in coffee grinders.
These filter coffees from American filter ground coffee are ground for this cup. Pick by roast and by how strong you want the mug.
- Melitta Grand Aroma Strong (500 g and 250 g): dark roast Arabica blend, full body, low acidity, dark chocolate and smoky notes. Ground for filter machines, pour-over or French press. Start here for a strong, dark cup. The 500 g product page suggests 60 g per litre.
- Illy Classico Filter (250 g): Illy's Classico, ground for filter, listed for drip in our brew method guide.
- Kimbo Filtro (1 kg): 30% Arabica and 70% Robusta, light roast, medium body, low acidity, sweet, with dried fruit and spice notes. For filter machines and French press.
- Coffee Planet Scarlatto Filter House (250 g): 100% Arabica, medium-dark roast, caramel sweetness with hazelnut and roasted almond notes. Ground for filter machines and drip.
- Carraro Filter (250 g): for filter coffee machines, French press and American coffee.
- Saquella Classico Filter (500 g): rounded body, light bitterness. For drip machines, pour-over and French press.
- Melitta Premium (250 g): medium roast, Arabica-led blend, mild and rounded, toasted nut and cocoa notes, filter cut. For filter, drip and pour-over. Its product page suggests roughly 6 g per 100 ml.
The ground coffee brew method guide matches grind to method. Arabica vs robusta explains the difference in the cup, and the coffee bean finder helps you match a taste.
FAQ
What is American coffee?
In Egypt it is filter or drip coffee: medium-ground coffee and hot water, dripped through a filter, at about 55 to 60 g of coffee per litre. An Americano is a separate drink, espresso with hot water added in the cup.
What are the amounts for American coffee?
About 14 to 15 g of filter-ground coffee for a 250 ml cup, about 41 to 45 g for a full 0.75 L carafe, and 55 to 60 g for 1 litre. Weigh it, because a heaped spoon holds a different weight from bag to bag. Milk and sugar are optional.
What are the best types of American coffee in Egypt?
The one ground for filter, in the roast you like. For a strong, dark cup, Melitta Grand Aroma Strong. For a milder, rounder cup, Melitta Premium or Saquella Classico Filter. Kimbo Filtro is the light-roast, sweeter 1 kg pack. Coffee Planet Scarlatto Filter House is a 100% Arabica option. Illy Classico Filter is for drip, and Carraro Filter's product page lists it for filter machines, French press and American coffee.
What is the difference between American coffee and an Americano?
American coffee is filter coffee: water drips through a bed of medium-ground coffee. An Americano is an espresso shot with hot water added in the cup, so the shot stays as it was pulled. See the espresso, lungo and ristretto guide.
Can you make American coffee without a machine?
Yes. A V60 uses about 15 g of medium-fine coffee and 250 g of water at 92 to 96°C, with the full method in the V60 pour-over guide. A French press uses coarse coffee at about 1 to 15, for example 30 g to 450 ml, steeped 4 minutes, in the French press guide. The press cup is fuller and leaves a little sediment.
Which machine makes American coffee?
A drip filter machine, such as the LePresso Drip 0.75 L in filter coffee machines. On a Dolce Gusto machine, Nescafé Dolce Gusto Americano and Americano Intenso capsules make a long black cup. An espresso machine makes an Americano, espresso with hot water added in the cup. The coffee machine comparison sets the machine types side by side.
Filter coffee for this recipe
Pick a bag of American filter ground coffee and brew it in a drip machine, a V60 or a French press. Orders reach Cairo and Giza in 1 to 2 business days and other governorates in 2 to 4 business days. You can pay cash on delivery or by card. Delivery fees are on the shipping policy.